Zhuang Rui entered the old man's room. The old man was enjoying himself making tea. When he saw Zhuang Rui coming in, he nodded, pointed to the chair opposite and said: "Sit down, what does that brat want to do with you? You can't.
If you want to help, don’t help…”
Gu Tianfeng knew about Zhuang Rui's background. In China, I dare not say that there is nothing impossible, but there are probably not many things that the Ouyang family cannot do. Gu Tianfeng is afraid that his son will mention it.
What excessive demands make it difficult for Zhuang Rui to fulfill.
Of course, the son is still his own relative, and the old man also has a point in his words. Don't help those who can't help. As for things that can be helped, there is no need to say more.
"Uncle Gu, it's nothing serious. Brother Yun's business is in the off-season during this period. Let me introduce some work. It just so happens that Fourth Brother has a project over there. Let him take over the work. This is a serious business..."
Zhuang Rui saw that the old man was very serious, so he quickly explained that this was nothing at all. Ouyang Jun's work should be done by someone else, so why not take advantage of his own people?
"Well, follow the rules, don't break them..."
When Gu Tianfeng heard this, he didn't say anything more. He opened the drawer of the table where he was sitting, took out a palm-sized rosewood box, and pushed it in front of Zhuang Rui.
"Look, this is the piece of Dahongpao chicken blood stone carved out of the old man's craftsmanship..."
The old man seems to be very satisfied with this work, and his words are somewhat complacent.
"Hehe, of course, my uncle is a famous Nan Wu Bei Gu..."
After Zhuang Rui gave him a small flattery, he took the box that looked like rosewood on the table in his hand.
"Huh? Uncle, this thing is old, right?"
When Zhuang Rui picked up the box, he felt it was quite heavy. After taking a look with his spiritual energy, he realized that the box was really made of rosewood, with clear and delicate textures. It was also fine small-leaf rosewood and was worth a lot of money.
Although this box is not big, it is at least from before the Republic of China. From an antique point of view, it is an old object. Zhuang Rui estimates that it should be around 70,000 to 80,000 yuan.
The ancients were very careful and important to seal after finishing calligraphy and painting, so they were also very concerned about the requirements and storage of the seal. This rosewood box has organic buttons, which is obviously
Specially made for placing seals.
"Well, I met it in my early years and kept it here for decades. Now I can't use it, so I'll give it to you..."
When the old man spoke, there was obviously a trace of reluctance and melancholy. Zhuang Rui could tell that this rosewood box was definitely the old man's favorite thing.
Thinking of this, Zhuang Rui shook his head and said: "Uncle, I can't accept this item, you should keep it for yourself..."
"Bullshit, why should I keep it? If you withdraw, my old man won't issue another appraisal certificate. Why do you still need this thing?"
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, the old man's voice suddenly rose, but then he sighed and said: "Your boy is spiritual about jade and has good luck. It's just that he is too old and started too late. Otherwise, I will be like this."
All the craftsmanship of the Menbei School carvers must be passed on to you..."
To learn carving craftsmanship, you need to have a solid foundation in calligraphy and painting, and then you need to exercise the flexibility of your hands from an early age. Zhuang Rui's bones have long been mature, so you can only carve seals for fun. If you want to learn carving, it is almost impossible.
It's impossible.
Although Gu Tianfeng had many disciples in his life, the decline of the Northern School of Carving was a foregone conclusion, and there were no leading figures among his disciples, so the old man felt this way.
"Hey, uncle, with your body, you still have at least thirty to fifty years left to live. Why are you so anxious? When I give birth to my son, I will let him come and learn northern carving from you. Then this red sandalwood box
, I will pass it to him on your behalf..."
Zhuang Rui saw that the old man was in a low mood, so he quickly changed the subject. Moreover, Zhuang Rui really had this idea. Children learning seal cutting can firstly cultivate their hands-on ability, and secondly, cultivate their sentiments and make them become
Calmly, if Zhuang Rui gives birth to a son, he will definitely give it to the old man to teach him.
"Haha, brat, don't tease me, open it and take a look..."
Gu Tianfeng was amused by Zhuang Rui's words. At this moment, Gu Yun also walked in with his son. As the saying goes, we are relatives across generations. When the old man saw his grandson, a smile immediately appeared on his face.
Zhuang Rui smiled and opened the box in his hand. His attention was immediately attracted by the rectangular soapstone seal.
This seal has lost its original shape and has become boxy. At the top, a lion playing with a ball is carved using round carving techniques as the button of the seal. The middle is hollow and can be worn with a ribbon.
At the waist, he is a typical Northern School carver with extremely fine knife skills.
After picking up the seal from the silk mat in the box, it felt a little warm in the cold hand. The edges and corners of the seal felt smooth and comfortable to the touch, not obtrusive, which made Zhuang Rui feel very comfortable.
Observe the seal in his hand carefully. The texture is pure and soft, with chicken blood spilled on it, like splashed ink, with clear layers. The blood is bright red and sharp, as if it is about to jump out. Upon closer inspection, Zhuang Rui's mind is shocked.
.
"Xiao Zhuang, the material of this Dahongpao is excellent. Too much carving will make it lose its true nature, so I only made a lion button for you so that its true nature can be shown..."
The old man who was teasing his grandson explained it to Zhuang Rui, and then said: "This seal can also be called the Chicken Blood Lion Seal. I also referred to a seal collected by Mr. He Jingguo in the "Chinese Seal Stone Atlas"
See if you like the style..."
As the saying goes, a heavy sword has no edge, and great skill has no workmanship. At the level of craftsmanship of the old man, the simpler the work, the more you can see the superb craftsmanship of the old man. This seal may seem simple, but between the knife and the pen, everything is revealed.
It is majestic and delicate.
"Haha, satisfied, satisfied..."
Zhuang Rui told the truth, just as the old man said, the natural chicken blood on this seal, too much carving and adding artificial factors will only destroy the overall feeling of the entire seal, which is just right now.
"Xiaoyun, go get a book and a piece of white paper..."
Gu Tianfeng asked his son to get something, but he wanted Zhuang Rui to take a look at the seal cutting surface. For the seal, this is the most important thing.
"Uncle, your ink pad is not simple..."
After Gu Yun brought the paper, Zhuang Rui opened the ink pad box placed next to the seal. Suddenly, a faint fragrance passed into his nose. He looked at it intently. The ink pad was red but not irritating, calm and elegant, delicate and thick. It can definitely be used.
It can be called top quality.
The importance of ink pad to seals is naturally self-evident. It can directly affect the effect of seal art. Good ink pads will have bright and calm colors and a three-dimensional effect in calligraphy and painting. The longer they last, the better their effect will be.
The color becomes brighter.
Ink pads with poor texture will appear gray or shallow after printing, and some oil stains will leach out, making the printed text blurry.
People who are good at using ink pads choose ink pads, just like people who are good at calligraphy choose pens and inks. Its quality will directly affect the value of calligraphy and painting and its artistic effect.
Some friends have the impression that ink pads are the kind sold in stationery stores. In fact, this understanding is wrong.
The ink pad sold in stationery stores is thick in texture, heavy in oil, and floating in color, and cannot express the true nature of the seal. Therefore, it cannot be called ink pad at all, but can only be called ink color.
Anyone with a little knowledge of common sense would not use it to seal seals or calligraphy and painting seals.
"Haha, this is the ink pad made by Lihua Zhai in Zhangzhou, Fujian Province a few years ago. The formula for their ink pad is very famous in China. It was given to me by an old friend. A good seal must be equipped with good ink pad. It is cheap.
You're a kid..."
Although Gu Tianfeng said it in an understatement, Zhuang Rui knew that such a small box of ink pad was definitely worth a lot of money, especially one specially given as a gift. The price would probably be around one thousand yuan and 50 grams.
Even after collecting the old man's red sandalwood box worth 70,000 to 80,000 yuan, Zhuang Rui stopped being pretentious. He held two fingers on each hand to hold the seal, dipped it evenly into the seal pad, and then rubbed the bottom pad with his hands.
I pressed the white paper on the book hard, and then I raised my hand after feeling that the force was even.
"Zhuang Rui Qing Reward"
The four bright, serene and elegant seal characters appear vividly on the paper. The traces of the font lines are ancient and vigorous, giving Zhuang Rui a subtle feeling of being made of gold and jade. The saying "there are thousands of things in a square inch" is nothing more than this.
Zhuang Rui could tell that the old man spent a lot of effort in carving this inscription. He used two knife methods: punching and cutting. The punching knife traveled quickly and traveled thousands of miles. The seal was carved in one go, showing a vigorous and vigorous momentum.
In the details, the old man combined the cutting technique, using a short-range cutting knife to cut continuously, one step at a time, showing a strong and concise, thick and steady performance. The combination of these two knife techniques shows the uniqueness of the seal cutting process.
The highest level.
Based on this skill, Zhuang Rui could conclude that the Master Ge he hired from "Xuanruizhai" was probably not as good as the old man in this seal-cutting skill.
The yin and yang characters of the seal are also very particular. Different characters represent different functions, such as name and number seals, letter seals, and signature seals, also known as "monogram seals", which are signed by the person who carved the name with flowers.
Deposit makes it difficult for people to imitate. In ancient times, it was used as a sign of trust.
There is also the Zhaiguan Seal. Ancient people often named their living rooms and studies and often made seals based on them. The "Xuanrui Zhaiyin" first carved by Master Ge belongs to the Zhaiguan Seal.
The words "Zhuang Rui Qing Appreciation", without asking, definitely indicate that this seal is a collection and appreciation seal.
This kind of seal is mostly used to cover calligraphy and painting cultural relics. For example, the painting of Lang Shining that Zhuang Rui appraised for the master also used this kind of seal. The seal above is: xx tasting, and "Zhuang Rui Qing Appreciation" means