Chapter 75

For the sake of safety, Chu Chen wanted to find a suitable portable safe, so instead of going back to the hotel, he came to cuiyuzhai, which is not far from Baxian temple.

In the reception room, Wen Yuting put the statue of Bodhisattva in front of her and couldn't wait to ask, "brother Chu, show me what's special about this statue of Bodhisattva?"

Chuchen joked: "what's special about Bodhisattvas? It's just the one in this dynasty."

"What's the law of the people's Republic of China? Where is that one? " Wen Yuting asked eagerly.

"I said, Xiaowen, don't worry. It won't run away on its own."

After chuchen said with a smile, he pointed to a position on the rosette and said, "here is the money."

"Daming xuandenian Shi, brother Chu, do you mean it was made by Daming xuandenian? That should be expensive, right? Did you pick it up again? " Wen Yuting read the money word by word and asked with excitement.

"What?! Is this a Bodhisattva made by xuandenian of the Ming Dynasty? "

The three men on the scene could not help exclaiming after hearing the speech.

Wen Yuting was a little surprised and asked, "why, is the Buddha statue made by Xuan Denian very precious?"

"How can it not be precious!"

Li Guodong said excitedly: "although I don't play antiques very much, I have seen this kind of information when I checked the materials of Xuande stove before. Among the bronze Buddha statues made in ancient times, those of Yongle and Xuande periods are the most famous. There are only about three or four hundred existing in the world. Do you think they are precious or not

While appreciating this Bodhisattva statue, Zhou Wenping nodded and agreed: "yes, since the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty, a statue making organization" Buddha works "was set up in the palace, which was subordinate to the" imperial supervisor "and specialized in making Tibetan Buddha statues. These statues are mainly concentrated in Yongle and Xuande dynasties, so they are also called "Yongxuan palace statues" or "Yongxuan statues."

"However, it is found that nine out of ten of the existing Ming Dynasty palace statues belong to the Yongle period, and Xuande statues are less than one tenth of them. At the same time, it is also found that most of the statues in Yongle period are exquisite in workmanship, reflecting a very high artistic level, while the statues in Xuande period are generally rough in workmanship, and the artistic level is average."

"But look at this Bodhisattva, Xiaowen. Its workmanship is so exquisite and its artistic level is very high. It can be said that its craft and artistic level have broken through the routine of making Buddha statues in Xuande period, and it has excellent performance comparable to that of Yongle statues. This can be said to be extremely precious."

"Brother Zhou, how much is this Bodhisattva statue worth?" Wen Yuting asked curiously.

Zhou Wenping thought for a while, and then said, "this statue is so perfect in appearance. After so many years, the gilding on its surface has not fallen off. So I think the value of this statue should be at least 3 million. If you go to the auction and meet someone you like, you can reach more than 5 million."

"Wow, it's so expensive. Brother Chu, you're rich again!" Wen Yuting said enviously.

Chu Chen waved his hand and said with a smile, "I didn't want to change hands on this statue of Manjusri. If I change hands on such a beautiful and precious statue, if I want to invite another one, I may not be able to find it at all."

After hearing this, Zhou Wenping also nodded in agreement. There are only three or four hundred Yongxuan Buddha statues in the world, and there are very few such beautiful Buddha statues in Xuande period. Those who really like collecting Buddha statues, if they get such a statue, which one is not Wu's death, will not take it out and change hands without accident.

"Brother Chu, can you tell us about the characteristics of Buddha statues in Yongxuan period?" Chu Yulan asked with a trace of desire.

Chuchen said with a smile: "Xiaolan, you are really studious. Brother Zhou spoke very well just now. Let's listen to brother Zhou. It's not good to listen to me all the time. If you talk to someone else, you can broaden your horizons. Besides, brother Zhou is still a bronze major."

Xijing is the capital of Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang Dynasties. Over the years, a large number of bronzes have been unearthed. Zhou Wenping has been exposed to this knowledge since he was a child. Therefore, his knowledge of antiques is mainly about bronzes. Such bronzes and gilded statues are not rare at all. Therefore, it is reasonable for Chu Chen to ask him to explain them to you.

Zhou Wenping is still confident in this aspect, so he didn't give up, and said with a smile:

"OK, since Xiao Chen has given me this task, I will simply say it to you, but my level is limited. If you are wrong, please forgive me!"

"After you have seen this statue, you should know that it is different from our traditional Buddha statues. It has obvious Tibetan Buddhist characteristics. This is also because it was an important period for the Ming Dynasty to manage Tubo. At that time, in order to win over the upper class of Tubo, a large number of precious gifts were given, and palace statues were a very important part."

"Therefore, at that time, a new model of Buddha statues came into being, which perfectly integrated the arts of the two places, thus creating the world-famous Yongxuan Buddha statues."

"Xiaochen's statue can be said to express this artistic feature incisively and vividly. You see, the features of Yongxuan Buddha statue are plump and upright face, wide shoulders and thin waist. And this statue of Manjusri Bodhisattva is just like this. It has a square face, a solemn look, broad shoulders, a girdle waist, and a vivid body portrayed by craftsmen. ""In terms of decorative patterns, Yongxuan statue is characterized by strong texture of clothing and vivid and natural performance, which is exactly what this statue shows. You see, its upper body is decorated with a collar and a long chain, and its chest and waist are decorated with the U-shaped Beaded wreaths which were very common at that time. The shoulders are covered with silk, and the hands and feet are decorated with silk. In particular, skirts and silk fabrics are expressed in a realistic way, with smooth and beautiful patterns, vividly showing the natural texture of silk fabrics. "

"Yongxuan Buddha statues generally use a double-layer waist lotus seat. The lotus seat has standard shape and obvious features. The lotus petals are full and three-dimensional. The tip is rolled into three round beads, and the upper and lower edges are decorated with round beads of the same size

Zhou Wenping drank a mouthful of water and then said: "speaking of this, there is a little difference between the statues of Yongle period and Xuande period. Generally, the statues of Xuande period are a little fatter than those of Yongle period. The lotus petals are also more plump and plump. The curling grass pattern on the head of the lotus petals is more complicated and decorative."

"Let's talk about the inscriptions again. Generally, Yongxuan statues are engraved with six characters in a soft and beautiful style, right in front of the lotus seat, just like this statue. In Yongle period, they are engraved with the inscription" Yongle nianshi of the Ming Dynasty. "

Next, Zhou Wenping turned the statue over, pointed to the cover at the bottom and said:

"this statue is called cangcang. The good point of this statue is that it is well preserved. You can see that there is a beautiful Cross Diamond pestle carved in the center of the bottom cover, and the sealing wax, cinnabar and the chop of the fixed bottom cover can be seen on the edge of the bottom cover. These are the basic characteristics of Yongxuan statue."

"Finally, the production process, Yongxuan statues are generally made of brass. Casting method is the traditional wax loss method in Central Plains. All the statues were cast together without separate casting and welding. At present, some of the imitations on the market are red copper with welding marks. "

"Well, I'll just talk about it, Xiao Chen. Do you have anything else to add?" With that, Zhou Wenping was relieved.

"Brother Zhou, what you said is very good. I have nothing to add. Let's give the warmest applause for brother Zhou's wonderful lecture."

At the end of the speech, Chu Chen began to clap, while others applauded and appreciated Zhou Wenping's wonderful speech.

"I'm flattered, I'm flattered. It's all because of Xiaochen's standard statue of teaching, otherwise I'm just talking on paper." Zhou Wenping was modest again and again, with a happy and embarrassed look on his face.

Wen Yuting said with a smile: "brother Zhou, don't be modest. What you say is good. I can go to Taobao according to the characteristics you say, and I find it easy to pick up the leak."

Zhou Wenping quickly said, "this is not good. Do you think every Buddha statue in Yongxuan period will be like the performance of this statue? I'll tell you that many of the statues have fallen off their gilding or have their own defects. They are really similar to the noble ones. It can be said that there are very few of them. "

"As we usually see this kind of sculpture, we will think it is a fake, let alone a stall. Even if we see it, we will choose to ignore it."

Wen Yuting after hearing the speech, some surprised asked: "that way, there are a lot of good things to miss it?"

Zhou Wenping said with a smile: "only Xiao Chen, a freak, is so lucky that he can always pick up leaks. As usual, how can there be so many omissions for you to pick up? Xiaowen, you should bear in mind that the essence of what you buy is not what you sell. There are some hawkers who leak their eyes, but the quantity is very small. If you expect to pick up the leak with this, you should be prepared to use eye drops frequently. "

Li Guodong saw Wen Yuting's yearning to pick up the leak, and advised: "Yuting, think about it, if you are not with Xiaochen, who do you know can often pick up the leak? What's more, we've all listened to Xiao Chen's advice in picking up the leak these times. Don't jump in as soon as you're hot headed. "

After Li Guodong finished speaking, Chu Chen and Chu Yulan also advised her to be cautious. Seeing this, Wen Yuting thought about it and could only give up this unrealistic plan. She said a little dispirited:

"Oh, I really want to pick up the leak. After I go back this time, I don't know when I can have this opportunity."

When Chu Chen saw her appearance, he said with a smile, "Xiaowen, it's not that we can't meet each other anymore. If you have time, you can go to Panjiayuan with brother Li or Xiaolan to find me. Then I can show you around several antique markets in the capital. It's not impossible to pick up a leak."