Since bronzes have "raw pits", they naturally also have "ripened pits".
"Shukeng" refers to the fact that after the "Shengkeng" bronzeware was unearthed, it has been circulated for a long time, naturally worn or artificially cleaned, so that its natural shape has changed into a wax-like texture on the surface, while the bottom layer still contains "Shengkeng"
"Original color.
Nowadays, most of the handed down products are basically from the "raw pit" to the "cooked pit", and then there are basically no traces of excavation.
However, there are also many "cooked" bronzes that were processed by chemically cleaning the "raw pit" to remove the original rust color and coating them with protective film to prevent further corrosion.
The two bronze jues in front of Zhuang Rui have not been artificially removed from rust and have maintained the original color when they were unearthed. There is still some patina on the outside of the jues.
However, judging from their luster, they did not look like they had just been unearthed, so Zhuang Rui estimated that these two objects were indeed unearthed cultural relics, but they should have been unearthed more than three years ago and no more than 10 years ago.
When Zhuang Rui said ten years, the little man's eyes lit up, but then he returned to his original appearance. He looked up at Zhuang Rui and said, "I don't know if it was unearthed, but this thing is indeed
It's a family heirloom. If the boss is interested, he can quote a price. If he's not interested, Ren will leave..."
There is a saying among northerners when drinking, that is, if you can't stand up, you can't stand up. This little man was just talking to himself. Even if Zhuang Rui could see the year when the object was unearthed, he still wouldn't admit it.
"The things are yours, please tell me the price first..."
Zhuang Rui smiled. If it were him, he would definitely not admit the year when this thing was unearthed. He immediately said: "These two bronze knights have an eye for each other, but the thing is yours, and you still have to tell me the price."
…”
The thing is obvious. Even if the person in front of him didn't take this thing out of the ancient tomb, it has nothing to do with him. Zhuang Rui simply admitted that the thing was good. "Have a glance" is a jargon in the antique world, which means that this thing
It's a nice item, it has a big door.
"One is 100,000, two are 200,000..."
The man named Ren didn't talk much and was very cautious. After he entered and sat down, Zhuang Rui poured him a glass of water, but after a while, he never picked up the teacup on the table.
"200,000, the price is okay..."
Zhuang Rui pondered after hearing this. The bronze knights from the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties were of the most exquisite workmanship and the most expensive. If sold on the antique black market, each one would cost at least 200,000 RMB. This person's asking price is actually
Not expensive.
"Has this thing never seen the light of day?"
Zhuang Rui suddenly asked, meaning if this thing was being targeted by anyone.
Generally speaking, it is difficult for a tomb robber with low skill to clear out all the funerary objects in the entire tomb. It is very likely that some objects will be left behind, and the relevant departments will use the leftover things to infer the stolen cultural relics and their quantity.
The little man shook his head and said: "No, I searched everything at that time, and only these two items were left at home. I brought them all, I guarantee there will be no problem..."
Zhuang Rui also understood this. The other party said that he had done a very clean job. There were only these two things in the tomb, and since he had taken them all out, no one would be able to trace him.
Of course, Zhuang Rui doesn't believe this. A Shang and Zhou tomb that can produce bronze ritual vessels, at least a large tomb of a prince, can only have these two funerary objects? If it is really as the little man said, their work
Even if it is empty.
Zhuang Rui said noncommittally: "You saw the things, please put them away..."
Put away means that the buyer does not want it and asks the seller to take it back. Generally, it means to put it away. But if it means to keep it or wrap it up, it means exactly the opposite.
"Huh? No, Ren will leave first..."
After the little man heard Zhuang Rui's words, his expression changed, he stood up, quickly put the things back into the cake box, and was about to get up and go out.
If they hadn't seen this person's face, others would have thought he was a primary and secondary school student taking a cake home.
Seeing that this person was about to leave, Zhuang Rui suddenly said: "Wait a minute..."
"What? Does this boss still want to keep customers?"
The little man's face became very ugly. He was holding the cake box in his right hand, but his left hand was touching the back of his waist.
Zhuang Rui waved his hands repeatedly and said: "No, Mr. Ren misunderstood. I have taken a fancy to this thing, but I can't afford it now and I can't do it. At another time and place, someone will buy it from you. Then Monkey will contact you."
Bar……"
"Um?"
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, the little man thought for a moment and immediately understood the connection of the matter. He dared to love the man opposite him, but he was afraid that problems would arise in the future that would involve him, so he said this in a roundabout way.
.
"Haha, thank you boss..."
After entering the door, the little man smiled for the first time.
"Mr. Ren, I still have something to ask. If you're not in a hurry, why don't you sit down and have a cup of tea and let's chat a little more?" Zhuang Rui said.
"Okay, I wonder if this boss has anything else to ask?"
The man hesitated for a moment and sat back down, but he still turned a blind eye to the cup of hot tea that had just been replaced in front of him.
"There's no such thing as too much good stuff. I wonder if I can find any other items in Mr. Ren's house?"
Seeing that Ren was a cautious person, Zhuang Rui really wanted to do more business with him. After all, even if he didn't buy these things, they would fall into the hands of others sooner or later. If the heads and tails of these bronzes were really clean,
It doesn't hurt to eat it.
Even if something goes wrong in the future and they are traced to themselves, the most they can do is return the items and pay a fine. This has happened before, and it is always handled this way. The buyers who are really sentenced are all second-rate dealers who resold them abroad.
Well, among the collectors who bought them for collection in China, I haven’t heard of anyone being arrested. It’s just that it’s a little more troublesome to deal with.
Now Zhuang Rui is more or less accustomed to the fact that he is a rich man. Although money is not everything, it cannot be denied that in this society, money power still dominates at certain times.
"My hometown is in Shaanxi, and I still have some money. I wonder if this boss wants heavy utensils, or this kind of wine and food utensils? After this matter is over, I will go home and tidy up, maybe there are some other things.
…”
"Ren Ren" is relatively confident in his vision. He has met Hou Hou and Zhao Hanxuan a long time ago and knows that they have a shop in Panjiayuan and are definitely not cheaters.
After being in contact with Zhuang Rui for a while, he could tell that Zhuang Rui was not a public servant, so he revealed a little bit about Zhuang Rui in his words.
"Is there any heavy weapon? Is it complete? Does it have any inscriptions?"
Zhuang Rui was surprised. The so-called heavy weapon refers to a bronze tripod, and it must be a large bronze tripod. These things are very rare. Even tomb robbers will find it difficult to make a bronze tripod. Generally,
They smashed them and took them out.
For example, in 1939, the Simuwu square tripod was unearthed in the Wu family's cypress cemetery in Yinxu Wuguan Village. It is 133 centimeters high, 110 centimeters long, and weighs 875 kilograms. It is very majestic in shape and is called the king of tripods.
Such objects can no longer be measured in terms of money. They are priceless national treasures, just like the Terracotta Warriors and Horses. A foreign museum once offered the country a price of 100 million U.S. dollars for each statue, but it was rejected without a doubt.
.
The little man replied: "It's not big, but it's very complete. It has documents and it's from the Shang and Zhou dynasties. It's an old thing at home. If money hadn't been tight recently, I wouldn't have sold it..."
"Not many people dare to take over this thing..."
The index finger of Zhuang Rui's right hand was tapping on the table unconsciously, buying some small items. It didn't matter if he was found out. If it really involved a national treasure, then I'm afraid my uncle would be able to peel off a layer of his skin before the police came to the door.
"Then let's talk about it later. If the boss is still interested after this is over, let's contact him again..."
The little man smiled, stood up, and this time actually said goodbye and went out.
After Ren went out, Zhao Hanxuan said to Zhuang Rui with a worried look on his face: "Boss, those two bronze knights will be fine next, forget about the heavy weapons..."
Zhao Hanxuan is not a novice in the antique business. Although he is not a bronze ware player, he also knows that every heavy weapon with inscriptions unearthed will shock the entire antique circle and the archaeological world.
There is no doubt that the tomb where the important artifacts were unearthed must be a royal tomb. If there were inscriptions on the bronze tripod, it would be even more troublesome. Even if Zhuang Rui bought it without any trouble, he would not dare to reveal it.
Because if such a large tomb is stolen, it will definitely be traced to the end. As long as Zhuang Rui dares to take it out, he is definitely seeking death. Don't underestimate the capabilities of the relevant domestic departments.
Such objects are usually smuggled abroad and sold to Hong Kong, Macao or other collectors who like Chinese art.
"Old Zhao, this person is not simple. Let alone important weapons, I don't want even these two Bronze Lords..."
Zhuang Rui thought differently from Zhao Hanxuan. He had seen tomb robbers with his own eyes and had heard Professor Meng talk about many tomb robbers. He knew that ordinary tomb robbers would not be able to obtain a complete bronze tripod.
And the fact that this little man has it can only mean that behind him, there is definitely an organized group of tomb robbers. If it is a lone gang of tomb robbers, then Zhuang Rui doesn't care.
But what Zhuang Rui is most afraid of is getting involved with these gangs. These people are all after money rather than their lives. Thinking about what happened in Shaanxi, Zhuang Rui's legs are still a little trembling.
Zhuang Rui sat there and pondered for a long time, then finally raised his head and said: "Monkey, let's leave this matter alone for now. It's best not to touch some things, as you may get into big trouble..."
