Chapter 59: Cloisonné (Part 1)

  When he heard this, others didn't think much of it, but Zhou Wenping, who knew the market, slightly shook his head. If this jade cicada was full-bodied and had good blood, in terms of its value, it might be worth around 400,000 to 500,000 yuan, but in terms of its quality, the possibility is not high, so it would be worth around 200,000 to 300,000 yuan at most.

  If valued according to its true worth, 50,000 yuan would be a huge profit, but now only Chu Chen himself knew the value of it. He wouldn't possibly say it out loud, so in terms of market price, he definitely wouldn't accept such a low offer. Thus, he shook his head and said to Ma An:

  "Mr. Ma, your price is a bit outrageous. If the red color is sufficient, it might be worth 400,000 to 500,000 yuan, but look at its condition - how much of it will remain red? What if after processing, the condition becomes even worse? I'm offering a reasonable price, 150,000 yuan, what do you think?"

  Ma An thought for a moment, then said: "Maybe it would be better to brush off the dirt? Besides, you're from the capital city, and you won't lack this bit of money. One million five is a bit too harsh, how about three million?"

  "Uncle Ma, my money didn't come easily either, 18,000 yuan?" Chu Chen said calmly.

  Ma An sank into deep thought for a long time, gritted his teeth, and had a look of being at a disadvantage: "Alright, let's each give in a bit. 24,000, you want it? Take it."

  Twenty-four thousand, which is almost normal, so Chu Chen nodded in agreement, and Ma An was also very satisfied with this price. Seeing the transaction reached, his face immediately filled with smiles.

  Next, there is only the brocade box left. Before opening it, Ma An said to everyone: "This thing is really beautiful, if not for the fact that I have no choice, I would definitely keep it as a family heirloom. If I didn't need the money, I wouldn't sell it."

  Everyone listened to him say this, and didn't mind. At this time, who would say that their own things are not good? Otherwise, how could they be sold at a price. However, when they saw the things in the brocade box, they all showed an expression of admiration.

  Inside the brocade box is a delicate jade carving of a floral patterned bowl. This jade bowl can be said to be as thin as paper, with exquisite craftsmanship that evokes a sense of fondness at first glance.

  Everyone carefully and lovingly admired it, and when it was Chu Yulans turn, she observed and praised: "This jade bowl made of biyu is really beautiful, it looks like the craftsmanship of the Qing Dynasty, Brother Chu, isn't it?"

  After seeing Chu Quan nod, she begged: "Brother Chu, can I have this bowl? I want to give it to my mom, what do you think?"

  To be honest, Chu Chen also quite likes this jade bowl, but today's harvest has already made him feel content and satisfied. He wants to let his companions have a taste of the sweetness too, so he nods in agreement.

  Chu Yulan saw this and immediately became excited and discussed prices with Ma An.

  But Ma An saw that she liked it so much, of course, he wouldn't let go easily, and the price was skyrocketing. So in this line of antique business, when you see something you love, don't show your enthusiasm, otherwise the price will be steep. Fortunately, Ma An didn't know the true value of the jade bowl, and they finally settled on a price of 80,000 yuan.

  Everything was seen, and then everyone made a contract. However, they didn't handle the check, and Ma An couldn't possibly want a check either. So Zhou Wenping took them to a nearby bank for a transfer. Fortunately, the bank wasn't too far away, and it only took twenty minutes to get there. After they finished handling things, when they returned to Zhou's wife's house, it was just in time for dinner.

  After having enough wine and food, everyone started chatting while drinking tea.

  Chu Chen smiled and said to Chu Yulan: "Xiao Lan, actually the jade bowl you bought today is not made of our country's bixi."

  Chu Yulan was taken aback, and hastily said: "Brother Chu, does that mean this jade bowl is fake? Why didn't you remind me? No! You clearly told me it was made during the Qing dynasty, you wouldn't deceive me, would you?"

  Chu Chen smiled and said: "Xiao Lan, don't be in a hurry, I didn't say this is fake. Specifically, you can ask Zhou Ge to know."

  Zhou Wenping hesitated and said: "Xiao Chuan, you say that the jade bowl Xiao Lan bought is really of that workmanship?"

  Seeing Chu Chen nodding, he smiled at Chu Yulan: "Xiao Lan, you've made a small profit today. Take out that jade bowl and I'll explain it to you."

  Chu Yulan breathed a sigh of relief when she heard this, but now she was also curious about what Zhou Wenping meant by "making a small profit".

  Zhou Wenping opened the brocade box that had just been placed on the table, took out the jade bowl and introduced it to everyone: "Actually, this jade bowl should be a jade bowl imported from abroad, and the country of origin is called Honduras."

  Hindustan, generally refers to the northern part of India. After Emperor Qianlong pacified Xinjiang, exotic jade carvings from Central Asia to Northern India and a large number of jade products from Turkey were introduced. During the Qing dynasty, they were collectively referred to as "Hindustan" jade.

  "Hundustan" jade, due to its thinness like paper and fine craftsmanship, was deeply loved by Emperor Qianlong. All "Hundustan" jades were finely polished and lustrous, meeting this aesthetic interest.

  Qianlong once said, "Su Zhou's Zhu Lane has many jade carvers, but they are not as good as the Hetian jade carvings from Xinjiang. The latter is made by water grinding, with clear patterns and no marks when touched."

  This "Hundu" flower leaf patterned bowl is made of fine jade, with a crystal clear and translucent body. The craftsmanship is exquisite and delicate, the wall of the bowl is plain, near the foot is carved with rolled leaves and pomegranate flowers, the center of the flower is inlaid with gold thread and red gemstone, which adds a touch of elegance to the jade bowl, its charm is boundless.

  The bilateral symmetrical rolled leaf pattern, from the foot to the mouth along, is curled into a flower bud shape, which is called double ears. The knife method is smooth and natural, and the carving work is fine and moist, depicting the delicate and charming shape of the flower bud in a vivid and lifelike way, making people admire.

  The Qianlong Emperor once wrote a poem praising this type of thin-walled jade bowl: "It looks as if it has flowers and leaves, but when touched, there are no marks; the inside and outside are both perfectly rounded, its color and shape seem to be blended together."

  Its preciousness can be seen.

  "Judging from the workmanship and characteristics, it can be confirmed that this is a mid-Qing dynasty piece. Therefore, for such an exquisitely crafted, flawless Steuben crystal bowl to be bought for $80,000 is already a great value. Moreover, you should know that back then, only 800 pieces of such jade artifacts were tributed from various regions, so its future appreciation is certain."

  After listening to Zhou Wenping, even Chu Yulan, a noble and elegant lady, was excited with a red face. Although she had seen many more valuable antiques than this jade bowl before, this one was bought by her own hands, which made it feel completely different.

  On the other side, Wen Yuting and Li Guodong were also envious, and they asked Chu Yulan to treat them to a meal. She happily agreed after her initial excitement.

  On the other side, Zhou Shu's father sighed and said, "I didn't expect such a small bowl to be so valuable."

  Zhou Shu's mother happened to have just finished her household chores and came out, saying: "Old man, why not take out that bowl from our home and let Little Chu take a look?"

  "Father, our family still has such old things? I didn't know."

  Zhou Shu's father did not immediately respond to her words, and after a long time of deep thought, he first asked Zhou Shu's mother to bring that bowl, and then said:

  "This thing has been passed down from our ancestors, and we were originally going to wait a few more years before passing it on to you. However, since your body is still not well and you're preparing to live in the capital, I'll give it to you now. As for how to deal with it, that's up to you to decide."

  "Dad!"

  Upon hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Zhou were at a loss for words, and Mrs. Zhou's eyes welled up with tears. It was because her parents were just ordinary peasants who had spent all their savings on her medical treatment, leading to a decline in the family's already modest living standards.

  Every time they think of this, Mr. and Mrs. Zhou always feel sorry for them, and can only do their best to show filial piety to them, and now this situation makes them even more moved.

  Chu Chen and the others were also deeply moved by this, from Zhou Shu's parents' performance, it can be seen that Hua Guo's parents' care for their children is meticulous and does everything possible.

  It wasn't until about ten minutes later that Aunt Zhou's mother came in carrying a somewhat shabby-looking paper box.

  "Father, our family heirloom is being carried in just a paper box. What if it breaks or falls out?"

  "Stop talking about such unlucky things! Although this bowl has been passed down from our ancestors, who knows if it's worth anything? It's fine as long as we have a box to put it in."

  Everyone listened to this simple words and couldn't help but smile, after opening the box, they all looked inside.

  "Enamel color?!"

  When Li Guodong saw the things inside, he exclaimed, and many people on the scene who knew the value of cloisonné also showed a look of surprise on their faces.

  Wen Yuting saw everyone's reaction and asked Li Guodong: "Guodong, what is cloisonné enamel? Why do you all look like this when you see it?"

  Li Guodong's face still showed some surprise, and he replied: "Falangcai is a type of tribute porcelain from the Qing dynasty. As for why it's so valuable, I do know a thing or two."

  The formal name of enamel porcelain is called "enameled porcelain", which is a kind of fine painted porcelain specially made for the Qing Dynasty palace use, and some products are also used to reward meritorious officials.

  According to the archives of the Qing Palace Workshop, it was created under the auspices of the Kangxi Emperor by craftsmen from the enamel workshop who successfully transplanted the technique of copper-body enamel painting onto porcelain. Enamel colors flourished during the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods and were a palace-monopolized craft treasure.

  The required white porcelain was specially made by Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Factory and transported to Beijing, where it was painted and fired at the Qing Palace Workshop. The required patterns were drafted by the workshop's Yu Yi Guan, reviewed and approved by the emperor, and then painted onto the porcelain by court painters. Enamel-colored porcelain was first produced in the late Kangxi period and became extremely popular during the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods.

  Although there was still a small amount of firing in the late Qing dynasty, the firing site had moved from the Qing palace to Jingdezhen. In the early stage, famille rose was first made with a base color on the body before glazing, and then painted with flowers. Having flowers but no birds is one of its major characteristics.