Treasure Hunt all over the World

After admiring the national treasure-grade Duan Inkstone, everyone turned their attention to another object in the golden nanmu box, which was also wrapped in red silk as a cuboid object.

Before Ye Tian reached out to take it out of the box, Linlin couldn't wait to ask:

"Brother, what is this thing? Could it be another national treasure antique artwork? If so, it would be great!"

"Don't worry, you will know the answer right away, whether it is a national treasure-level antique or not, everyone will know it after seeing it!"

Ye Tian chuckled and said, he didn't reveal the answer right away, but kept it a secret, and continued to keep the suspense, so it's interesting, isn't it.

Then, under the watchful eyes of his family, he took the thing out of the golden nanmu box, placed it gently on the coffee table, and began to disassemble the wrapped red silk.

After a while, he untied the red silk, and the things wrapped inside were revealed.

These are four ingots of black, glossy, purple ink, in the shape of a cuboid, about 20 centimeters long, stacked together, lying quietly on the red silk, complementing each other!

There is no packaging for ink sticks, and the main body is directly presented to everyone.

You can clearly see that there are patterns painted on the ink ingots, and the two pieces above are painted with plum blossoms and orchids, which are fresh and elegant, floating in the dust!

As Ye Tian removed the upper two ink ingots and placed them flat on the left, the patterns of the lower two ink ingots also appeared, drawing bamboo and chrysanthemums.

This is a set of "plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum" four gentlemen's ink, which is a very rare ornamental ink.

Except for the grandfather, the other family members present did not know how to appreciate famous ink, but this cluster of ink still firmly attracted everyone's attention, making everyone's eyes bright.

Just from the patterns on the ink ingots and the faint precious light, everyone can tell that these four ink ingots are definitely of extraordinary origin and are of great value.

Besides, with my kid's generosity, how could the things I used to honor my grandfather be so bad?

Compared with other family members, Grandpa obviously knows better about the quality of ink ingots and the value of famous ink.

The moment he saw the four ink ingots, his eyes lit up like searchlights, and he almost jumped up from the sofa in excitement!

Arrange the four ink ingots on the coffee table in the order of 'plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum',

Ye Tian smiled and said:

"Grandpa, you already have Xu Wei and Xu Wenchang's Duan Inkstone, a national treasure, so you can't do without the top famous ink, the combination of the two is more perfect, isn't it?

Just like the time when the top Duan inkstone was made, this cluster of ink also comes from the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. It has a long history of nearly 500 years and is very valuable! "

"Hey! It's actually an antique around 500 years old!"

My sister-in-law exclaimed, and the rest of the family members were also shocked.

Grandpa, who was sitting on the sofa, became even more excited.

After a short pause, Ye Tian continued to say:

"Although this ink is not comparable to the famous Tingsi ink, it is also the top-level stationery, which is rare, and it is also rare in the antique art market.

During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, the trend of connoisseurship with ink was prevalent, and top-notch famous inks emerged one after another. According to my appraisal, this cluster of ink is the best Huizhou pine smoke ink. In terms of quality, it should be tribute ink!

It is a pity that after a long time of baptism, the outer packaging of this bunch of ink was completely lost, leaving only the ink ingots themselves. Fortunately, these ink ingots are as firm as jade and have not been damaged.

Based on the style of playing with ink during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, the outer packaging of this top-notch famous ink must be extremely particular. The boxes that hold the ink are most likely black lacquered gold boxes, or golden silk nanmu boxes and ebony boxes.

But that's right, if these extravagant packages were still there, this pile of ink wouldn't have fallen into my hands, and it would have been taken away by other caring people long ago, so naturally it wouldn't appear here.

This is the reason why I use the golden nanmu box. I hope to restore the style of this group of Jiajing tribute ink as much as possible. Only the golden nanmu box is suitable for this group of ink!

Grandpa, when you write and practice calligraphy in the future, you can use the Duan inkstone that originally belonged to Xu Wei, grind the tribute ink that originally belonged to Emperor Jiajing, and enjoy the beauty of calligraphy with splashing ink! "

"It's too extravagant! Those top calligraphers in China probably don't have this kind of treatment, how can I be willing to do it! This kind of top-level study treasure should be offered at a high price, and I will be satisfied just by looking at it every day!"

Grandpa picked up an ink ingot from the coffee table, stroked and admired it, and expressed emotion, his eyes were full of joy, and he couldn't put it down.

"Although you are open to use! Although this is top-notch famous ink, it is made for people to use. This bunch of ink is very hard, enough for you to use for a year or two.

When you are almost used up, I will find a better famous ink for you. Next time, the one in front of you for you to splash with ink may be the famous Tingsi ink!

There are no royal nobles in modern society, but you are my grandfather. I dare not say anything else. In terms of stationery, we must not use it inferior to the ancient emperors, and even far surpass them."

Ye Tian joked, but his eyes were full of confidence.

What happened to Ting Simo! As long as it still exists in this world, and there is still circulation among the people, I can find a way to get it, so that grandpa can use it to his heart's content!

"Hey——! Xiaotian, I'm really willing to pay for it! Your grandpa didn't love you for nothing. I love to hear that. Good things are for use! That's where the value lies."

The second uncle exclaimed, and directly gave Ye Tian a thumbs up.

The rest of the family members also exclaimed, looking at Ye Tian with admiration.

Grandpa smiled and shook his head, obviously he didn't take Ye Tian's words seriously, thinking he was just joking.

Besides, even if this is true, is he willing to use these top famous inks that have been passed down for more than 500 years? This thing is no better than the Duanyan inkstone, just use a little less! Don't feel bad about it!

Hearing what the second uncle said, Ye Tian immediately joked and said:

"Where is this! Second uncle, I will find a set of the top lake brushes for grandpa later, bring some stacks of the best rice paper, and hang some Xu Wei's calligraphy and paintings on it, and then everything will work!"

Before the words finished, the living room was boiling again, and everyone was frightened by Ye Tian's words.

While exclaiming, everyone couldn't help but also have some doubts.

Can this really be done? Don't be bragging, right? Fortunately, the Four Treasures of the Study, each of Xu Wei's paintings and calligraphy are sky-high prices, which can be met but not sought after, so it is so easy to find and exchange!

Ye Tianquan saw the suspicious look in his family's eyes, but he didn't explain aloud, he just smiled softly and didn't care!

Don't wait too long, you will understand later whether these words are bragging!

Dad and the others gathered around the coffee table, admiring the cluster of famous ink on the coffee table with grandpa, and everyone's eyes were full of joy.

Linlin and the others were kicked out again, but these little guys were unwilling to be lonely, Chen Xi asked curiously:

"Brother! Tell me about the knowledge related to these ink ingots. How come there are still people who take this kind of jet-black thing as a treasure? It's so popular to appreciate ink! Also, are these ink ingots very valuable?"

Ye Tian took a look at this curious little guy, and immediately began to popularize the knowledge in this area, so that these little guys would not be ashamed to go out, this is his younger brother and sister!

"Ink is one of the four treasures of the traditional Chinese study. It is as important as pens, paper, and inkstones. Regardless of each other, ink can be divided into three categories: lampblack ink, pine smoke ink, and carbon black ink.

A good ingot should be as firm as jade, black in color, fall off paper like lacquer, last for a long time, and have a strong fragrance. If it is distinguished by luster, purple light is the top, ink light is second, and blue light is the third.

Since the Tang Dynasty, Chinese literati have enjoyed the elegance of ink appreciation. Since the Song Dynasty, famous ink has gradually become a display and appreciation item on the books of literati and officials, and the production is becoming more and more sophisticated!

This prompted ink to form a category of art, and appreciation of ink became a kind of ethos. Su Dongpo's poem "Mo Cheng dare not use it, enters Penglai Palace" is just a portrayal of this ethos.

During the Jiajing and Wanli years of the Ming Dynasty, this style of playing with ink and appreciating ink became more prevalent, and sets of clusters of ink began to appear, and the decorative patterns were ever-changing and colorful!

The clump of ink I gave to my grandfather came from the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. Even in the Jiajing period, this clump of ink was the top-notch stuff.

In the subsequent Qing Dynasty, the wind of appreciating ink was also very popular. For example, the "Qianlong Yuyong West Lake Ten Scenes and Ten Colors Ink" collected by the Palace Museum is a group of fairly good appreciation ink.

The Tinggui ink mentioned above is the most famous ink in history, and also the most expensive ink so far. It came from Shezhou in the Tang Dynasty, that is, Huizhou. It was made by Xi Chao and Xi Tinggui's father and son, and it is famous all over the world!

After talking about the knowledge about ink, let’s talk about the price of the ink in front of us. Famous inks from the Jiajing and Wanli periods of the Ming Dynasty are hard to find in the antique art market. Once they appear, they are basically expensive.

If this clump of ink appears on the antique market, there should be no problem with the price exceeding 1 million yuan. If it is sent to the auction, it will definitely be even higher. You know,..."

Ye Tian was about to continue talking, but was interrupted by the exclamation of the three little guys.

"This black and black thing is actually worth 1 million RMB. Are all the antique collectors crazy? It's just too much money!"

"Practice calligraphy with famous ink worth 1 million RMB, grandpa, you are too extravagant, isn't that what ancient emperors were treated for?"

"Hahaha, that's right, the emperor is treated like this!"

Ye Tian laughed and said, very proud.