When it comes to collecting, the Liao Dynasty is an unavoidable dynasty.
Because the dynasty established by this ethnic minority really had many artistic achievements, such as Buddha statues.
Just because this is a dynasty established by a minority, many people take it for granted and classify their works of art as shoddy.
However, the fact is exactly what we think. There are not many Buddhist statues in the Liao Dynasty, but they are exquisitely made.
The large upturned lotus pedestal of the Liao Dynasty gold and bronze Buddha statues is particularly outstanding.
On both lower legs of the Liao Dynasty Buddha statues, there is a graceful snake-like clothing pattern on each side, which is an important point to distinguish the Liao Dynasty Buddha statues.
In addition, the Liao Dynasty three-color pottery Luohan in Bafowa, Beihe Yi County, can also be used as a reference for understanding the Liao Dynasty Buddhist statues.
Compared with these high-quality Buddha statues, the batch of imitation Jin Dynasty Buddha statues in front of us are a bit inferior.
The later ones are even less well imitated, especially the Buddhist statues from the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.
This is wrong, especially the Buddhist statues from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there are still many exquisite ones.
Because Tibetan Buddhism became popular in the mainland during the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties.
The style of Tibetan Buddhist statues has a greater influence in the mainland, especially in the north.
The traditional sculpture techniques of the Han people continue to develop on the basis of inheritance from previous generations, but they have shown a trend of decline.
Compared with Chinese Buddhist statues, the most intuitive difference between Tibetan Buddhist statues is that there are almost no clothing lines.
This should be related to the influence of Tibetan Buddhist statues and Buddhist statue art from Nepal and other places.
The Han Buddhist statues like to depict the clothing patterns of the Buddha statues and emphasize the changes in the clothing patterns.
There are very few bronze Buddha statues in the Yuan Dynasty. What is worth noting is Feilaifeng in Hangzhou. There are many grottoes carved on the mountain, many of which are Tibetan Buddha statues.
The gold and bronze Buddha statues before the Ming Dynasty were all very small, with a height of 20 centimeters being considered a big deal.
However, by the Ming Dynasty, Buddha statues were made very large, and it was not uncommon to see those twenty or thirty centimeters high.
This is because the economy of the Ming Dynasty was very developed and silver was used as currency, so old copper, miscellaneous copper and copper coins from all dynasties could be smelted.
Copper has become worthless, and many Buddha statues can be cast.
The Ming Dynasty lasted for more than 270 years. The clothing lines on the lower legs of Buddha statues in the middle and early periods are longer, and the later they are, the more rounded they become.
The head and body proportions of Buddha statues in the middle and early stages are still well-proportioned, but the heads become larger in later stages, and even in the later stages, there is a sense of disproportion.
In the early and mid-Ming Dynasty Buddha statues, the Buddha body and the pedestal were all cast in one piece.
After the mid-Ming Dynasty, especially the late Ming Dynasty, the Buddha's body and Buddha's seat were all cast separately.
So now we often see Ming Dynasty Buddha statues with only the upper body left.
In the Ming Dynasty, the word "Ding Yan" was added to the Buddha's bun. It was only in the Yuan Dynasty that this element began to appear in large numbers on Tibetan Buddhist statues.
The sacred capital of the Ming Dynasty, Xishan was also home to many Tibetan lamas.
On the other hand, the Ming Dynasty government had a particularly good relationship with religious administrators in snowy areas.
The Ming government also wanted to reward Buddhist statues in snowy areas, so the Buddha statues built in Xishan, the sacred capital of the Ming Dynasty, also had the word "Dingsheng" on them.
When talking about the statues of the Ming Dynasty, special mention should be made of the Buddhist statues made in the Yongxuan Palace.
Because in the early years of the Ming Dynasty, the gods had to receive many great living Buddhas and great lamas.
There are also Tibetan Buddhist temples in the capital, home to hundreds of great lamas.
The local Dharma kings and living Buddhas would come to see the emperor. Before leaving, the emperor would give them porcelain, tea, silk, cloth, etc.
Later, they also gave us Buddha statues. These Buddha statues were specially designed and made for Tibetan monks. Every move is very particular. You can really like them no matter how you look at them, and you can’t fault them.
Chen Wenzhe could tell that the batch of Ming Dynasty Buddha statues in front of him were all palace Buddha statues.
However, the master forger probably didn't know that the palace Buddha statues of the Ming Dynasty did not take long to make.
The statues of the Ming court were limited to the Yongle and Xuande dynasties, which lasted up to 30 years in total.
Such statues fetch extremely high prices in the market, and there are naturally many fakes.
Obviously, many of these things in front of you are just fake at a glance.
Because no matter how you look at it, it doesn't look like the statues from the Yongle and Xuande periods.
This kind of fake at first glance is mainly due to the low level of production, or the lack of knowledge, rather than the low production technology.
Of course, purely looking at technology, each of these Buddha statues is very good.
Unfortunately, some of the modern imitations nearby are much worse.
These Buddha statues are like mass merchandise on the market, they look shoddy at first glance.
However, if you know how to identify Buddha statues of this grade, you will not suffer losses easily in the market.
"Are these imitations from our factory?" Chen Wenzhe said with great certainty.
"Yes, the imitation was a bit stiff at first." Chen Xingchen said a little embarrassed.
Chen Wenzhe was speechless. Is this what Chen Xingchen imitated? Is it still a bit stiff?
When he was at school before, he discovered that this senior brother wanted to take shortcuts.
For example, the cricket jar he got from Chen Xingchen was an imitation.
It's a pity that he is getting narrower and narrower on the road of imitation, and it seems that he doesn't have much talent at all.
Just like the Buddha statue in front of you, its shape is rigid, its dynamics are stiff, and it lacks the natural agility of the real thing;
Details such as the hands and feet, the facial features, especially the eyes and ears, are blurry and lack straight and sharp strength.
Of course, there are many shortcomings. It’s not that we can’t find flaws, but that we can’t find advantages.
The thickness of the wall of the authentic vessel is uniform and the chop marks on the bottom are standard;
Counterfeit products often have walls of varying thicknesses and rough chop marks.
The genuine product has moderate weight and comfortable hand feel;
Counterfeit products often have stiff copper and feel heavy to the touch.
The genuine gilt has a natural golden color, with traces of wear and tear over time;
The fake ones are artificially corroded and polished, leaving rough marks.
In terms of engraving, the Yongle year inscription is in regular script with beautiful fonts.
The counterfeit writing is irregular and the font is weak.
The genuine Xuande Buddha statue is powerfully carved, with thick and wide strokes and knife marks visible;
Some counterfeit models are cast and are easy to identify.
Even if it is a relatively good modern imitation of the green Tara statue made during the Xuande period, at first glance, the color is really eye-catching.
But at a closer look, the signs of distress are too heavy.
Shaking his head, Chen Xingchen was the kind of antique craftsman who was lazy in technique and addicted to antiques.
It's a batch of food, but I'm still thinking about making progress.
Next, there are the Buddha statues of the Qing Dynasty. The forgery technology of Buddha statues in this period was second only to the Song Dynasty.
Among the Buddhist statues of the Qing Dynasty, especially the Tibetan Buddhist statues, there were many double Buddhas, Dharma protector statues and other excellent products, and the casting of their hands and feet was particularly outstanding in their realism.
You can tell by touching it whether it is from the Ming Dynasty or the Qing Dynasty, just because the feel is different.
Chen Wenzhe, who was in front of him, didn't even need to use his hands to know that this imitation of the gilt-bronze green Tara of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty looked like a fake, and it was fake at first glance.
The production cost of this thing is not low. This is because Chen Xingchen's family has money, otherwise he would never have the capital to make it like this.