Chapter Ten: Declaratory Virtue of Qinghua Vase

  The four treasures of the Ruyi head, together with the three treasures on the handle and the Dharma wheel at the end of the handle, are exactly the Eight Auspicious Symbols, which are the eight auspicious objects that symbolize the power of Tibetan Buddhism. The Eight Auspicious Symbols are often used as decorations on Ming and Qing porcelain, but it is rare to see them on a Ruyi made of jade.

  This piece is as expected, a rare treasure, exquisitely crafted, with a royal aura that shines through. Observing its glaze and carving techniques, it should be a masterpiece from the Qing Dynasty's Qianlong period. What's even more remarkable is that this Ruyi is in perfect condition, without any scratches or damage, making it a treasure among treasures, evoking heartfelt admiration.

  "What a wonderful jade flute!"

  He then bowed his hands to everyone and said: "Trouble you all to let this treasure go to me, thank you first."

  It's only natural that everyone would give Zhao Qirui face, and besides, the only two people in the room who have the ability to buy this Ruyi are Zhu Dafu and Zhao Qirui. Since Zhu Dafu has already gotten a set of furniture earlier, he definitely won't compete again.

  After thanking him, Zhao Qirui turned to Old Man Li and said: "Old Li, I really like this Ruyi, would you please give me a reasonable price?"

  Mr. Li was delighted at this and thought for a moment before saying, "Since you really like it, I won't be polite, so I'll give you 20 million yuan."

  Two million, if at an auction, such a good quality jade Ruyi would certainly not be limited to this price, but for normal business it's still a bit expensive. "Ask for the sky and settle on the ground", Mr. Li's opening price is not asking for the sky, but the price still needs to be settled.

  Zhao Qirui thought for a moment and said, "Lao Li, this jade Ruyi might fetch a higher price at the auction, but if it doesn't sell, it won't be too big of a loss. So I'll give you a reasonable price, 16 million yuan, what do you think?"

  Mr. Li thought for a long time, 16 million is also acceptable, but who would complain about having more money? So he raised the price: "16 million is a bit low, how about 18 million?"

  Zhao Qirui furrowed his brow, thought for a moment and said: "How about this, let's take an intermediate price, 17 million, is that okay?"

  Mr. Li thought for a moment and nodded: "Alright, I'll do as you say."

  Next, the Doucai lotus pond mandarin duck patterned footed bowl was unexpectedly sold to Wu Shu for 650,000 yuan, and everyone was overjoyed at that time.

  At this time, Zhao Xueyi spoke to Li Dage and said: "Li Lao, after so many years of collecting, are there any good treasures that can open our eyes?"

  Mr. Li smiled awkwardly and said, "I'm really sorry, everyone. I've already given away a few of the best items to my good friends." He paused for a moment before continuing, "However, if you're looking for something with artistic value, I do have one more item left. But please note that several experts have appraised it and there's some controversy surrounding it. Would you like to take a look?"

  Mr. Li said so, everyone's curiosity was aroused, and they all expressed their desire to open their eyes.

  After about five minutes, Old Man Li walked in with a Qinghua vase in his arms. As soon as he reached the door, everyone was deeply attracted to the Qinghua vase in his arms. When he put the vase on the table, everyone saw the whole appearance of this vase and couldn't help but take a deep breath, turning their heads to look at Old Man Li.

  Mr. Li seemed to have anticipated everyone's reaction, and with a smile all over his face, he said: "This vase is 22.4 cm high and has a diameter of 28 cm. It is indeed a Qinghua entwined branch pattern vase from the Ming Xuande period."

  As soon as the words fell, everyone had not reacted yet, Qian Changxing couldn't wait to ask: "Lao Li, can we start?"

  After Li Lao nodded, he put on his gloves, picked up the Qinghua vase and carefully examined it. Finally, he used a magnifying glass to take another look. After putting it down, he excitedly said: "This Qinghua vase is obviously a first-class item from the Kangxi period! Is there something wrong with the expert you invited before, Li Lao?"

  Although this sentence affirms the value of this blue and white porcelain vase, it sounds uncomfortable no matter how you listen to it. Mr. Li frowned after hearing it, and Zhao Qi Rui simply pulled him aside.

  Afterwards, Wu Shu and others came forward one by one to appreciate it. Zhao Xueyi thought there was no problem after reading it, but Wu Shu and Zhu Dafu looked at each other with a hint of doubt in their eyes.

  Finally, Chu Chen put on his gloves and began to carefully examine the Qinghua vase.

  Gloves are also a common tool in the antique industry. We know that many antiques are very valuable and fragile, and human hands have bacteria and moisture that can be detrimental to their preservation. Wearing gloves serves as a protective measure.

  Moreover, on top of Chu Chen's gloves, there are also small rubber particles that can play a non-slip role, so as not to accidentally drop and break the antique.

  Qinghua vase in hand, Chu Chen couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

  Qinghua porcelain, also known as white background Qinghua porcelain, is commonly referred to as Qinghua. It is one of the mainstream varieties of Chinese porcelain and belongs to underglaze color porcelain.

  Qinghua porcelain is made from cobalt ore containing oxygen, which is used to depict patterns on the ceramic body, and then covered with a layer of transparent glaze. After high-temperature reduction flame, it is fired once. The cobalt material turns blue after firing, with strong coloring power, bright color, high firing rate, and stable coloration.

  The original blue and white porcelain was already seen in the Tang and Song dynasties, while mature blue and white porcelain appeared in the Yuan dynasty's Jingdezhen Lake Tian Kiln. In the Ming dynasty, blue and white became the mainstream of ceramics. It developed to its peak during the Qing Kangxi period.

  Among them, the blue and white porcelain fired during the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty is famous for its simple and elegant shape, crystal clear and bright blue color, and colorful decoration patterns. Its firing technology has reached the peak of Chinese blue and white porcelain.

  The "Guang Zhi Yi" by Ming Wang Shixing records: "In our dynasty, the two kilns of Xuande and Chenghua are considered excellent. The Xuande kiln is superior in blue and white glaze, while the Chenghua kiln is renowned for its five-color glaze."

  The Jingdezhen Taolu evaluates the Xuan kiln porcelain as "all materials are fine, and blue and white is the most valuable", and its artistic achievements are called "the beginning of a generation that has never been seen before."

  Xu Zhonghe's "Yin Liu Zhai Shuo Ci" records: "The beauty of Xuande kiln is the crown of the Ming dynasty, not only Xuande red and yellow glaze are brilliant, but also blue and white, five-color glazes are extremely bright, all of which have been revered by later generations..."

  These evaluations are all talking about the achievements of Xuan De Imperial Kiln ceramics reaching the pinnacle.

  This Qinghua vase has a plain interior, with a folded branch flower pattern on the neck and lotus petal patterns on the shoulder and near the base. The main pattern on the abdomen is a combination of peony, camellia, lotus, chrysanthemum and other flowers, with smooth and natural lines, elegant and pleasing to the eye.

  The belly of the vase is painted with intertwined branch flowers, also known as "Wanshou Teng", because its structure is continuous and unbroken, implying the meaning of "everlasting life". The composition is sparse and natural, leaving white space appropriately, avoiding the common dense and cramped defects of intertwined patterns. The brushstrokes are delicate and refined, although they appear to be meticulous, they do not fall into weakness, and in the midst of thick and thin ink, they uniquely reveal a bold and heroic spirit.

  The glaze is warm and moist, with a treasure of light stored within. It has a feeling that has been passed down for hundreds of years, yet its elegance remains unchanged. Together with the beautiful blue and white flowers, it is even more radiant, this is the quality of fine porcelain. The center of the foot is applied with white glaze, inside the double circle of blue flowers are written in two lines of regular script "Made in the Ming Xuande period" six characters, simple and unadorned, yet full of ancient charm.

  This Qinghua vase can reflect the high evaluation of the predecessors, and it is not empty words. It can also be judged that this vase has an 80% chance of being a Ming Xuande Qinghua coiled branch flower pattern vase, and it is still a fine piece.

  But combining what Old Man Li said earlier, and the suspicious eyes of Wu Shu and Zhu Da Fu, Chu Chen suspected that there must be an inside story, so he decisively took out the divine artifact, the "Alien Ability".

  After using his ability, Chu Chen was extremely surprised in his heart. This Qinghua vase turned out to be a high-quality imitation of the Republic of China period, which made him wonder. Later, he took out a magnifying glass and carefully examined it again, and suddenly had an idea.

  Chu Chen carefully placed the Qinghua vase on the table and then gently shook his head towards Wu Shu and others.

  "Ah!"

  Qian Changxing smiled strangely and said with a scornful face: "Young people should not be arrogant, it is obviously a Qinghua vase with an open door, but you say it's not true. Wu Zhiping, I think you'd better take him back and let him study for another ten or eight years, so as not to come out and make a fool of himself."

  Chu Chen heard this and felt somewhat annoyed, saying: "If it's true then it's true, if it's not true then it's not true. I'm not like some people who are old and blind but still speak nonsense with their eyes open."

  Qian Changxing didn't get angry either. He laughed and said with a scornful face, "Alright, since you say it's not true, then point out the places that are not true for everyone to see."

  Chu Quan glanced around and gave Wu Shu and the others a reassuring look, then turned to Li Dage and said, "Li Lao, may I say something?"

  Mr. Li shook his head and said, "I'm definitely not bothered, to be honest, this Qinghua vase problem has been troubling me for over 20 years, I'd rather you reveal the answer sooner."

  Chu Chen nodded and then organized his words, saying: "This Qinghua vase, I suppose everyone has carefully examined it. The shape is elegant, the pattern is painted very neatly, the lines are smooth, the texture is clear, and there is a sense of being done in one breath. Moreover, the glaze is thick and heavy. From these points, it can be seen that this is a genuine product from the Xuande period."

  "We know that Deqing blue and white porcelain has a fine, dense and hard texture, but look closely with a magnifying glass, this blue and white vase actually has a slightly yellowish tint in the white."

  At this time, Qian Changxing interrupted: "This little bit of yellow, it's just picking bones in your egg, what can it prove? It's really a joke!"

  Chu Chen looked at him and said: "What's your hurry? I haven't finished speaking yet?"

  Qian Changxing sneered: "Go on, let's hear your brilliant ideas."

  Chu Chen shook his head and continued: "Let's talk about this Qing material, everyone knows that the materials used for Qinghua are imported and domestic. From the palace's handed-down products, it can be seen that the main ones are painted with imported materials. This imported Qing material comes from Persia and is called Suma Liqing."

  "The ceramics fired with this green material have a black-blue color, deep and rich, with a natural artistic effect. The color of the material is melted in the glaze, as if it has penetrated into the bone of the ceramic body. In places where the color is particularly dense, silver-black crystalline spots appear, which exhibit a tin-like luster under certain lighting conditions and form triangular crystals. When touched by hand, the surface of the glaze is uneven."

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