Riding the wind of rebirth

So today, people call the ancient brocade Baotou they see as "imitation Song brocade".

Judging from the mounted brocades handed down from the Song Dynasty, there are purple luan magpie brocade, inverted fairy peony brocade, purple hundred flower dragon brocade, persimmon red turtle back brocade, Fang Shenglian magpie brocade, Bada halo brocade, silver hook halo brocade, etc., but the patterns are ancient. , in fact, most of them are Qing Dynasty imitations.

Starting from the Qianlong period, Suzhou Weaving made brocade bags specially made for Qing palace calligraphy and painting hand scrolls, with magnificent colors, rich patterns, and auspicious meanings. During this period, the hand scroll bags began to become extremely delicate, and the materials used became richer and more luxurious.

Even the "Kesi works" of the Song Dynasty were inherited by the masters, such as Qianlong's "Yubi Mid-Autumn Post Poems" of the Qing Dynasty stored in the Forbidden City. There are ten volumes in total. The decoration took several years and was finally mounted into a set. Each volume has the same shape and size. The bag head and the title label are all made of tapestry, but the patterns and decorations on each roll are different. The colors are elegant and unique, and they are very exquisite.

In the past, Zhou Zhi was weak in inferring the overall picture of the work collection through the mounting features. Even his fourth cousin was not good at this. Mr. Wang and Qi Lao also knew it but did not know why.

It was not until Zhou Zhi met Master Yang, the inheritor of Shu Brocade, that the two began to restore the ancient brocade, and Zhou Zhi finally made up for this shortcoming.

Famous ancient literati were very particular about the use of pen, ink, paper and inkstone. The paper used in He Shaoji's couplet is called pink wax paper. It was more popular in the Sui and Tang Dynasties and became a common special paper for calligraphy and painting in the Qing Dynasty.

The production process of powdered wax paper is complex and expensive. It organically combines easily water-absorbing powder with waterproof wax. The resulting paper is bright in color, soft to the touch, not susceptible to moisture, has smooth writing, and is not easy to absorb. Ink, and can prevent insects.

It not only retains the characteristics of paper that is easy to calligraphy and painting, but is also very smooth and shiny, and can last for hundreds of years and remain as strong as new.

In the earliest times, this kind of paper was used for writing imperial edicts. Later, when it became popular among the people, it became more sophisticated. In addition to being colored with medicine, hand-painted patterns were often added.

For example, those who paint flowers, bees and butterflies are called flowers, bees and butterflies on pink wax paper, and those who paint hand-painted cloud and dragon patterns are called cloud and dragon pink wax paper. The patterns themselves are also divided into grades. Some patterns can only be used by the emperor.

This couplet by He Shaoji was written on Song Lu Xian Zhi pink wax paper, and the painting also conforms to the style of the late Qianlong period, which fully illustrates the solemnity of He Shaoji when creating this couplet.

As the saying goes, "An expert can tell if something is there as soon as he reaches out his hand." The old man knew that the person in front of him must be an expert as soon as he saw the way he carefully examined the couplets, the elements he chose to examine, and the order in which he checked the elements.

Although he was too young for his age, he could no longer treat him as an outsider, so he smiled and said, "I was disrespectful just now. If you like me, little brother, you can give me a discount."

This is a slang that only people in the industry understood in the old days, and it comes from the allusion of the "Nine Elders of Huichang".

According to legend, during the Tang Dynasty, nine friends over seventy years old, including Hu Gao, Ji Mei, Liu Zhen, Zheng Zhi, Lu Zhen, Zhang Hun, Bai Juyi, Li Yuanshuang, and Zen monk Ruman, formed the "Nine Elders" in Xiangshan, east of Longmen, Luoyang. "Meeting", in March of the fifth year of Huichang, Emperor Wuzong of the Tang Dynasty, they gathered at Bai Juyi's home (some say it was in Ludaofang, Xiangshan, Luoyang), got drunk, composed poems, wrote poems about the Nine Lao, and drew pictures of the Nine Lao.

Since then, this allusion has become an important theme in Chinese calligraphy, painting and sculpture, and everyone in the literary and entertainment industry knows it.

Li Yuanshuang ranked eighth among the nine elders, so the "Yuan Shuang discount" the old man said actually meant a 20% discount on the listed price. Of course, it also meant a more thoughtful consideration.

Zhou Zhi said with a smile: "Uncle, when I go to Shudu Gongmei Mall to pick up a movie, it always comes from Xiangshanzhe."

"Oh?" The old man looked at Zhou Zhi with some surprise: "Soft film or hard film?"

"Both hard and soft." Zhou Zhi smiled.

"I believe that the little brother will not lie to others." The old man also laughed, and even changed the name of Zhou Zhi: "In this way, I will ask a question. If the little brother answers correctly, go up the Fragrant Mountain, and I will talk to you again. Little brother, if you look at a good thing, it will be regarded as a crime of disrespect." "What if you can't answer it?" Zhou Zhi asked.

"If you can't answer it, then let's just keep doing what we did before, how about that?"

"Then please tell me, uncle."

The old man smiled and said: "There are two hard films in this showroom that I have always felt unsure about. Which two do you think they should be?"

Jiang Shuyi and the onlookers felt that this old man was so unreasonable. There were a lot of things in this hall. It was your old man's own business to know which one he was unsure about. How would others know?

In addition, even if Zhou Zhi is right, wouldn't it still be possible for you to deny it?

Unexpectedly and thoughtfully, he didn't take it seriously at all. He pointed directly at a pair of strange-shaped vases on the shelf behind the counter in the exhibition hall: "Can you let me get my hands on that pair of halberd flower vases?"

Now the old man couldn't hide the shock in his eyes, but he didn't say anything more and took down the pair of halberd flower goblets from the shelf.

The goblet is originally a style of ancient bronze ritual vessel. It has been made in all dynasties since the Song Dynasty. It has a trumpet mouth, gradually tapering at the bottom of the mouth, sloping flat shoulders, protruding abdomen, thin shins under the abdomen, and abduction of the feet. It is also called Trumpet shape, flat bottom.

In the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty, convex edge decorations were added to the four edges of the imitation bronze goblet, which looked like the crescent moon of Fang Tian's painting of a halberd. It was called "Bing Chu Si Ji" or "Four Chops", so it was called a halberd flower goblet. .

The pair of flower goblets in the shop are also decorated with four sets of halberds. The bottom is concave with a shallow circle foot, and the shape is solemn and simple.

The carcass is slightly thick, and the whole body is covered with gray-green glaze. The color is clear and plump, and the exposed areas around the feet are also covered with a sauce-brown protective glaze. It is obviously imitating the characteristics of Ru kiln porcelain.

Looking at the bottom foot, you can see the blue and white seal script inscription "Made in the Qianlong Year of the Qing Dynasty" with six characters and three lines.

After looking at the two flower vases, Zhou Zhi solemnly put the items back on the table: "The price marked by the cultural relics store is obviously that the bottom payment is used as a sustenance payment, and the utensils are set in the Jiaqing year."

"Uncle believes that this pair of artifacts may have come from the Qianlong Dynasty, but he also has some doubts, so he feels that he is not sure. Is that true?"

"The young gentleman is really a master. It can be seen that he will definitely be able to clear up the confusion." The old man was really shocked now, because Zhou Zhi's inference was completely correct, so he changed his name to Zhou Zhi and repeatedly said: "Also Sir, please feel free to ask for advice!”

"Wow--" What was even more surprising were the onlookers, who even made a little commotion.

It's incredible that this young man can deduce the old man's thoughts so accurately.

But Zhou Zhi smiled and said: "Actually, the reason is very simple, because these are a pair of imitation Ru kiln porcelain." (End of Chapter)