The stall owner slapped his thigh and gave Shen Yu a thumbs up, "You have such good eyesight that you can recognize that this vase is underglaze red. Let me tell you, my underglaze red plum vase is clear." Old objects from the Yongzheng period have been passed down from generation to generation from my ancestors. By my generation, they have been passed down for nine generations."
"Yongzheng in the Qing Dynasty?"
Shen Yu looked at the stall owner and asked with a meaningful smile.
"Um? Yes, it is the underglaze red from the Yongzheng Dynasty. You also know that the underglaze red from the Qing Dynasty is the best from the Yongzheng Dynasty."
Shen Yu's rhetorical question, coupled with Shen Yu's somewhat unclear smile, made the stall owner feel nervous.
However, he turned it around in his mind and felt that there was no flaw in what he said, so he simply continued to admit it.
The so-called underglaze red of porcelain is to use copper-containing pigments to directly paint various patterns on the porcelain bottle. After drawing, a layer of transparent glaze is applied on top, and then fired in a furnace at ultra-high temperature.
Some people may ask, is this nothing surprising?
Why is it called Glaze Red such a strange name?
Because the pigment of underglaze red contains copper, and copper will emit red during high-temperature reduction, and it is still inside the transparent glaze, so it is named: underglaze red.
The principle of firing seems simple, but the yield is extremely low, so the price of underglaze red can easily reach tens of millions or even tens of millions, and even hundreds of millions of yuan is nothing new.
Shen Yu: "How much does this plum vase cost for you?"
Stall owner: "800,000!"
Shen Yu shook his head, "It's expensive!"
The stall owner grinned when he heard this. He looked around and whispered into Shen Yu's ear: "I ask for a price, but you can bargain. We can negotiate the price."
As the saying goes, the buyer is the one who picks the goods. Those who set up stalls and do business are not afraid of customers being picky, but are afraid that you will smile and look at them and leave after a few glances. The same is true for selling antiques.
Upon hearing Shen Yu's bargaining, the stall owner's spirits rose.
"You don't know, the biggest feature of underglaze red is that it is difficult to fire, and the yield is particularly low. Let's put it this way, underglaze red in the Yuan Dynasty and Hongwu underglaze red in the Ming Dynasty, as well as underglaze red in the Kangxi and Yongzheng dynasties of the Qing Dynasty, They are all of great value and belong to the aristocracy among aristocratic porcelains.
"When it comes up for auction, it often sells for tens of millions, tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions. If you buy a Yongzheng glazed red plum vase for 800,000, you are definitely missing out."
Shen Yu's face was calm, without any excitement, and there was even a smile on the corner of his mouth, which immediately made the stall owner's momentum weaken by three points.
After thinking about it, the stall owner had no choice but to continue explaining to Shen Yu why underglaze red is so valuable, "It sounds interesting. Although underglaze red was created and fired in the Yuan Dynasty, it was not very famous at the time. It was also fired during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. , it was not famous until the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty, but it was abandoned because it was too difficult to bake.
"Because the craftsmen found that they were clearly firing red underglaze, but after it came out of the kiln, it was not red, and was either gray or black. It seems more appropriate to call it "grey underglaze" or "black underglaze".
"People at the time didn't fully understand the firing principle of this thing, so they stopped firing it after repeated attempts.
"It wasn't until the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty that craftsmen figured out that controlling the heat was the key to making the glaze red.
"After continuous testing, the temperature of 1250℃-1300℃ is the most suitable.
"But just controlling the heat is not enough. We must also strictly control the 'gas' content in the kiln. After gaining experience in firing, the bright red underglaze red became famous all over the world again. It was not until the Yongzheng Dynasty that the underglaze red was fired The skill reached its peak and became the target of collectors in later generations.
"Ahem, let me ask you a bold question here, brother, do you know what I just mentioned about the gas content in the kiln?"
After hearing this, Shen Yu raised his head and glanced at the other party, thinking, "Test me?"
But Shen Yu is not stupid either.
When buying antiques, it is much more difficult for an expert to find out than for a newbie.
Beware of experts, all antique sellers do this.
So Shen Yu smiled and said, "What do you mean? Forgive me for my shallow knowledge, I really don't know this."
Seeing that Shen Yu didn't know, the stall owner became even more energetic, "It's actually not complicated. This gas refers to oxygen. In other words, the oxygen content in the kiln cannot be high.
"Once the oxygen concentration in the kiln is high, the color of the pattern will immediately become dull. Look at my plum vase with three fruit patterns. It is bright red. With this color, it cannot be fake. It is definitely a fake. Fine products from Yongzheng official kilns."
Shen Yu still smiled, and did not express shock or make a counter-offer.
The stall owner looked at Shen Yu, and then followed Shen Yu's gaze at his own plum vase, with a hint of surprise on his face, "You think my bottle was not burned, right? These spots were accidentally put on it. Just wipe it off."
In addition to the rich colors of the three fruits of peach, pomegranate, and persimmon, this underglaze red plum vase also has a small patch of red paint-like substance on the undecorated white glaze.
Shen Yu pointed to the red lumps and spots on it and asked, "Is the bottle stained with paint? How did it get on the bottle?"
The stall owner slapped his thigh again, "Oh, don't mention it. I was renovating my old house the year before last, and the painter accidentally knocked over the paint bucket while painting the ceiling, and all my porcelain was damaged."
Shen Yu took a deep breath, and then asked, "Such an expensive porcelain is very troublesome if it is stained with paint. I'm afraid the price will be greatly reduced!"
Upon hearing this, the stall owner immediately waved his hand, "No, absolutely not, these paints can be removed with just a wash."
The smile on Shen Yu's face faded, "Then why don't you wash it? You must know that it is very troublesome once porcelain is stained with paint, because it is probably difficult to wash off without chemical detergents, and if detergents are used, the glaze and patterns of the porcelain will be It was also destroyed.
"Another point is that some people now specialize in this deception, which is to splice fake porcelain and then paint the splicing joints. If you are not careful, you will be fooled."
The stall owner didn't give it for free. Without turning his eyes, he immediately gave a reason that was difficult for Shen Yu to refute, "To be honest with the guests, I have a severe allergy to paint. I can't touch it even if I touch it." I have allergic reactions all over my body. As for the authenticity of the antique, you can rest assured. If this bottle is not authentic, I will refund your money when the time comes."
Shen Yu nodded to express his understanding, "So that's it!"
But Shen Yu expressed his disdain in his heart, how could he lie to a three-year-old child with these words?
Are you going to give me a fake refund? Where can I find you then?
Even if I find you and you say the money is gone, what can I do?
Refunding counterfeit goods is the most bluffing statement in the antique shop.
It is also the best way to appease the concerns of new collectors.
But in fact this is a trap.
Because most of the time this thing is based on verbal recognition, and no one will agree to write a contract.
And even if it is written into the contract, it is useless. I can refund the money, but I have lost money in business and now I have no money! I am not being a rogue. I will definitely refund the money. Can I refund you two thousand a month?
No? No, there is nothing we can do. The maximum is two thousand.
In this way, you really can't do anything to others.
"Can I take a look at this plum vase?"
The stall owner quickly made an invitation gesture, "Look, it's up to you. There's no reason why you shouldn't be allowed to look at the antiques you're selling."
When he held this red-and-blue-and-white plum vase with both hands, Shen Yu's heartbeat was still beating rapidly.
Without it, just now, a dark blue precious light suddenly emerged from three inches above the bottle, about three and a half inches long, and finally turned into a ball of precious light the size of a walnut.
Calculated in this way, it is no more and no less than the Kangyong period.
Therefore, this is really an underglaze red plum vase from Kangyongguan kiln.
Well, it is still the best among the best products from official kilns.
"The first underglaze red statue in my life! Shen Yu, Shen Yu, you really made a big mistake this time!"
