Shao Bolin has always been interested in "Pictures of Ladies with Hairpins".
I have thought several times about designing a set of commemorative stamps with it as the theme.
At this moment, I couldn't help but join in the discussion: "I remember it is the treasure of Liaoning Museum!"
"Indeed," Shen Congwen nodded:
"Whether the author of this painting is Zhou Fang or not, its status in the ancient painting world cannot be denied."
"But...? How do you judge that "Lady with Hairpin Flowers" is not Zhou Fang's work?"
Shao Bolin never had any doubts in this regard.
Because the Liaoning Museum has always claimed that the treasure of the museum is "Ladies with Hairpins" by Zhou Fang, a famous painter of the Tang Dynasty.
On weekdays, Shen Congwen always has a smile on his face, and he looks like a very talkative old man.
When we talked about my favorite topic, I started to look a bit like an old scholar in my behavior.
Dance theory master Wu Xiaobang, when he saw the other party's expression, immediately found a stool nearby.
Cao Yu also made the same move as him.
Both of them knew that with Shen Congwen's character, he would have to talk for several rounds.
This is a habit he developed when he was a docent in a museum.
As long as professionals come to ask questions, Mr. Shen will not only take the trouble to explain in detail.
At the end of the day, I will write down more than ten pages of detailed information to the other party and send it to them.
For fear of delaying the other party's academic research.
At this moment, the sun setting in the west is bursting out with its final glory.
"In fact, if you want to judge whether "Lady with Hairpin Flowers" was painted by Zhou Fang, you can understand it by looking at this "Dudu's Wife Paying Respect to Buddha".
When Shen Congwen finished speaking, everyone's attention shifted to the painting on the table.
No matter what field the experts in the room were, they were all only interested in the painting in front of them at the moment.
The treasure of the Liaoning Museum is not Zhou Fang, the famous painter of the Tang Dynasty?
This melon is not small, so I have to try it quickly.
At this moment, Jiang Shan was standing next to the "Picture of the Governor's Wife Paying Respect to the Buddha".
After taking a few photos from far and near, I took out a sketchbook from my backpack.
"Pictures of Ladies with Hairpin Flowers" is the world's only recognized and unique copy of pictures of ladies from the Tang Dynasty handed down from generation to generation.
The artistic value is far higher than any of Zhou Fang's works.
Before the Qing Dynasty, "Pictures of Ladies with Hairpin Flowers" had nothing to do with Zhou Fang.
It was not until this painting was acquired by An Qi, a famous collector from the Qing Dynasty, that the theory that "Lady with Hairpin Flowers" was a work by Zhou Fang suddenly emerged.
After that, the reputation of "Lady with Hairpin Flowers" continued to grow until it reached its peak.
From Jiangshan's point of view, it is not without suspicion of appreciation and speculation.
Anyway, "Pictures of Ladies with Hairpin Flowers" has neither the author's signature nor the inscriptions and postscripts of famous artists.
The painting techniques and style are indeed very similar to Zhou Fang's, and combining the two together is indeed convincing.
When he thought of Zhou Fang, Jiang Shan couldn't help but smile.
This person was born into a noble family and was good at writing and painting.
The "Xuanhe Painting Book" of the Song Dynasty once described him as follows: He is the best in the past and present when he writes about women.
Before he became famous, most of his works were beauties from the Tang Dynasty's royal aristocrats who showed off their evil breasts.
Not only are they similar in appearance, but they also have the right attitude.
The sense of immersion is very strong.
The most legendary painting of this spring attack master who preceded Tang Bohu is "The Secret Play of Spring Dawn".
The male and female protagonists were the top traffic figures at the time: Tang Xuanzong and Yang Guifei.
This realistic little pornographic picture depicts the hero and heroine effortlessly doing two, two, three and four with the help of four female supporting characters.
Ignoring the movements and focusing on the details, you will find that every woman in this picture is vividly portrayed by Zhou Fang.
Whether it's makeup or clothing, or red lips and white teeth... even a single strand of hair is mesmerizing to look at.
Zhang Chou, a great painter in the late Ming Dynasty, spent a lot of money to acquire this painting, and even wrote a yellow postscript for it.
This shows how much he cherishes this picture.
Regardless of the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty or the late Tang Dynasty, there is no worry about the Four and Four.
The folk customs are open, and the official customs are even more open.
Like Zhou Fang's wonderful pen, it will definitely be like a fish in water.
For a time, countless people imitated Zhou Fang.
So Jiang Shan thought that he wanted to confirm whether an unsigned painting was painted by Zhou Fang.
The smartest way is to start from its age!
"If "Lady with Hairpin Flowers" is really a painting by Zhou Fang," Shen Congwen said slowly, "then it should be a work from the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
However, many details in that painting show completely opposite characteristics of the era.
Let’s first take a look at the painting in front of us, “The Dudu’s Wife Pays Respect to the Buddha,” which is undoubtedly from the Tang Dynasty.”
Fan Jinshi nodded: "That's true."
Chang Shuhong also affirmed: "There is no doubt about this."
"I agree with this," Shen Congwen pointed at the governor's wife's head:
“For women in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the flowers in the hairpins of their buns were all small, and several flowers were often incorporated into their buns.
But the women in "Ladies with Hairpin Flowers" all have exaggeratedly huge flowers, which look extremely... inconsistent when put together."
A sketch was gently placed next to the governor's wife. When Shen Congwen's eyes fell, his words paused for a moment.
Huang Yongyu took a closer look and was happy: "Comrade Xiao Jiang's painting is one of the six beauties in "Lady with Hairpin Flowers". Comrades who have never seen that painting can just take a look at it first."
"Let me take a look." Cao Yu had never seen it before and quickly stood up.
Wu Xiaobang had seen it once, but he didn't notice any big or small flowers at all.
So, he also walked over.
At the same time, many veteran cadres looked at a piece of sketch paper on the table.
Among them, Shen Congwen was also included.
He looked particularly carefully and found that although there was only one beauty painted on the picture, the general lines were very consistent with the original painting.
So he nodded and laughed: "Xiao Jiang, have you ever copied "Lady with Hairpin Flowers" before?"
"I copied it according to the album," Jiang Shan said, "I have never seen the original work."
The details enlarged in later generations can better reflect the artist's ultimate painting skills.
"Picture of Ladies with Hairpins" shows the spare time life of aristocratic women in the Tang Dynasty.
Picking flowers, patting butterflies, playing with dogs, watching cranes, walking slowly, and sitting lazily.
The person painted by Jiangshan is the "playing dog" among them.
"It's already very good," Shen Congwen pointed to the big flower on the beauty's bun and said:
"Please see, everyone, the custom of wearing such a large hairpin flower did not appear until the late Tang Dynasty."
"But I heard the analysis by experts from Liaoning University before," Shao Bolin said doubtfully:
"The details of the hair accessories in "Ladies with Hairpins" are also in line with the characteristics of the prosperous Tang Dynasty."
Shen Congwen smiled slightly, he also knew who Shao Bolin was talking about.
"Teacher Shao," in Jiangshan's opinion: "If the later dynasties painted the customs and characteristics of the previous dynasties, it would be normal."
Shao Bolin nodded in agreement.
"But if people from the previous dynasty painted the customs of the later dynasty, it would definitely not be justified."
"You too...?" Shao Bolin decided to pursue the question: "The conclusion drawn from the big and small hairpins? That is too one-sided."
"That's just one aspect of it,"
As Jiang Shan's words continued, Shen Congwen gradually turned towards him.
"Worse clothes and big sleeves," Jiang Shan pointed at the beauty on the sketch paper:
"The sleeves are long and flat... From the perspective of clothing, they all belong to the dressing habits from the late Tang Dynasty to the Five Dynasties.
The most important point is that Zhou Fang’s masterpieces are all recorded,
Whether this painting is the famous "Xuanhe Painting Book" or the Southern Song Dynasty's "Hua Ji",
None of them mentioned that the author of "Ladies with Hairpin Flowers" is Zhou Fang."
Xie Zhiliu, a leading connoisseur in the world of calligraphy and painting, also expressed the same view as Shen Congwen.
All the details prove that "Lady with Hairpin Flowers" should be from the late Tang Dynasty, or even the hands of an unknown painter from the Five Dynasties.
In later generations, as the unearthed documents continued to grow, even the claims of painters from the Song Dynasty emerged.
Comrade Jiang Shan's words fascinated the veteran cadres present.
Although I don’t know much about this painting or that painting, the words of the young comrade in front of me sound a bit like official explanations.
"Xiao Jiang," Shen Congwen couldn't help it anymore: "It seems that you really know the clothing of ancient women very well."
"He not only understands women," Huang Yongyu already knew the details of that boy:
"Jiang Shan is a painter of villain calligraphy. He is very familiar with the clothing and equipment of ancient people, officialdom, and battlefields."
"It takes so much knowledge to draw a little book?" This is the first time Shen Congwen heard:
"It turns out that this seemingly simple industry also hides a lot of things."
"The key is love," Jiang Shan paraphrased Shen Congwen's words several years later: "Because you like it, you can do it to the extreme."
"Um!"
"You're right."
"He's a lot like me in this way."
Everyone present showed their passion to the fullest.
At this moment, Fan Jinshi looked at Jiangshan again and felt even more cordial.
"It seems that this Liaoning Museum's treasure is also controversial,"
Chang Shuhong then expressed his opinion: "Previously, the master of appreciation Xie Zhiliu also raised the same objection, but... no one dared to agree!"
"This painting is indeed mysterious," Shen Congwen shook his head:
“In 1972, the painting core cracked and was sent to our museum for re-mounting.
After taking apart the core of the painting, I discovered that the painting was spliced together."
"What?"
"Oh My God."
"Can this happen?"
Experts all lamented that the longer you live, the more you see.
"I was surprised at the time, but that's the truth," Shen Congwen didn't expect:
"This scroll is made up of three sections of painting. Not only that, even the white crane and puppy in the painting were embedded in the painting later.
According to careful identification by experts in the museum, this painting should have been transferred from a set of screens."
"No one noticed it before?" Chang Shuhong's eyes widened in shock.
"The master's special skills," Huang Yongyu had witnessed in Rongbaozhai: "The splicing of real and fake paintings is the most difficult test of craftsmanship, and even the original artist may not be able to tell."
Shen Congwen nodded helplessly: "The museum told the Liaoning Museum about this matter, and their curator Dong directly said that this painting cannot be studied in detail, otherwise the more we study it, the more mysteries will become."
After the conversation was over, everyone was in awe.
"But," Shen Congwen had to admit: "The painter of "Lady with Hairpin Flowers" really had no choice, and he definitely deserves the reputation."
"Have you been to Liaoning Expo?" Huang Yongyu asked Jiang Shan in a low voice.
Jiang Shan shook his head: "No, I really want to take a look."
The same goes for Shao Bolin: "The most important treasure of the museum is not just the pictures of ladies."
"Well," Huang Yongyu also knew something about it: "I heard that most of them are from Northeast China."
"Looking for a chance to take a look?"
Shao Bolin had already made plans: "In addition to "Ladies with Hairpins", I would also like to see their "Along the River During the Qingming Festival"."
"Along the River During Qingming Festival?" Wu Xiaobang gave a friendly reminder: "It's staying in Yanjing, haven't you seen it?"
"Not the same picture,"
Huang Yongyu took a sip from his unlit pipe: "The one from Yanjing is "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" by Zhang Zeduan, which depicts Bianliang, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty."
"What?" Wu Xiaobang asked: "Besides him, are there other "Along the River During Qingming Festival"?"
"Yes," Huang Yongyu said with rare patience:
"Qiu Ying, a great master of the Ming Dynasty, also painted "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" compared to Zhang Zeduan's, which depicts the appearance of Suzhou City."
"Qiu Ying's "Along the River During Qingming Festival" is no worse than Zhang Zeduan's painting," Shen Congwen affirmed:
"The Suzhou city in his works is clear and bright, with a sophisticated layout. The richness and beauty of the Jiangnan water town are vividly displayed on the page, which is fascinating!"
From Jiang Shan's perspective, the biggest difference between the two "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" is the color.
One is light ink, the other is light color.
Both editions of the works are the paintings that have been imitated the most by later generations.
"Qiu Ying?" Wu Xiaobang had heard of this person before: "The one from Ming Si's family?"
"Yes," Shen Congwen said with a smile: "He is also a painter who loves to draw beauties."
The most famous scroll is listed as one of the country's top ten famous paintings.
It is also the first long scroll of highly colored ladies in my country.
Thanks to the many young masters in the palace, Qiu Ying's paintings grew longer and longer.
So few imitations appeared in later generations.
"Why isn't Qiu Ying's "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" handed over to Yanjing?"
"Even the painting by Zhang Zeduan of Yanjing was sent by the Liaoning Museum," Huang Yongyu said in a fair way: "You are not allowed to keep some treasures?"
"Don't say that," someone said in support of Yan Bo: "His treasure from Liao Bo was brought out by Yanjing..."
"It would be endless to start talking about it," Huang Yongyu said, never willing to suffer a loss:
"Where did Puyi's gadgets come from? I can't go into details, but "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" was actually sent back by the Liaoning Museum."
Liaoning Museum, formerly the Northeastern Museum.
The first national museum in New China, and further back, was the Fengtian Museum of the Puppet Manchukuo government, which already collected a large number of cultural relics.
If Puyi is left to work blindly, the collection of Liaoning Museum will become even more brilliant.
In 1935, Puyi rushed to the Manchukuo Imperial Palace in Northeast China with more than 70 boxes of treasures that had been "rewarded" in advance to Pu Jie and other ministers.
After Japan surrendered in 1945, Puyi selected 10 boxes of treasures from 70 boxes.
When I was about to fly to Shenyang, I had to leave eight boxes behind due to weight restrictions.
Not only did Shenyang Airport fail to show Puyi any favors, they also looted all eight boxes of his treasures.
For a time, "Northeast goods" became another synonym for Forbidden City treasures.
But even so, Puyi still could not run away.
All the people and goods were taken away by the Soviet Red Army.
When he was imprisoned in Khabarovsk Prison in the Far East, the Soviets asked him many questions.
One of the things mentioned many times is: "Where is the authentic copy of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival"?"
According to Puyi's entourage, Puyi brought a total of six "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" during this trip.
