Mr. Li's house is the same as the houses of wealthy families in the past. It has three rooms in total. In addition to the main hall in the middle, which is used to entertain guests, one of the side rooms on both sides is used as a study and the other is a bedroom.
After a few people entered the door, they came to Mr. Li's study. The space here is not too big, but there are a lot of things. In addition to the bookshelves placed against the wall that are almost full of books, there are also books on the middle desk.
There are some four treasures of the study.
Of course, the most important thing is the table by the window, which contains magnifying glasses of various specifications and some reagents prepared by Mr. Li. Mr. Li usually spends time here when appraising antiques.
When Mr. Li carefully placed the seated statue of Sakyamuni Buddha in his hand on the table, and then took the backlight from Liu Dong's hand and plugged it in, the entire Buddha statue immediately became more majestic and vivid.
"Mr. Li, why is the style of this Buddha statue so different from what we often see?" After looking at it several times, Zhou Bin couldn't help but ask the doubts in his heart.
After hearing this, Mr. Li smiled slightly and asked: "You are referring to the decoration of this Buddha statue, right?"
Seeing Zhou Bin nodding, Mr. Li explained: "You should know that as one of the three major religions in the world, Buddhism originated in India and was introduced to China during the Eastern Han Dynasty. The first Buddhist temple in China was also built
——White Horse Temple. However, the current situation was turbulent at that time, and some of the Buddhist statues and Buddhist scriptures at that time have not been handed down."
"Therefore, the earliest Buddhist statues that can still be seen today are from the Southern and Northern Dynasties, especially the Northern Wei Dynasty, which was the first development peak of Buddhism in Chinese history. The art of Buddhist statues in the Northern Wei Dynasty reached an unprecedented peak!"
After listening to Mr. Li's words, Liu Dong and Zhou Bin nodded in unison. Anyone who has studied Chinese history will naturally be very clear about the worship of Buddha in the Northern Wei Dynasty and the extermination of Buddhism by Emperor Taiwu of the Wei Dynasty. These famous events in Chinese history are very clear.
"In the Buddhist statues of the early Northern Wei Dynasty, the form of the statues was influenced by the Gupta-style Buddhist statue art in India. The face was round, but slightly thin, with a wide forehead and large eyes. Wearing a shoulder-length or right-shoulder-baring coat
, distributed symmetrically in a U-shape or V-shape, with deep and bulging lines, which fit closely to the body, showing the body's fitness."
"But in the seventh year of Taiping Zhenjun, that is, after 446 AD, Emperor Taiwu of the Wei Dynasty launched a campaign to exterminate Buddhism, and Buddhist statues were severely damaged. It was not until six years later, after Emperor Wencheng of the Northern Wei Dynasty came to the throne and issued an edict to restore Buddhism, that Buddhism
Only then can the statue continue to develop."
"By the Taihe period of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the production technology and expression form of gold and bronze Buddha statues had reached maturity, and the form of Buddhist statues in this period was also called the 'Taihe style'."
"It is characterized by a thin face, a face shape with Han characteristics, a high and wide forehead, and beautiful eyebrows. The bun is taller. In addition to the polished and shallow wave styles, there are also spiral hair, and the buns are mostly curled in the right-hand style.
.. There are over-the-shoulder and right-shoulder-baring coats, but the more popular ones are the wide belt worn by literati and officials in the Southern Dynasties. The folds at the hem overlap and the lines are smooth and delicate. The body proportions are coordinated, and the body is slender and lean, giving people a sense of elegance and ease.
."
"So in the late Northern Wei Dynasty, although the Buddha statues were still Buddha statues, more of them had changed into the form of statues with Han costumes. The Buddha was no longer square with big ears, but had a thin Han appearance. This is a localization of Buddhism.
Distinctive features.”
After listening to Mr. Li's explanation, Zhou Bin also understood the evolution of Buddhist statues in the Northern Wei Dynasty and their characteristics.
"Mr. Li, you mean to say that this gilt bronze seated Sakyamuni Buddha is from the early Northern Wei Dynasty?" Zhou Bin couldn't help but ask.
However, Mr. Li did not nod after listening, "It is not certain yet. According to these external characteristics, it is indeed the characteristics of Buddhist statues in the early Northern Wei Dynasty. However, whether it is ancient or not, further identification is needed!"
Hearing this, Zhou Bin nodded. But at this time, Liu Dong, who was standing aside, suddenly asked: "Mr. Li, why does this Buddha statue look so new? You must know that the Northern Wei Dynasty was more than 1,500 years ago.
year!”
It was because of this that Yang Shangcai concluded that this Buddha statue was not from the Northern Wei Dynasty, but a modern imitation, so he pushed this priceless treasure into Liu Dong's hands for nothing.
Liu Dong also didn't know the reason for this. If he hadn't had the ability to identify in the Mustard Seed Space, he might have thought that the Buddha statue was too new and that it was an imitation.
So after hearing what Mr. Li said this time, he immediately asked the questions in his mind.
After listening to his words, Mr. Li said without a hint of memory on his face: "Xiaodong, I encountered the same question as you before. Even more than 99% of people who play antiques will encounter the same question, but
In the end, there are only a few people who have the vision to solve this question, including me!"
Looking at Liu Dong's still confused look, the old man continued: "In the antique industry, especially among porcelain, there is a saying called 'official kiln ware as new', which means the top quality official kiln porcelain.
It’s as if it’s new. There’s another saying that explains it more clearly: “Old equipment must be a treasure if it’s new!”
"Many official kilns handed down from ancient times look like they have just come out of the kiln, and are as bright as new. Especially in the eyes of laymen who have not yet started, they are no different from new porcelain, and when placed next to high-quality imitations, they look even better.
Indistinguishable."
"Actually, the truth is very simple. From the moment it was born, the official kiln wares have been loved and cared for by people. They are either displayed in glass cabinets or placed in brocade boxes. They are also cautious when opening and viewing them occasionally. Therefore,
Except for the thick patina formed by natural oxidation over time, there is little difference from the new ones. The official kiln wares preserved in this way are the treasures of porcelain, and they are treasures!"
"But it is precisely these fine wares from official kilns that people don't think highly of. People always think that they are new, with bright glazes and flawless bodies, as bright as if they just came out of the kiln. Christie's, Sotheby's
, most of the Chinese official kiln porcelains auctioned by international big auction companies such as Bonhams fall into this category. Only a very small amount are broken pieces. This further supports the concept that "an old ware is a treasure if it is as new as new". Many people say
Ancient ceramics are in deep water and difficult to play with, and the phenomenon mentioned above is also a major reason.”
"Often there is only a slight difference between the fine wares from the official kilns and the top high imitations. If you are not careful, they will slip into the quagmire of high imitations. Therefore, most people dare not touch the fine, sharp and rare top quality wares from the official kilns.
, I would rather look for common items that are dilapidated and worn out. Without years of accumulated experience in appraising porcelain, it would be difficult to distinguish them.”
"Coupled with the rapid development of high-tech means and the continuous deepening of high-end imitation technology, those "experts and experts" who originally still have a certain degree of appreciation will inevitably make mistakes once they are separated from a period of experience in the market. As a result, forcing
Those big-name auction companies believe more in the orderly approach of inheritance, which is really a last resort."
"Occasionally, some of the fine utensils handed down from official kilns are obviously old, scarred, and damaged. This is often caused by the owners not knowing their value and using them casually. Many people with poor eyesight only recognize these things.
.Mainly because it is rare to see a new official kiln, let alone get your hands on it. Occasionally, if you see it, you will pass it by as a new one. Your eyes will only stay on the dilapidated or scarred common products, and you will never see them.
This circle."
"Why do people in the antique circle say, "Experts are not as good as experts, experts are not as good as players, and players are not as good as collectors." This is the principle of emphasizing practice to produce true knowledge."
"Xiaodong, when you can break out of this circle, don't follow what others say, and can truly distinguish between high-quality official kiln wares and high-quality imitations, your antique appraisal level will truly come to the fore!"
After hearing this and seeing the earnestness and expectation in Mr. Li's eyes when he looked at him, Liu Dong couldn't help but nodded heavily.