Jianbao life

Chapter 624 Ghostwriting

The year signed on the picture scroll is December 30, Jiajing Xinhai, which is the 1551th year of Jiajing, that is, 81. Wen Zhengming was just [-] years old in this year, which shows that this work should be created in his later years.

In addition, there is also the seal of Wu Weiye in the lower left corner of this picture. This person is a famous poet in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, and Qian Qianyi and Gong Dingzi are also known as the "Three Masters of Jiangzuo", and the founder of the Loudong School of Poetry.He was good at singing with seven characters, learned "Changqing Style" for the first time, and later formed a new chant, which is called "Meicun Style" by later generations.In addition, there are many bell seals of Qing Dynasty literati.

Also, judging from the selection of this picture, it should be a work of antithesis. What is antithesis?It is to face other people's paintings or prints, and draw them meticulously according to the pen, ink, color and composition of their works.

Why does Chu Chen think this work is the opposite?It is also because Wen Zhengming's promotion is precisely Huang Gongwang's "Drunk in the Sky" order that was inscribed on Li Song's "Skull Picture".

Anyway, the expressions of the characters in this picture are vivid and precise, the lines are elegant and smooth, and the colors are elegant, especially the proportions of the big and small skulls are also very precise, which is similar to the original painting. do.

However, as mentioned above, is the character in this picture Wen Zhengming's original work, or a ghostwriter?Or is the picture made by someone else, and Wen Zhengming wrote the postscript for it?

If it were another 80-year-old old painter who drew such exquisite line drawing figures, he would definitely be questioned, but Wen Zhengming's calligraphy and painting "get older and more exquisite, and there are those who are meticulous and bold." It is not surprising to have this work.

But as mentioned above, among Wen Zhengming's paintings in his life, he seldom copied the works of his predecessors, and mostly created for himself.Only one of them, "Picture of Banana Ladies" collected in the Museum of Baodao Ancient Palace, has an inscription on the axis: "Jiajing is already in the spring, and I occasionally read Zhao Songxue's picture of Banana Ladies. The play is over."

This painting has an unnamed title, and the square seal "Zhengming Seal" is inscribed in white.This painting is an old collection of the Qing Palace, and it was recorded in "The Palace of Yanxi Palace" in the third edition of Shiqu Baoji.If this picture is authentic, it may mean that the "Skeleton Fantasy World Picture" in front of you may be an authentic copy of it.

So, is this "Skeleton Illusionary World Map" a ghost-written work?

Chu Chen thought about it for a while, and from the existing historical materials, we can know that among Zhu Lang, Zhou Tianqiu, and Lu Shidao who ghost-painted Wen Zhengming's paintings, it should be a fact that they ghost-painted landscapes or flowers. And the above-mentioned people are not good at characters.

Among Wen Zhengming's disciples and friends in his later years (around the age of 80), Qiu Ying seems to be the only one who has the skills and attainments of the figure painting in front of him.

Chu Chen learned from historical materials that Wen and Qiu had known each other for more than 15 years, were both teachers and friends, and often collaborated in painting.For example, in the 12th year of Zhengde (1517), Wen Zhengming's painting "Imitation of Li Gonglin's Lotus Society" co-authored by Qiu Ying; in the [-]th year of Zhengde ([-]) Wen Zhengming's painting, "The Picture of Mrs. Xiangjun and Mrs. Xiang" colored by Qiu Ying, etc.

However, Wen and Qiu created more works in the form of a combination of calligraphy and painting. The famous paintings of Qiu, the volume of the document "The Picture of Filial Piety", the axis of "The Picture of Shuangjun", etc., as well as the volume of "Shanglin Picture", "Zhi Gong Figure" volume, "Hou Chibi Fu Tu" volume and so on.

So, is the painting in front of me written by Wen Zhengming himself, or is it a collaboration between Wen and Qiu?However, no matter whether it is Wen Zhengming or the collaboration between Wen and Qiu, as long as it is authentic, the value of this painting is very high.

With this question in mind, Chu Chen took out a magnifying glass and began to observe carefully.

First of all, Chu Chen can be sure that the handwriting and seal are authentic, which is very in line with the characteristics of his calligraphy, which is gentle and elegant, stable and mature, rigorous in law and vivid in mood.

However, the characters in the painting seem to have a perfect shape, strong generalization, lifelike, and exquisite but not gaudy colors. Judging from the brushwork and style of painting, they are indeed in the same line as Qiu Ying.

However, this painting was created in the winter of 1551, and Qiu Ying’s birth and death dates are unclear. Some say 1551 and some say the autumn and winter of 1552, but even if he died in 1552, it would have been ten months before It is still unknown whether Qiu Ying still has the strength to paint such a work.

Moreover, judging from the brushwork and style of this work, it is still different from Qiu Ying's previous works, and it is not as exquisite as Qiu Ying's works.After careful observation, Chu Chen felt that the painting method and style were very similar to Youqiu's work.

You Qiu is Qiu Ying's nephew.Good at painting figures, ladies, Taoism and landscapes.As an important representative painter in the late period of the Wumen School of Painting, Youqiu is good at drawing characters in line, and he learned his painting method from Qiu Ying, and later traced back to Liu Songnian and Qian Shunju.The style is delicate and elegant, and he pursues the quaint elegance of literati. He is known as the successor of Qiu Ying.

And during the observation, Chu Chen also noticed a detail, the paper size of this work should be larger than it is now, and the missing part is likely to be consciously cut when it was unframed before. lost.

With this discovery, Chu Chen immediately had a more factual guess in his mind.

He remembered seeing in the master's notes that there were countless imitations and replicas of Wumen masters at that time, and there were often his own inscriptions on the fake books.And in the appraisal, it is often found that Qian Gu, Zhu Lang, You Qiu, Wen Jia and Wen Peng actually wrote the works, but there are works signed by Wen Zhengming himself.

Based on this, Chu Chen speculates that the part that was cut off is likely to be Youqiu's inscription. As for the purpose of cutting this part, it is also easy to understand, because in the history of painting, Wen Zhengming's reputation has always been far greater than that of For Qiu Ying and Youqiu, it is normal to cut off Youqiu's inscription for the sake of profit.

So Chu Chen felt that the painting in front of him should be written by Youqiu and written by Wen Zhengming.

However, in the appraisal of calligraphy and painting, Chu Chen was still a little worse than the appraisal of porcelain and jade, and the conclusion was mainly guesswork, and it was not rigorous enough, so he immediately used his supernatural power.

Although this ability cannot directly say that this painting is genuine, it can already support Chu Chen's judgment in terms of age and value.

Seeing Chu Chen put away the things in his hands, Xie Gong quickly asked, "Boss Chu, what do you think of this painting?"

"This..." Chu Chen hesitated for a while, and then said, "Mr. Xie, you may be disappointed. I think this work is a ghost-written work."

"Ghostwriting?" Xie Gong was stunned for a while, and he came back to his senses after a while, and asked with an unbelievable expression: "Boss Chu, do you mean that this work of mine is not real?"

"It's not all true!"

Chu Chen shook his head and said, "I think the inscriptions and seals should be the authentic works of Wen Zhengming, but in terms of the brushwork and style of painting, I think it is quite different from Wen Zhengming."

"This is impossible!"

Xie Gong directly denied Chu Chen's conclusion with an angry face: "How can something that has been handed down in my family for 200 years be wrong? And there are so many famous seals on it, can't they see it?"

Chu Chen said calmly: "Mr. Xie, you are excited first. I said that this work is wrong, and there is a reason for it. How about you listen patiently?"

Although the result given by Chu Chen is something I absolutely don't want to hear, but considering that the price given by Chu Chen before is indeed quite generous, and he seems to be a good person, although Xie Gong was angry, he still said bluntly: " you say!"

"First of all, Wen Zhengming's figure painter was from Li Gonglin, who inherited the ancient tradition, and his brushwork was fine and smooth. In his later years, he had two styles of thick and thin, and the later he was, the better he was. And this work, judging from the inscription, is exactly the His work at age 81..."

Chu Chen talked eloquently, and described the characteristics of this painting in detail, and finally concluded:
"So, I think this should be a work written by Youqiu and written by Wen Zhengming."

After listening to Chu Chen's very detailed explanation, Xie Gong couldn't help but start to lean towards Chu Chen's judgment. However, it is definitely impossible for him to completely believe in Chu Chen's judgment now. He thought for a while and said:
"You also said that your conclusion is based on guesswork. Does that mean that this work may still be Wen Zhengming's authentic work?"

Chu Chen shook his head, and said honestly: "I have already said it before, but I am not sure whether it is Youqiu's work. From the perspective of the painting style, the possibility of this work being written by Wen Zhengming is very slim. Of course, I still have some shortcomings in the appraisal of calligraphy and painting, so I suggest that we give my master another appraisal later, what do you think?"

"Who is your master?" Xie Gong asked.

Chu Chen replied: "My master is Liu Zhihe, I wonder if you recognize him?"

Xie Gong didn't remember who Chu Chen was talking about at first, so he was silent for a while, and then said loudly with a surprised face:

"What?! Your master is Mr. Liu?"

"It's guaranteed!" Chu Chen chuckled, "Mr. Xie, if you agree, let's set off now."

Xie Gong didn't think much about it, and agreed. After all, Chu Chen gave him such a surprising result. If he didn't clarify the matter, this matter would definitely be a stick in his throat.

Besides, with his family's current situation, this painting will have to be sold sooner or later. Regardless of its authenticity, it is undoubtedly better for him to sell it to Chu Chen, because he knows that Chu Chen will definitely not be like others. low price.

Xie Gong thinks so, although there is suspicion of taking advantage of Chu Chen's kindness, but at this time, he can't think of other ways to get money, so he can only do so.However, he also made up his mind to repay Chu Chen well after this matter passed.

After getting in the car, Chu Chen drove directly to Yuhuating. On the way, Xie Gong asked worriedly: "Boss Chu, if this painting is really as you said, how much is it worth?"

Chu Chen replied: "Even if this painting is indeed a ghostwriting work, but the promotion and seal are true, based on this point alone, it can be worth more than a hundred thousand, plus this painting is also very good." It’s very good, it’s considered genuine, and I think the market price should be around 50.”

(End of this chapter)