Chapter seven hundred and ninety-one: no record of the ancients
The five-color paintings are mainly imitations of the works of the late Ming Dynasty and Kangxi, and most of them have been spread abroad. The shapes and paintings have reached the level of the original works of the previous dynasties.
These things are obviously some of the collections of Jingzhen, otherwise, even if they were only things from the Republic of China, so many would not appear at once.
For example, there are pastels and enamels in front of me.
There are a lot of enamel porcelain here, and even more of them are pastel porcelain.
Although the pastels in front of Chen Wenzhe are imitations from the Republic of China, their pastel paintings are exquisite.
Things of this level, if it were not for the transformation of the official kilns, the private kilns would never be able to make them, and these painters should also be the "Ouchi masters" of the imperial kilns;
In particular, the enamel colors are mainly imitations of Kangxi enamel works, which are quite charming and require experts with profound skills to identify them.
"Huh?" Unknowingly, Chen Wenzhe came to a place with the most people, where there were two large utensils.
After a quick look through the crowd, Chen Wenzhe discovered that the two pieces here are really special and the workmanship is very good.
However, after seeing the name tag below, Chen Wenzhe's face showed a hint of weirdness.
A revolving bottle is made of enamel and pastel techniques, so it is appropriate to put it together with another one made of pastel.
However, although the craftsmanship of their two pieces of porcelain looks very good, the prices are too high, otherwise they would not attract so many people.
Of course, the revolving bottle must be more expensive. Its price tag is twelve million. Among the antique porcelains of the Republic of China, this kind of price must be sky-high.
And the price of the other one is not low either, maybe 10 million?
Moving forward, Chen Wenzhe discovered that what these people gathered around here was actually looking at the revolving bottle.
Therefore, moving a little closer, he saw the blue-glazed statue, which seemed to be very extraordinary.
If you can’t see the revolving vase clearly, take a closer look at this blue-glazed vase.
The main reason is that this Ji-blue glaze zun is somewhat similar to the Ji-blue-glazed plum vase he made.
Of course, what Chen Wenzhe said is similar, but the glaze color is similar.
There were not many people watching, so Chen Wenzhe squeezed his way until he got to the front of you.
After a quick look, it turns out that it is really something that was imitated by Qianlong in the Republic of China, but the price is not 10 million, but 100,000!
In front of the two zeros at the end, there is a decimal point. It is in the distance and Chen Wenzhe cannot see it clearly.
After knowing the price, Chen Wenzhe was a little disappointed. He originally thought that this piece was also a valuable treasure!
I glanced at the revolving bottle next to me, and it looked familiar. I'm afraid it was another imitation of the most expensive revolving bottle recorded in China.
Chen Wenzhe had seen a new imitation before, and this one was obviously an old imitation from the Republic of China!
Although he couldn't see clearly, Chen Wenzhe could still see from the gaps that the craftsmanship was very complicated.
Twelve million worth of things are still replicas of the Republic of China. It’s not that simple no matter how you think about it.
There were so many people, and he didn't want to squeeze in to join in the fun, so he had to wait.
My eyes can't help but fall on the blue-glazed statue in front of me, with gold consecration, pastel flowers and birds, and turquoise-green glaze Ruyi carved in secret!
Here, consecration is not about adding some mysterious power, but a craft.
Consecrating porcelain means drawing borders on certain parts of the porcelain, and painting landscapes, figures, flowers, etc. in the borders.
The underglaze painting technique pioneered by Jizhou Kiln later had a direct impact on Yuan blue and white.
Those with brocade patterns all over the outside of the frame are called "Jin Di Consecration", and in the Ming Dynasty they were called "Jin Di Box Heart".
Looking over little by little, Chen Wenzhe was stunned.
Could such complex porcelain be imitated during the Republic of China?
Also, why does the shape of this bottle look so familiar?
"The Ruyi Double-Eared Zun with turquoise green glaze, inlaid with gold and consecrated, pastel colors with flowers and birds, and dark carvings?"
Combining all the characteristics, Chen Wenzhe named it very smoothly.
There is a name, and after thinking about it for a moment, Chen Wenzhe remembered that this thing is really famous.
Of course, the famous one may not be the one in front of you, but another one.
On March 22, 2011, an unprecedented record in auction history was broken at Sotheby's in New York.
A Republic of China imitation Qianlong pastel consecrated vase with icing patterns, estimated at US$800 to US$1,200, was auctioned by many buyers for US$18,002,500 (approximately RMB 120 million), more than 20,000 times higher.
If this news were mentioned, maybe eight out of ten people in the antique shop would know about it, but few people know the full name of the porcelain.
In fact, its full name is: "The Ruyi Double-Eared Zun with turquoise green glaze, inlaid with gold and consecrated, pastel flowers and birds, and dark carvings!".
Chen Wenzhe remembers clearly that at the time of the auction, Sotheby's believed that the porcelain might be an imitation from the Republic of China period, and cautiously described its age as "similar to the Republic of China."
The status report of the porcelain states that its condition is not complete. There are signs of disconnection and bonding between the bottle body and the base, and there is some wear and tear on the gilt parts of the bottle mouth and ears.
At that time, Sotheby's New York held a special sale of Dai Runzhai's collection of Chinese porcelain and handicrafts.
It was also because of Mr. Dai Runzhai that this auction set an unprecedented record in the history of auctions.
The porcelain vase was initially valued at US$800 to US$1,200, but because it was collected by a famous overseas Chinese collector, the price was ultimately more than 20,000 times higher.
Such a staggering price difference has been called "the joke of the century" by a senior antique dealer in Xiangjiang.
The reason why I say this is because this pastel consecrated vase with icing patterns has been defined by experts at Sotheby's New York as a porcelain imitation of the Qianlong Dynasty during the Republic of China period, so its estimate is only US$800 to US$1,200.
However, at the auction, 7 buyers participated in the bidding, and the auction price soared.
It was finally acquired by an anonymous buyer through a phone call, and the transaction price was as high as US$18,002,500.
According to the subsequent analysis of some professionals, the buyers who participated in the bidding, like many people in the industry, believed that this porcelain vase, which was defined as a replica by Sotheby's experts, was an authentic product from the Qianlong period.
Therefore, there is such an astonishing price difference in the auction results.
The most important thing is actually the production process of the porcelain vase. Regardless of its shape, decoration, or the technology used, that porcelain vase is particularly sought after in the current market, so it is not surprising that it fetched such a high price.
In fact, the hot scene at the special auction held by Sotheby's in New York for Dai Runzhai's collection also confirmed this point.
This special sale includes 328 collections of bronzes, jade and porcelain, which are sought after by buyers from all over the world.
Buyers on site competed with those who consigned by phone or online.
The entire auction lasted for 9 hours, with a total transaction volume of US$36.31 million, and a transaction rate of 94%.
This fully reflects the buyer's high regard for Dai Runzhai's legendary appreciation and strong personal charm in the antique circle.