Treasure Hunting Divine Eyes

"Teacher, we are going too."

"Teacher, count me in."

Li Mo had no choice but to signal everyone to be quiet again, and then said: "This is a surprise I gave to two students alone. The other students will have no chance this time, but I will give everyone another copy for the top five in the final exam." New Year's gift package, you are all satisfied."

"Okay, now let's get to the point. Although the topic I'm lecturing this semester is 'the origin and development of porcelain', the interactive topics of this open class are not limited to theoretical aspects, but also take into account actual combat. The identification of the imitation. If I know the answer, I will answer it. If I don’t know it, I will ask the professors in the history department after class.”

"As for you asking me 'Ms. Li, do you have a girlfriend?', or 'Ms. Li, what do you want from a girlfriend?', and 'Ms. Li, can I be your girlfriend?'" If you ask a question, I refuse to answer it."

There was another burst of laughter in the classroom.

In the next classroom, Professor Zhu Changping nodded slightly. Anyway, at least Li Mo's opening was perfect. He was not timid, and his language was humorous and down-to-earth. He could quickly get along with his classmates.

"Let's start asking questions."

At this time, a male student wearing glasses raised his hand.

"Okay, what does that classmate want to ask?" Li Mo glanced at him, not like this year's freshman.

"I'm a fourth-year archeology major. I want to confirm one thing to you first, that is, in an elective course at Beijing University last year, you identified a national treasure from a pile of porcelain props. Reliable sources say that it is An underglaze red jade pot spring vase from the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty is worth over 100 million yuan. Although there is such news in the school, you have not confirmed it positively, so I want to confirm it with you now."

Regarding this news, I can still find some related posts under the campus Internet search. It's just that the school didn't want to make a fuss about it, so all similar posts were locked. So after a long time, no one pays attention to that matter.

Unexpectedly, someone mentioned this in front of his face today, and he was still a senior student. Li Mo motioned him to sit down, then said with a smile, "It's good that the classmate didn't mention that just now, but now I'm very scared when I mention that. That piece of porcelain is indeed a red jade pot and a spring vase in the Hongwu glaze of the Ming Dynasty. It is worth more than 100 million yuan. It is an absolute national treasure. Fortunately, I was suspicious and took a closer look at it. However, if I had known that it was genuine, I would not have dared to touch it. Everyone can understand the reason. .”

With his own acknowledgment, there was an uproar in the auditorium. This news undoubtedly shocked many people. Porcelain worth over 100 million yuan was actually identified by him. How high is his level?

No wonder the school recognized his ability before he graduated.

Another hand was raised.

"Ms. Li, what I want to ask is, if we have thoroughly studied the theory, can we also have the ability to identify?"

Li Mo put away his smile, looked at the classmate seriously and said, "This should be a question that most people want to ask, so I will answer this question responsibly. It is dangerous for you to have such thoughts. very dangerous."

"Mr. Li, why is this?"

Another student couldn't help asking.

"There is a saying in opening antique stores that 'if you don't open for three years, you can eat for three years after opening'. This is why many antique stores have been open and have a good life even though no one is patronizing them. You think you I have already mastered the theoretical knowledge, and I have studied it very thoroughly. But it is you people who are really deceived, because the high-quality imitation porcelain produced by fake masters is also faked through theories in books, and they are better than you. It also needs to be thorough, whatever theories are in the book, they will make what kind of features."

"So don't take chances, or you will lose your fortune and regret it. I also hope that the students who actually sign up for classes in the future also have the idea of ​​​​enhancing their knowledge. Alright, who will ask questions next?"

"Ms. Li, I'm coming."

It was a pretty girl with a good appearance. She sat in the front row, so Li Mo chose her from many classmates who raised their hands.

"Mr. Li, you discovered the treasure handed down by Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu. I visited the Treasure Hall during the summer vacation. I still have many questions about Heshibi among the two treasures of the Spring and Autumn Period. I wonder if you can answer them. One or two?"

It's another off-topic question, but Li Mo is still willing to answer this question. He nodded and said, "What questions do you have?"

"Historical records record that the Heshibi has been made into a jade seal by Qin Shihuang. Even if the historical records are wrong, how can we identify the piece of jade in the treasure as the Heshibi in the Spring and Autumn Period? Because there is no detailed information about the Heshibi in the history books. Records of the shape, weight and size of the bibi. Then what can we rely on when identifying it?"

This question is a bit interesting, and laymen will not have this doubt at all.

"I can answer this question." Li Mo asked her to sit down first, then walked out of the podium, stood in the open space in front of the first row, organized his words in his mind and said, "After I entered Beijing University, my teacher Zhu Changping The professor told me that archeology is a very complicated profession. We don’t just identify a certain antiquity, but after identifying its authenticity, we can infer the historical background and society at that time through research on it. culture, customs, etc.

"Similarly, we will also infer whether a certain ancient object is a social product at that time based on the content recorded in the history books."

"To give a simple example, let's look at the evolution of writing. Students who have learned about history may know that the earliest written records were in the Yin and Shang Dynasties called oracle bone inscriptions, and then bronze inscriptions appeared, and seal script appeared in the late Western Zhou Dynasty. Xiaozhuan has evolved into official script and cursive script in the Han Dynasty, and regular script and running script were popular in the Tang Dynasty. This is the approximate evolution time course of characters. If we find a jade article when we visit the antique market, the boss will tell you that it is an ancient script from the Qin and Han Dynasties. Yu, but the inscription on it is in italics, what was your first reaction?"

"People who know a little bit will definitely think that the boss is fooling people, isn't that true?"

"Yes." Many students nodded straightly. This is obviously a lie.

"Then is this piece of jade an ancient jade from the Qin and Han Dynasties?"

Uh, many people were stunned for a moment, and then looked thoughtful. This question seems to be difficult to answer.

"At this time, we have to carefully identify when it was a jade. There are several possibilities. First, it is indeed an ancient jade from the Qin and Han Dynasties. After the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the inscriptions were re-engraved by craftsmen at that time. "

"Second, it is an ancient jade from the Sui and Tang Dynasties, which was made by craftsmen at that time."

"Thirdly, it is a jade article from the Tang Dynasty and later. It may be from the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, or it may be a modern handicraft. At this time, the question arises. How can this jade article be dated?"

Li Mo didn't answer the classmate's question directly, but raised another question.

"Which students have their own opinions, you can talk about them. Don't be afraid of being wrong, we are discussing this issue together."

"Now there is a technology called carbon fourteen detection, which can determine its approximate age based on its decay rate." Someone raised his hand and said.

Li Mo hummed, and then followed his words and said: "Then let me tell you, there is also a technology that can accelerate the decay of carbon fourteen, it is obviously a modern handicraft, but it is an old thing that passed the test hundreds of years ago. "

ah-

Immediately there was a discussion in the classroom.

"Anyone else has a new point of view?"

The female student who stood up this time was the one who asked the question. She said, "You can check whether there is a record of its origin based on the shape of the jade and the carving style on the surface."

"Very good, these are the indispensable basis for our identification, do any students have different ideas?"

At this moment, a male classmate stood up and said, "Unearthed."

"That classmate, please sit down. What he said is very good. We can completely conclude that the unearthed things belong to a certain era. It makes the final judgement."

As Li Mo walked, he continued: "Back to the original question, how do we judge that the piece of jade in the Xiang Yu Treasure Hall is one of the second treasures of the Spring and Autumn Period, and is the most famous piece of jade in history?" What about a piece of jade passed down to the country?"

"First of all, there is no doubt that that piece of jade must be an ancient jade from before the Han Dynasty. Everyone can agree on this, right?"

Everyone nodded.

"In fact, we conduct a secondary appraisal based on its craftsmanship, jade quality, and the inscriptions on the jade. Compared with the carving level of contemporary jade, the carving of that piece of jade is the top, and the quality of the jade is also the best. Waiting for Hetian sheep fat jade, this kind of jade was not available to ordinary people at that time, even nobles may not be eligible."

"The third and most important point is that there is a real inscription on it, which clearly records its origin. This is also the most important basis for us to finally confirm that it is one of the two treasures of the Spring and Autumn Period, Heshibi."

"Besides, if it weren't for the world-renowned beautiful jade, I believe that Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu, would not have buried it secretly in the place of his uprising."

Li Mo smiled when he said this: "Now everyone has a general idea in their minds. The appraisal of a piece of ancient jade requires us to learn many and complicated things. You need to understand the evolution history of characters. Familiar with the history of various dynasties, you need to understand the craftsmanship characteristics of each dynasty's jade production, and the most important thing is that you must be very proficient in the types and quality levels of jade. Otherwise, you want to find a good piece of jade in the antique market That is almost impossible, only to be slaughtered."