The years when I was reborn as a giant in the antique world

When Yun Zhou heard Mr. Du ask this question, there is no doubt that he must have picked up a big leak.

The blue-and-white cloud-dragon jars of the Yuan Dynasty have been auctioned two or three times at auction houses. Judging from the number of layers, most of them are four-layer decorations, but the decorations painted are different. There are single dragons and double dragons, and there are wave patterns on the neck, and there are also curls. Grass pattern.

Their auction prices are basically more than 1000 million yuan, between 4000 million and 3000 million yuan. This large blue and white pot of Yuan Dynasty has complex and exquisite patterns, and the cloud dragon pattern is double dragons. The value is estimated to be around [-] million yuan.

The young man thought about it, and guessed a relatively low price, "About 60 or [-]?" Even so, the profit was dozens of times higher.

Mr. Du laughed and waved his hands: "No, no, you're talking too high, let's guess lower."

"5 yuan."

"Too high."

"Five thousand?"

"Even lower."

Yun Zhou's eyes widened slightly. Even if it is calculated at 5000 yuan, the current value is more than [-] times, and it is actually lower than [-]. How low is it!

He tentatively said a lower number, "Six hundred?"

"It's a little short, and you can barely pass the test."

Seeing the surprised expression on the little apprentice's face, Mr. Du said with a smile: "It should have been 20 years ago when the Chinese New Year was approaching. A small stall sells pickled vegetables at the entrance of the alley.

This is quite common in the countryside. The radish pickles, cucumber pickles, vinegar garlic, etc. that are pickled at home are all grown by ourselves. "

He continued to recall: "At that time, when I saw the jar containing pickles, I felt a little familiar.

The jars at that time were completely different from the big jars with blue and white clouds and dragon patterns in Yuan Dynasty, otherwise they would have been bought away.At that time, many people went to the countryside to search for antiques. Even if they didn't recognize the blue and white flowers of the Yuan Dynasty, the blue and white flowers of the Qing Dynasty were quite valuable.

When I saw this big jar, it was painted with a layer of red paint. It looked like an ordinary pickle jar, nothing special.

However, it has been more than ten years since I collected antiques, and I think my eyesight is still good.Sometimes when looking at an object, you can't just look at its decoration and painting, but the most important thing is to look at its shape.This vessel is thick and plump, with a short straight neck, plump shoulders, and a curved belly. The diameter is larger than the height, and it belongs to the typical shape of Yuan blue and white large jars. "

Yunzhou joined in at the right time: "So, you went to pick up the leak?"

Mr. Du looked proud: "I was dubious at the time. After I walked over, I touched the tire along the edge of the mouth. It is very thick, the soil is thick but not loose, and there are obvious pores and iron spots, not as detailed as modern imitations; There are traces and indentations wiped by hands inside, and I have a score in my heart, and I feel that it is almost inseparable.

By asking the price, I touched around the ring foot at the bottom with my hand. The tire repair was irregular and felt like sand grains, so I was completely relieved. "

Yun Zhou's eyes are full of admiration, and the authenticity and age of a piece of porcelain can be identified just by the shape and quality of the fetus. This vision is really amazing.

Most people in the collection industry now distinguish from the glaze color, workmanship and base. If it is him, even if this thing is in front of him, he may not be able to see it.Therefore, not everyone can pick up the loopholes in the antique world.

Old Man Du narrowed his eyes with a smile: "After I made a judgment, I bought the whole jar of pickles, and naturally he gave me the jar.

I remember that I spent a total of 80 yuan, 50 yuan for pickles, and 30 yuan for jars. If calculated according to the current prices, it would cost 500 yuan.

After I went back, I moved the pickles into another jar, painted the outside with red paint, and got this complete 'Yuan Blue and White Jar with Clouds, Dragons, and Lotus Patterns'. "

"Grandpa Du, your deeds have been missed like a textbook." Yun Zhou praised, and the Yuan blue and white worth 3000 million yuan was bought for 500 yuan, which is a full [-] times!

But he immediately had a question: "Why did you paint the Yuan blue and white pot with red paint?"

"Well, because of some era reasons, many people will do this in order to protect the objects handed down from their families. I also came from that era, and I have a deep understanding of this."

"So that's how it is." Yun Zhou had a clear understanding in his heart. It seems that he not only needs to know all kinds of porcelain knowledge like the back of his hand, but also understands a certain background of the times.

The old man's mouth was a little dry, so he asked the aunt to bring over the brewed tea, and took a few sips from the teacup.

This was his most satisfying pick-up. Although he had collected a lot of antiques before this, he relied on the background of the times where antiques were everywhere in the early years.At that time, I really picked up the leak with my own eyesight, and I can remember it for a lifetime.

After the two chatted, Yun Zhou put the priceless large pot with cloud and dragon pattern back on the shelf of Duobao Pavilion, and carefully took out another blue and white cloud and dragon pattern eight-fang jade pot and spring vase.

Yuhu Chunping is a typical type of vessel created and fired in the Northern Song Dynasty. It became popular from the Yuan Dynasty and lasted until the Qing Dynasty.

Previously, he helped Xu Ze restore the 'Qing Qianlong Enamel Colorful Peony Pheasant Picture Yuhu Spring Vase' collected by Mr. Xu, and he is very fond of this type of vessel.

However, there is a big gap between the blue and white porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty in terms of size, style and decoration techniques.

This "Yuan blue and white cloud dragon pattern eight-party jade pot spring bottle" is 34 cm high and 9 cm in diameter, while the Qing Dynasty enamel colored jade pot spring bottle is only 16 cm high and 4 cm in diameter. The former is undoubtedly an enlarged version of the latter .

The shape of this jade pot spring bottle is still the typical thin neck, skimming mouth, hanging belly, and ring feet. It is composed of two symmetrical "S" shapes on the left and right, but its body has octagonal edges and corners. It is sharp and sharp, which is in line with the characteristics of blue and white in Yuan Dynasty.

The ornamentation is also four layers.The mouth of the bottle is a common banana leaf pattern, the bottom is a circle of curly grass pattern, and the bottom foot is a modified lotus petal pattern, commonly known as "eight big yards".

It uses eight lotus petals as a decorative belt, and adds other patterns such as flowers, clouds, flames, and treasures within each petal, and each petal is not connected.The variant lotus petal pattern is almost the symbolic pattern of Yuan blue and white, and it is very common.

The abdomen is painted with a cloud dragon pattern, which is a single three-clawed dragon.The expression is vivid, the beard and hair are fluttering, the eyes are piercing, and the majesty is fully displayed, which is similar to the big pot just now. ①

Yunzhou then inspected the bottom foot, and the exposed tire was flint red, with a deep ring and coarse sand grains on the surface, which were traces of the kiln fire and age.

The whole piece of porcelain is well preserved, with exquisite shape and full composition.The lines of the dragon body are vigorous and powerful, with strong shock and appeal, and it is a rare boutique.

Seeing the little apprentice's love for this jade pot spring vase, Mr. Du smiled and said: "If you like it so much, this porcelain can be used as a gift in return." Paintings worth tens of millions cannot be received in vain.

"Grandpa Du, this is too expensive, I can't take it." The young man shook his head, and put the jade pot spring bottle in his hand back into the cabinet.

"Don't worry, it's not expensive, it's not as valuable as the painting you gave me." Mr. Du explained, "There are many kinds of blue and white decorations in Yuan Dynasty. At the beginning, they were flower patterns, such as peony pattern and lotus pattern; and animal patterns, just Like the cloud dragon pattern you just saw, but these are not the most valuable, the highest is the character stories created in the late Yuan Dynasty.

Picture jars depicting stories of characters like Guiguzi Down the Mountain are treasures, and there are no more than ten pieces in the world.

You can take this jade pot and spring vase, otherwise I will not accept the "Peony Bamboo and Stone Picture" and return it to you directly. "Master Du pretended to be angry.

"Then thank you, Grandpa Du." Yun Zhou smiled and rolled his eyes, whether it was the friendship of Grandpa Du or this Yuan blue and white jade pot and spring vase, he felt extraordinarily happy.

Immediately afterwards, the young man saw the blue and white porcelain from the Yongxuan period, the blue and white porcelain with folded branches and peony patterns from the Yongle period, the 'Ming Xuande blue and white lotus seed bowl with wrapped branches and flower patterns' bought from him, and the classic Yongle sweet White-glazed pear-shaped ewer.

This holding pot is only more than ten centimeters long, with a complete lid, very delicate and small, very suitable for holding and playing with.

Its glaze color is simply too beautiful, so delicate that it is flawless. Under the sunlight, it exudes a jade-like luster. It is bodiless, with obvious milky feeling, gentle and peaceful.

When you turn on the light and go in, you can see the dragon pattern engraved inside. It is pure and elegant, and it is a kind of restrained beauty, which brings the feeling of "sweet white" to the extreme.

Yun Zhou thought that he must collect a piece of Yongle sweet white glaze porcelain in the future. This is the ceiling of white glaze or even monochrome glaze, and future generations will never be able to surpass it.

At this time, after the little jade dragon on the wrist absorbed all the aura of these fine porcelain pieces, the last dozen or so rows of scales also lit up, turning silver from the dragon's body to its tail, covering its body like a moonlight. All over the body, the scales are as smooth as satin, showing a lustrous color under the light, which is amazingly beautiful.

"Aww~ (Are my scales pretty?)"

The little silver dragon propped up a small white dragon horn, and acted like a baby at him in a childish voice, the shimmering scales were as translucent as if they had just emerged from the water, and the light was restrained and shining brightly.

Yun Zhou was almost stunned. This flowing silver color was more charming than any other color he had ever seen. It was luxurious and elegant, with a faint gleam, which was an indescribable beauty.

Fortunately, he was viewing porcelain, so he didn't attract the attention of Mr. Du.

"You're so beautiful, I'll call you Little Silver Dragon from now on." The boy said in a low voice with eyes full of surprise.

He touched the scales on Xiao Yinlong's body with his fingertips, it was still as cold as usual, but the silk was too slippery, it felt more comfortable than real silk, and he couldn't stop once he touched it.

The little silver dragon wrapped the tip of its tail tightly around Yun Zhou's fingers, put its head on his wrist with great enjoyment, snored a little after a while, and curled up its body into a shiny silver bracelet.

It has absorbed so much aura, it needs to digest for a while, after digesting, it will be a big silver dragon.

Xiao Yinlong drools glisteningly in his dream as he thinks that when he grows up, he can wrap himself around the boy's body.

**

After watching the fine porcelain, Mr. Du commented: "In the Ming Dynasty, the porcelain of the Yongxuan period and the fighting color of the Chenghua period were more classic, and the others were not good. I rarely collect them, and I only collect one or two pieces symbolically. "

In Duobao Pavilion, Yunzhou saw porcelains from the Jiajing and Wanli years of the Ming Dynasty, and they were indeed relatively rough. Therefore, there is a term "thick and big Ming" in the market, which refers to the poor quality of porcelains in the middle and late Ming Dynasty.

As the saying goes, "gold in troubled times, antiques in prosperous times", in ancient times, the Song Dynasty, Ming Dynasty Yongxuan and Qing Dynasty were the heyday of porcelain.

Then there are the collections of the Qing Dynasty and the Three Dynasties. The variety is indeed much richer, such as monochrome glaze, five-color, pastel color, underglaze red, enamel color, etc., and there are many more types of utensils.

Yunzhou used the method of identifying porcelain to identify it, and gained new experience and insights.

Especially in terms of glaze color, before he had to carefully distinguish between five colors and pastels to see whether the color is a bright color or whether there is a transition of enamel color in it, but now he can tell the difference just by looking at it.

Perhaps it was because he followed Master Feng to adjust the glaze color all day long and kept improving, Yunzhou felt that his sensitivity to color had improved significantly.

The first Duobao Pavilion has been viewed, and it's time for lunch.The chef made a healthy Cordyceps Soup and five or six dishes, all of which are home-cooked, but the craftsmanship is very good.

Yun Zhou picked up chopsticks and stir-fried in the lotus pond. The slices of lotus root were crispy, with a fragrance of lotus leaves, and the fire was just right.

He couldn't help being a little envious of Mr. Du's life. He lived in a two-story villa with a collection big enough to open a private museum, and he was taken care of by his aunt and chef. It was everyone's ideal life.

Mr. Du signaled his aunt to pour a small glass of white wine for her: "Come on, let's drink one!"

After drinking for three rounds, the old man's cheeks were slightly red, and he sighed softly: "This house is really deserted, Xiao Zhou, I must come here often in the future."

"Okay, Grandpa Du."

Yunzhou suddenly felt that this kind of life may be a dream for others, but it may not be happy for him.Because apart from money, there are many things that money cannot buy, such as companionship, family affection and so on.

Mr. Du's wife passed away, and his children are all abroad. He usually guards the villa alone, and it is deserted.And because of this, he stayed in Zhenbao Pavilion drinking tea and playing chess all day, just looking for someone to talk to with him.

The young man secretly made a resolution in his heart. As long as he has time, he will come to accompany Grandpa Du often. This is also his duty as an apprentice.

After lunch, Mr. Du was more excited after drinking, so he didn't even sleep, and excitedly took Yun Zhou to open the second Duobao Pavilion.

As soon as Yun Zhou entered, he was surprised by the collection inside, because there is an entire cabinet full of purple sand pots, at least seventy or eighty.

"How about it, are you scared?" Mr. Du's tone was faintly proud, "I may not be able to compare with those top collectors in other collections, but I dare say that there are few people in China who can compare to the collection of purple clay pots." beat me!

There are a total of 92 purple clay teapots here, all of which are high-quality goods. Come, come here, let me introduce you. "

Yunzhou walked up to the first purple clay pot, picked up the pot and admired it under the gesture of Mr. Du.

How to say this purple sand teapot is round in shape, but very irregular, wrinkled, and the surface is not smooth at all.There are also scar-like engravings on the body of the pot, the color is dark, not as solemn and elegant as ordinary purple clay pots.

In short, this purple clay teapot does not meet the aesthetics of modern people at all.

However, since Mr. Du put this purple clay pot in the first place, it means that its status must be very high.

"This is the 'tree gall pot' made by Gongchun. It doesn't look good, but it is the earliest purple clay pot recorded in ancient Chinese books. It was made during the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty. All the purple clay pots in later generations are made after Gongchun pots. Gongchun is known as the originator of Zisha teapot.

The bark-like engravings on it are called tree galls, which are the burls of ginkgo trees in general.The master's aesthetics is indeed different from that of ordinary people, and he pays attention to a natural beauty. "

Yunzhou nodded, indicating that he was taught.

Regardless of whether future generations can appreciate it or not, the originator is the originator, and his status is unshakable.Moreover, the creator has no way to refer to it, and the production is extremely difficult. It is bound to be impossible to create on the basis of the rich experience of the predecessors like now.

He came to the second purple sand pot and found that it was actually a red lacquerware, to be precise, it was a combination of purple sand and lacquerware.

Its pot body is simple and square, with auspicious patterns carved on the surface of the pot lid, the handle and spout of the pot are patterns of flying cranes and flowing clouds, and the body of the pot is also carved with patterns of landscape figures, which are exquisite and extraordinary.

This is the first time he has seen this type of purple clay teapot, which is both purple clay teapot and lacquerware.

Yun Zhou put the purple sand pot in his hand and looked at the bottom of the pot.The bottom of the pot is painted with black lacquer, and the four-character regular script inscription "Made by Shi Dabin" is faintly traced in red lacquer.

"Made by Shi Dabin." Yun Zhou read out softly.

He also heard about Shi Dabin.Shi Dabin was a master of purple clay from the late Ming Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty, and the creator of the art of purple clay teapots.

He was born in a Zisha family for generations, and his father was Shi Peng, one of the "Four Great Masters" of Zisha in the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, under the influence of his family, he quickly mastered the craft of making Zisha pots, based on which he created and innovated.

After middle age, he not only created various pot shapes such as beam-lifting pots, flat pots, melon-shaped pots, monk hat pots, and hexagonal pots, but also created difficult techniques such as beating clay pieces, inlaying them, and kneading them by hand. The techniques of "skin punching" and "inlaying the body". ②

This technique laid the foundation for the development of Zisha, and it is still used today, making a huge contribution.

Mr. Du proudly said: "This is Shi Dabin's 'Purple Clay Embossed with Red Landscape and Figures Holding Pot', with purple sand as the embryo, the whole body is painted with red lacquer, and the surface is carved with complicated 'carving lacquer' techniques.

Ancient lacquer ware is generally wood lacquer ware and bodiless lacquer ware, and purple sand is rarely used as fetal bone.Moreover, this piece is the work of Shi Dabin, a famous pot maker. It is the only one on the market at present, and it is a unique and orphan product! "

"Grandpa Du is amazing." Yun Zhou praised with a smile.

Mr. Du chuckled, "I exchanged this with a Tibetan friend at a collection exchange meeting more than ten years ago. His family is in Yixing, and there are many purple clay teapots in his family.

I fell in love with this at a glance. At that time, I took a "coral red ground multicolored peony pattern bowl from the Yongzheng official kiln of the Qing Dynasty" in exchange for this pot. "

Many people in the collection world exchange their collections. I have an item you like, and you have an item I like. As long as the value of the two is not much different, everyone will be happy after the exchange.

Based on Mr. Du's love for this purple clay pot, it can be seen that this collection is worthwhile.

"Look at this one again, Shi Dabin's late work, Qing Kangxi Zisha enamel color pot."

Yun Zhou picked up the pot, and secretly sighed in his heart that the combination of the purple clay pot and the enamel color is so exquisite.

This pot is very similar to the current round purple sand pot, about ten centimeters high.The color is purple, and it is made of Yixing's high-quality purple clay.

The lid of the pot is decorated with light green lotus leaf patterns painted in enamel, and the body of the pot is full of pomegranate flowers and magpies.

Yun Zhou opened the lid of the pot and found that the bottom of the pot was darker than the outside, showing that it had been used more than once.Maybe it was used by Mr. Du to make tea, or it may be the traces of use left over from the Kangxi period.

After that, he saw three more works by Master Shi Dabin under the introduction of Mr. Du.

There are melon-edge pots in the shape of pumpkins, magnolia flower six-petal pots with upside-down magnolia petals, and bamboo-like purple sand pots. It really deserves to be the pioneer of handcrafted purple clay pots.

Mr. Du smiled and said: "As a master pot maker of a generation, Shi Dabin made thousands of pots from the late Ming Dynasty to the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. Unfortunately, only a few dozen pieces have been handed down now. I have the most complete ones here."

This is why he dared to say that few people surpassed him in the collection of purple clay teapots.

"I'll show you the last one, and you can enjoy the rest yourself." After the alcohol passed, Mr. Du felt a little drowsy, but this one was what he had to introduce.

Yun Zhou saw this jug, it was a ball jug.The body of the pot is a plump sphere, the neck of the pot is pulled high, and the lid is also semi-spherical, which is more exaggerated than ordinary purple sand.

The most important thing is that its button, lid, and body visually form three "balls" overlapping, which has a full visual effect. One point more is cumbersome, and one point less is regrettable, which achieves aesthetics. pursuit.

On the bottom of the pot is written the four characters "Bingxin Taoist" in seal script, which is a seal inscription, and the font is elegant.

"This teapot was made by Cheng Shouzhen, a master of purple clay in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, and 'Bingxin Taoist' was his nickname.

The ball pot is not his original creation, but the ball pot made by "Bing Xin Taoist" is the most famous, because this pot has won an award at the Panama International Exposition in Country M, which is the first international purple sand art in Huaguo. No. 1 of the prize! "

Mr. Du's voice was full of excitement, obviously proud.

Before he returned to his room, he asked Yun Zhou a difficult question, "Guess which of these purple sand pots is my favorite, and if you guess right, I'll give you one."

"Okay, Grandpa Du." Yunzhou looked at the more than 90 purple sand pots, even if he used one every day, it would take three months to rotate them.

So, which one is it?