Chapter 227 Snuff Bottle

Grandpa Lu didn't know about the conflict between Zhang Yang and Master Bi, but even if he knew, he wouldn't take it seriously.

Because he just came to see the fun.

Even if there are good things, he can't afford them!
As soon as he entered the display cabinet, the prices of the porcelain inside made him want to turn back.

A square pillow with black figures on a white background from the Cizhou kiln of the Jin Dynasty, priced at 28 yuan;

A green-glazed pot from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, priced at 36 yuan;

A green-glazed carved bowl from the Yaozhou kiln of the Northern Song Dynasty, priced at 88...

These prices are enough for the bride price to marry a wife. Here, I can only exchange them for a bowl.

Moreover, the item is very inconspicuous at first glance, so you have to put a small sign next to it to tell people that it is an antique. Otherwise, most people would not be able to recognize what it is.

It's okay to please your own eyes, but it's too difficult to keep up appearances.

But Professor Lu came here just to keep up appearances.

When he left the house, he had already made a big promise that he would clear the name of his National Treasure Gang.

Fortunately, this antique shop was big enough, and after wandering around for a while, my grandfather finally found something he could afford, which was a snuff bottle, one of the iconic works of art in the Qing Dynasty and Emperor Daoguang's favorite thing to play with.

But he doesn't understand this.

I just looked at the price of ten or twenty thousand and felt that I could afford it.

And can afford several.

In this way, when they are lined up, people who see them will definitely ask what they are, right?

But there is still a problem before Grandpa Lu:
Can I buy the snuff bottles here? Are they worth collecting?

Preserving value is secondary. Nowadays, even gold can depreciate, and money deposited in banks will also depreciate. It is simply a dream to want to maintain net assets through antiques.

The point is, does this thing have any artistic value?

Before coming, Grandma Xue specifically reminded Grandpa Lu that if an antique has no artistic value, it is just a cultural relic, and ordinary people have no need to collect cultural relics.

For example, no matter how authentic a pottery jar from the Han Dynasty is, it is just a pottery jar. If you buy it, you will be disappointed.

For the same price, it's even better to buy a high-quality imitation of an oil painting, such as the Mona Lisa? At least it looks beautiful.

Otherwise, when decorating a new house, if you put a Han Dynasty jar in the closet, the guests who come may think it contains ashes.

Grandpa Lu agreed deeply with these words.

So no matter how the salesgirl in front of him boasted, he just smiled and remained unmoved, just like a sage.

When the other party thought he was of no value and left him aside to serve new customers, Grandpa Lu slowly called Zhang Yang.

"Zhang Yang, help is needed, can you answer the phone?"

"Ah?" Zhang Yang turned his head and looked at Li Zi and Shen Yiyi. The two were commenting on the skirts they had just changed into. He nodded unconsciously.

"It's convenient. Yiyi and the others probably won't be able to decide which one to buy in half an hour."

"Oh, you guys went shopping again. It seems I managed my time well."

Grandpa Lu chuckled and told Zhang Yang about the problem he was facing and asked him to help analyze it.

"Snuff bottle? This thing has been out of date for a long time, right?" Zhang Yang answered based on his existing experience.

"Outdated? No, I see there's a special section in this antique shop, which is about the same status as bronze artifacts. There are hundreds of pieces on display."

"So many?" Zhang Yang nodded in realization: "Then it seems to be quite popular."

He thought that maybe places outside the law are indeed different. The domestic collectibles market is different from that abroad, and there is no need to make a fuss about the differences.

"Grandpa, wait a moment. I'll ask for you."

After Zhang Yang hung up the phone, he closed his eyes like an old monk in meditation.

In fact, he secretly opened the system panel. During this period, he did not deliberately collect recognition points, but he accumulated hundreds of thousands of them.

The main reason is that Xiao Ri's side is so awesome. The archaeological exhibition has never stopped, day after day, without closing, as if they are afraid that Zhang Yang's recognition value is not enough.

Just do a simple search for [Snuff Bottle Theoretical Knowledge] and [Snuff Bottle Manufacturing Process], and you can unlock them all to LV4!

Zhang Yang called Grandpa Lu again and asked the question confidently:
"Grandpa, tell me, which items did you like? What materials are they made of? What do the labels say?"

"Material, label? Okay, wait a moment..."

Grandpa Lu muttered to himself while looking around furtively and stealthily.

Seeing that the clerk was no longer paying attention to him, he quickly pointed the camera of his mobile phone at the snuff bottle that he had just chosen.

With a click, a photo was sent to Zhang Yang.

"I sent you the photo. Come on, help me take a look."

"Okay, this... looks like something from the modern Ji School, definitely not the late Qing Dynasty as written above."

Although Zhang Yang cannot judge the authenticity of an item based on a photo alone, he will most likely be able to find some loopholes by comparing it with the introduction document of the item itself.

For example, this glass snuff bottle and the exquisite Chinese painting of a portrait are obviously the work of the modern Ji school.

This is also written on the small card, which confirms that Zhang Yang’s judgment is correct.

However, the logo of "Late Qing Dynasty" seems out of place.

Because the craftsmanship of snuff bottles is somewhat similar to the "bronze restoration and reproduction skills" of the Forbidden City, they were once mastered by royal craftsmen in the middle and late Qing Dynasty. It was not until the demise of the Qing Dynasty that these skills were passed down to the public.

Then, due to the different destinations of these craftsmen, different schools were formed.

Compared with the three traditions of bronze ware, there are four major schools of snuff bottles - Beijing, Shandong, Hebei and Guangdong.

Therefore, the prerequisite for the emergence of Ji-style snuff bottles is that the Qing Dynasty had already fallen.

It is definitely wrong in the late Qing Dynasty.

"Grandpa, please take a closer look to see if there is a signature on it. There is some reflection at the edge of the photo, so it is hard to see clearly."

"Okay, I'll go take a look."

"Wait a minute, it seems to say, [Jiayin Double Ninth Festival, Ye Zhongsan]."

"Yes, that's it. The writing is quite good. Zhang Yang, do you know who this person is?"

"Of course I know, Ye Zhongsan, he is the ancestor of all snuff bottle painting techniques..."

Zhang Yang was not sure when exactly the Jiayin year was, but Ye Zhongsan’s name was very famous.

It is probably equivalent to Qi Baishi who painted shrimps and Xu Beihong who painted horses.

This man can be regarded as the common ancestor of the four major schools in Beijing, Shandong, Hebei and Guangdong.

Zhang Yang quickly lowered his head to take a look at the photo his grandfather had just taken, and the label did not specify that it was "Ye Zhongsan Style".

Is the owner of this antique shop illiterate, or does he deliberately not write?

Zhang Yang tends to believe the latter, as the price on the label is only 1, which is obviously not the price of a masterpiece.

But this thing, just looking at the outside, looks very real.

"What do you mean? Can I buy it?" Grandpa Lu on the other end of the phone was a little impatient: "Or can I find a bargain?"

"I can't be sure without doing it myself."

Zhang Yang spoke the truth, and his grandfather understood what he heard. He considered himself a living fossil in the collecting circle who had experienced many ups and downs, and he couldn't see anything special about this snuff bottle.

At this moment, a muffled voice suddenly came from behind Professor Lu: "Old man, what are you taking photos for?"

(End of this chapter)