Chapter 1507: Good antiques are loved to be collected
Although generally similar, the two Song pagoda Guanyin are still different from those of the Tang Dynasty in terms of craftsmanship characteristics and carving techniques.
So, are these two statues influenced by the style of the Tang Dynasty, rather than being deliberately made in imitation of the Tang Dynasty style?
Are these two eleven-faced Guanyin statues just a link between the past and the next?
We might as well look at these by analyzing the characteristics of statues unearthed during the Five Dynasties period, such as a Buddha statue from the Five Dynasties period unearthed from the Leifeng Pagoda Underground Palace in Hangzhou.
This statue consists of three parts, namely the seated Buddha, the backlight and the pedestal.
The plump face, strong figure and light clothing style of the seated Buddha reflect the legacy of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
However, its complex structure of the pedestal fully reflects the changes in aesthetic views and the emergence of innovative spirit of people in the late Tang and Five Dynasties.
The large upturned lotus pedestal is very different from the girdled square pedestal, girdled round pedestal and hexagonal pedestal common in the Tang Dynasty.
The dragon-decorated column in the middle is a mythological symbol with Han nationality characteristics.
Although the image system of "Xianglong Jialian" appeared in early stone carvings, it has never been applied to bronze statues.
The emergence of this style also illustrates from the side that the cultural consciousness of the Han nation is integrated with Buddhist culture, resulting in the emergence of new aesthetic concepts.
There is also a statue of Shuiyue Guanyin Bodhisattva unearthed from Jinhua Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, which also illustrates this kind of closed shop.
As the earliest existing bronze statue of Shuiyue Guanyin in my country, its overall style has basically broken away from the legacy of the Tang Dynasty.
Only in terms of style, it follows the shape of Shuiyue Guanyin created by Zhou Fang in the Tang Dynasty, and the depiction of the clothing pattern is more realistic.
Looking at the overall shape of this Buddha statue, the secular aesthetic has been greatly enhanced.
It can be seen that advocating nature, paying attention to realism, and being innovative are the characteristics of this era.
Even though it lasted only a few decades, the Five Dynasties period had its own distinct artistic characteristics of the time.
As for the two eleven-faced Guanyin statues also unearthed in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the artistic styles they express are far from those of the Five Dynasties period.
They are more of an imitation of the same pink version of the Tang Dynasty.
Therefore, these two statues should be an imitation of the style of the previous dynasty, and do not have the unique flavor of the early Song Dynasty.
Through the analysis of the artistic style of this Guanyin statue, combined with the social custom of collecting antiques in the Song Dynasty, it can be preliminarily judged that this statue should be imitated from the Song Dynasty to the Northern Zhou Dynasty.
However, more research and comparison are needed to completely confirm that this statue was made in the Song Dynasty.
We can also use some scientific and technological means, such as X-ray exploration, material analysis, etc., to assist our judgment.
In short, the identification of "antique" style sculptures depends more on the charm of the times and some subtle depictions.
However, it is still difficult to have an accurate and systematic identification method today.
Throughout the thousands of years of cultural and artistic history in our country, "antiquing" has always accompanied the development of culture and art in each period.
It can be said that antiques are the recollection and respect for the artistic styles of predecessors in each historical period, and are also the basis for the development of art in each period.
The eras that truly had the feeling of "antiquing" and promoted this "feeling" from top to bottom should be the Song and Qing dynasties.
The Song Dynasty was dominated by Huizong, while the Qing Dynasty was dominated by the Qianlong period.
"Anti-archaic" statues from the Song Dynasty are an area that many people don't usually pay attention to.
Whether in the collection world or academia, few people pay attention to it.
For a moment, Chen Wenzhe only thought of these two sets of statues, trying to understand and understand the identification method and causes of such statues that were influenced by the "antique atmosphere".
It is different from the antique palace statues in the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. It is a kind of citizens' conscious artistic aesthetic taste produced under the influence of the social atmosphere of respecting the ancient and advocating the ancient in the Song Dynasty.
It is also a form of artistic expression that coexists with the realistic, civilian and secular style of statues in the Song Dynasty.
This retro and antique art trend has existed in many periods in history.
In fact, it should be a reflection of the past regulations under the concept of "respecting the ancients", and it should coexist with the artistic style of the time.
When understanding and identifying "antique" statues from the Song Dynasty, we should still pay attention to some forgeries from later generations, especially the statues from the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China.
However, due to the limitations of different craftsmanship, aesthetic characteristics and materials used unique to each era.
Therefore, imitations from different periods will still show the unique craftsmanship characteristics of this era.
Different eras will also reveal the charm of that time.
This requires researchers with rich experience and excellent identification skills.
This sounds simple, but it is not easy to truly combine it with reality and gain something.
Chen Wenzhe was able to see some of the characteristics of the times before he could see that the Six Horses of Zhaoling in front of him and the eleven-faced Buddha statue had unique characteristics of the Song Dynasty.
This is the most obvious Song imitation, that is to say, this is not a pure technology, it should be said to be a characteristic of the times.
To be precise, this is a special product produced in a special era.
I have to say that because people like to collect antiques, the level of counterfeiting during the Song Dynasty is really high.
Of course, modern people use the techniques and techniques of the Song Dynasty to imitate the Six Horses of Zhaoling from the Tang Dynasty. Although the imitation is high quality, the flaws are also obvious.
Therefore, modern people who do not stick to the rules must change.
This is not only reflected in the Six Horses of Zhaoling, but also in the eleven-faced Buddha statue.
At least they tried their best to avoid the obvious differences between the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty.
Unfortunately, sometimes some things cannot be changed easily.
Some places, as long as they are changed, will become completely different.
Therefore, these works all retain some traces of the Song Dynasty, which is why Chen Wenzhe can recognize this technique at a glance.
"The imitation is good, and it can be passed off as an antique."
Seeing the expectant look in Li Jinli's eyes, Chen Wenzhe immediately fulfilled his expectations.
"Ah? This Buddha statue is also an imitation?" Li Jinli is really a smart person.
Chen Wenzhe was noncommittal, could this thing be authentic?
People imitating the Six Horses of Zhaoling should be done occasionally, but imitating Buddha statues should be done professionally!
"Real or false?" Li Jinli's face turned very ugly.
Chen Wenzhe looked at him strangely: "You have collected a large number of Buddha statues, right?"
Li Jinli said helplessly: "I thought that boy was a prodigal. He sold all the things his ancestors had hidden. I didn't expect that he was pretending to be a pig and eating the tiger!"
Okay, this is another classic case of trying to pick up a leak, but ended up taking medicine to hit the eye.
The imitation Six Horses of Zhaoling is a fake, everyone knows this.
But how can a counterfeiter with this kind of technology not have something good in his hands?
So, the so-called good things Li Jinli bought were all fakes?