The Pengji Fengniaozun is a wine vessel from the early Western Zhou Dynasty, about 3,000 years ago. It is huge in size and unique in shape.
It is the most wonderful three-dimensional bronze statue of a phoenix bird that has ever been seen in the world.
If it hadn't been for an accident, if it hadn't been for the persistence of the Poly Art Museum and experts, this "magic bird" of the Western Zhou Dynasty would have wandered around forever.
There is a reason why these bronzes are displayed at the same time, because they are all related to Dayu's flood control.
"Do you like it?" Cao Qingchun couldn't help but laugh when he saw that Chen Wenzhe couldn't put it down for the Phoenix Bird Zun, which he knew to be Fangpin.
"Huh? There's another one over there?"
Chen Wenzhe's eyesight was pretty good. He could tell at a glance that the Phoenix Bird Statue not far away and the one next to him were probably imitations by masters.
Because there is no distress, only a simple patina, this means it is a new imitation, but it has been imitated for more than ten years.
"I bought these two pieces from the same museum. I heard that the phoenix bird statue is somewhat related to this bronze bird. It came from the same tomb soon."
Chen Wenzhe turned around and looked at another phoenix bird statue. This one should be called the bird statue.
And he also knew where the authenticity of this thing was. The bird statue was unearthed from Tomb No. 114 of Jinhou Cemetery in Xishan Province.
In the 1960s, archaeologists discovered the Tianma-Qucun ruins covering an area of about 10 square kilometers at the junction of Quwo and Yicheng in the southern part of Xishan Mountain.
After the 1990s, the world-shaking "Jinhou Cemetery" was discovered in the site, and a large number of bronzes with the names of Jinhou were unearthed.
The Bird Zun witnessed the first generation of Jin Hou of the Jin Dynasty, Xie Fu, who opened up Hongmeng and showed his domineering and glorious achievements.
The phoenix bird statue in front of Chen Wenzhe is obviously unique, but its true form was lost abroad a long time ago.
Its origin is still unknown, but the age of its production should be similar to the bronzes unearthed from the Jinhou Cemetery in Xishan.
My eyes returned to the imitation of the largest phoenix bird statue. This bronze vessel is truly legendary.
Although you can't see the real thing, just by looking at the imitation in front of you, you can tell how precious that Phoenix Bird statue is.
I saw that this phoenix bird statue was majestic and extraordinary.
It shows the image of a phoenix bird standing erect with its head held high, its wings spread upward and its long tail drooping.
It has a high bud-like crown on its head, two horns on its head, round eyes, and a hooked beak that extends forward.
The wings are spread upward, and the wings are decorated with dragons and phoenixes. The long tail is drooping, and it is majestic.
On the back of the phoenix bird is a dome-shaped vessel cover, and a small phoenix bird stands erect on the cover.
It has a kui-shaped hat on its head, its head is raised, its beak is pointed, its wings are flat, and its long tail is drooping, giving it a happy look.
The small phoenix bird is decorated with scaly feather patterns and other patterns all over its body, which is complex and beautiful.
This bird statue is a wine vessel in the shape of a bird with its head raised upright, and its neck is connected to its hollow abdomen.
The sharp curved beak becomes an automatically opening and closing spout. When the bird tilts its body to pour wine, the upper lip will automatically open.
After reset, the mouth will be closed, which can prevent dust and insects, which is very clever.
The small tiger-shaped feet under the bird's tail can make the bird statue balanced and stable when filled with wine.
The bird statue is harmonious in shape, gorgeous in decoration, exquisite in casting, and integrated into one body.
Even the patterns on the separately cast lid are seamlessly connected with the decorative patterns of the entire vessel.
Even the webs on the bird's feet are made vivid and lifelike.
Being able to control cold bronze to such an extent makes one have to admire its exquisite craftsmanship.
It can be said that the entire work of art looks dignified, with delicate patterns, and has high artistic value, collection and appreciation value.
According to experts, this is a unique design among the bronzes of the same period in my country, and it also makes it a treasure of my country's bronze art.
The process of returning this precious Phoenix Bird statue from overseas was not easy.
Such a phoenix bird statue was produced around the middle of the 11th century BC. As long as it is authentic, it is a top-notch treasure.
The most famous of these Western Zhou phoenix bird statues are undoubtedly the two that are now in the Chou Kingdom, as mentioned before.
But those two pieces are only a dozen centimeters tall, and they appear to be more delicate than powerful.
Therefore, these large phoenix bird statues are particularly precious.
However, the situation of these precious treasures is not very good abroad.
In March 2004, a piece of news spread from Xiangjiang to China.
Two world-famous auction houses, Sotheby's and Christie's, are preparing to hold large-scale cultural relics auctions in their branches in Hong Kong.
At the meeting, a Xiangjiang antique dealer will prepare to auction the Phoenix Bird Zun.
Moreover, this unique treasure had a tortuous experience overseas.
It was in the mid-1990s that this phoenix bird statue was quietly released overseas.
Its unprecedented shape and decoration have deeply touched the hearts of collectors from all walks of life.
A neon collector seized the opportunity and bought it at a high price.
Unexpectedly, a piece of news spread in the international antique market - this phoenix bird statue was a fake.
Moreover, this statement comes from a famous European collector.
When the neon collector heard these words, he returned the goods.
After receiving the return, the owner sent the phoenix bird statue to Oxford University, England, and asked the most authoritative international experts to use instruments to determine its age.
Several test results confirmed that Fengniaozun was innocent, but these efforts had little effect.
Since some people say it is fake, no one dares to take the risk.
Fengniaozun has been traveling to France, France, and Chou Country, but in the end it was not sold.
After learning that the Phoenix Bird Zun was living overseas and had such an experience, the country immediately decided to bring this national treasure "home".
While the country was discussing how to acquire the Phoenix Bird Zun, another call came from Xiangjiang telling them that a neon collector wanted to purchase the Phoenix Bird Zun privately.
The country immediately sent people to Xiangjiang to express their gratitude to the Xiangjiang antique dealer Xiaozhi, hoping that he could sell the Phoenix Bird Zun to the mainland from a patriotic point of view.
In order to identify the authenticity of the Phoenix Bird Statue, a preliminary appraisal was conducted on the Phoenix Bird Statue.
This phoenix bird statue is much larger than the two phoenix bird statues in Chou Kingdom.
It depicts the image of a phoenix bird standing erect with its head held high. There is a round arched cover on the back of the phoenix bird, and a small phoenix bird stands erect on the cover, showing a happy and contented look.
The entire body of the large and small phoenix birds is decorated with scaly feather patterns and other patterns, which are complex and beautiful.
But facing such a perfect Phoenix Bird Statue, no one dares to easily believe that it is genuine.
For this reason, we discussed with antique dealers and, in accordance with previous practice, brought the Phoenix Bird statue back to the mainland through the guarantee of a well-known company in Hong Kong, and asked the best experts in the mainland to appraise it.
If it is genuine, he will pay his ideal price.
Unfortunately, the antique dealer rejected the domestic request.
The news spread back to Shendu, and soon, four of the country's most authoritative bronze experts from Shendu University, the National Museum, and the Maritime Museum came to Xiangjiang with precision instruments.
Bronze ware originated from my country, and the most authoritative appraisers are naturally experts from my country.