"Oh, Professor Zhuang is here too. It's been a while since we've seen you..."
"Old Jin, you're into calligraphy and painting, how come you're interested in porcelain too?"
Before Zhuang Rui and Fatty Jin could even sit down, they heard greetings.
Since the opening of the Dingguang Museum, after Zhuang Rui organized an industry conference, almost everyone in the antique business with even a little reputation knows Zhuang Rui.
In events like this, there are relatively few experts, but a large number of wealthy corporate collectors. After all, collecting is a way of demonstrating one's financial strength; otherwise, no matter how good your eye is, you won't be able to buy items if you're short of money.
Zhuang Rui and Jin Pangzi can be considered experts without a doubt, so many collectors greeted them warmly, hoping that a word from them later would save them a lot of losses.
As for Peng Fei and Miao Feifei, they were naturally categorized as bodyguard and mistress.
"Mr. Liu, I heard last time that you were planning to sell that Tang Bohu painting. We can talk about it later. Hey, Mr. Wang, do you still have that Qianlong gilded plate? If you're willing to sell it, please let me know..."
After two or three years of working in the antique business, Zhuang Rui had shed his initial naiveté and was able to converse with these successful businessmen with ease.
Since Zhuang Rui started his antique website, there has been more interaction between experts and collectors. Both sides have benefited a lot from it, and their relationship is like that of friends.
Zhuang Rui's Dingguang Museum also benefited greatly, acquiring many fine items, including several truly excellent pieces, which he obtained through transactions with several people in the venue.
Inside, not only Zhuang Rui and his group were chatting, but other familiar antique collectors were also exchanging experiences.
Not all of these entrepreneurs were cultured people; quite a few spoke in a loud and boisterous voice, making the entire auction venue seem rather chaotic.
However, Zhuang Rui noticed that in the first row of seats, there were seven or eight people dressed in suits and ties, sitting there with serious expressions and not saying a word.
Zhuang Rui was observing others, while Miao Feifei was watching Zhuang Rui. Looking at Zhuang Rui at this moment, Miao Feifei felt both familiar and a little unfamiliar. The slightly naive young man from two years ago had now reached a height that ordinary people could hardly reach.
This feeling left Officer Miao somewhat disheartened. He silently sat down in a chair, observing the diverse reactions of the people present. ...
"Ladies and gentlemen, bosses, well... this is the more comfortable way to put it. You are all my bread and butter..."
Just as Zhuang Rui and the others sat down, a voice rang out from the front of the stage. Zhuang Rui heard it clearly and realized that it was Li Dali himself hosting the event, which surprised him.
This phenomenon is relatively rare in the black market for antiques. Usually, owners with powerful backgrounds will hide behind the scenes and remotely control the auction process, so that even if problems arise, they can pay to extricate themselves.
The fact that the organizer's boss personally presided over the auction usually indicates that there are some important items at the event.
Although Li Dali rarely appears at auctions, there are quite a few people in the room who know his identity. After Li Dali finished speaking, there were only a few light laughs from the audience, and the atmosphere became slightly heavy.
The excavation of Cizhou official kiln porcelain will write an important chapter in the history of Chinese ceramics. For these corporate collectors, acquiring such pieces would be a matter of great prestige.
"Gentlemen, I've taken time out of your busy schedules to attend this antique exchange meeting, so I won't waste any more words. The first item we'll be discussing is..."
Li Dali's words caused the audience to burst into laughter. Everyone knew that they were here for an antique auction, but Li Dali made it sound like an antique exchange.
Miao Feifei, sitting next to Zhuang Rui, also curled up her lips slightly. It seemed that what Zhuang Rui said was true, at least his statement was the same as the host's.
"Alright, let's take a look at our first piece of art today. This is an early work by Huang Binhong, a master of calligraphy, painting, and seal carving in modern times... At the Hanhai Spring Auction last month, one of Mr. Huang's works from the same period sold for 4.38 million yuan. Those who are interested can come up and take a look..."
As Li Dali introduced the painting, two henchmen slowly unfurled a scroll from a tray onto the table. A bright spotlight was on the table, so even Zhuang Rui, who was sitting in the last row, could clearly see the entire painting.
This is a splashed-ink landscape painting. The mountains are vigorous and powerful, rugged and precipitous, while the painting style is sparse and elegant, reminiscent of Huang Binhong's early artistic conception.
"Brother, why don't you go up and take a look?"
Jin Pangzi, who was sitting next to Zhuang Rui, asked, "At this moment, the collectors have already stepped forward, put on gloves, and begun to examine the painting."
"Brother Jin, why don't you go and take a look?"
Zhuang Rui laughed upon hearing this. Even without using his spiritual energy to examine it, Zhuang Rui was confident that the painting was definitely a fake.
Li Dali isn't stupid; he certainly wouldn't auction off a genuine item while being closely watched by the police. He was even very careful with his wording, using the term "crafts."
There are no standardized regulations in China for the antique market, and private transactions have always existed. The scope of handicrafts is even broader, and if someone is willing to buy them, the government cannot interfere.
While chatting with Fatty Jin, Zhuang Rui scanned the painting with his spiritual energy. Sure enough, it was a modern replica, with no trace of spiritual energy present.
"If I go up there, I'll be taking away someone's livelihood..."
Although Fatty Jin was envious, he knew that once he stepped onto the stage, he would become a bellwether for many collectors. Whether something was real or fake depended entirely on his word. This was the main reason why many antique dealers and black market bosses spared no effort to curry favor with the experts.
If the painting were a fake, Jin Pangzi would definitely offend the boss if he said so directly. To be honest, that would be against his conscience. Therefore, Jin Pangzi was determined not to get involved in calligraphy and painting.
"Teacher Jin, why don't you go up and take a look..."
"Old Jin, we've known each other for over ten years, right? Go up and give your brother a piece of the eye..."
"Yes, Mr. Jin, could you please give your opinion? No one in China can match your level of expertise in appraising calligraphy and paintings..."
Fatty Jin sat there motionless, but the collectors surrounded him. Some tried to curry favor, while others flattered and fawned over him. In short, they all wanted Fatty Jin to take a look.
"Gentlemen, please don't make things difficult for me, okay? I'll treat you all to a meal later to apologize..."
Fatty Jin was sweating profusely from everyone's comments. The people who could talk to him were all people of some status and position, and Fatty Jin couldn't afford to offend any of them. So he simply clasped his hands in a fist and acted like a coward.
"Gentlemen, this painting was a gift from a friend. He's short on cash and wants to sell it. The asking price is 200,000 RMB. If you're interested, please consider it. Well, according to the rules, the highest bidder wins..."
After everyone had looked at the painting and returned to their seats, Li Dali's voice rang out, but he never used the word "auction" in his words; instead, he said "transfer."
None of the people in the room were new to the antique black market; they were well-versed in these linguistic techniques and wouldn't change their opinions based on what Li Dali said.
"Three hundred thousand, I'll take this painting..."
After a brief silence, a voice suddenly rang out. The speaker was Mr. Liu, the same Mr. Zhuang Rui who had greeted him earlier.
Every successful person is extremely confident. The keen eye they honed in the business world is also brought into the antique trade. Based on their understanding of antiques, these people are the ones who like to make rash moves.
However, amateur collectors are unaware that their behavior is a major taboo in the antique trade. When appraising items in the antique trade, the principle is that an item is three parts fake, and one should look at the fake rather than the real. Even if one cannot find fault with the item, one should still think about it carefully.
"Four hundred thousand, Lao Liu. You have quite a few famous paintings and calligraphies in your possession, let me have this one..."
A voice rang out immediately after Mr. Liu's bid.
"Five hundred thousand, good things are never too much..."
Not to be outdone, General Manager Liu called out another price, which made Zhuang Rui shake his head inwardly. No wonder Li Dali had such a fortune thanks to the black market for antiques; it turned out he was a fool with too much money.
While legitimate auction houses also have their share of fakes, they are much more regulated than the black market. At the very least, they will provide authentication certificates from relevant appraisers, rather than relying on gut feeling like this.
"Six hundred thousand..."
"Eight hundred thousand..."
The bidding continued, and two more people joined in, also with speculative intentions. After all, Huang Binhong's landscape paintings are very famous internationally, and if they were to be auctioned in a proper auction house, they would fetch at least two million.
After several rounds of fierce bidding, the painting was finally won by Mr. Liu for 1.2 million yuan. Looking at the smug Mr. Liu, Zhuang Rui was both amused and exasperated.
Chapter 864 Foolish and Rich (Part 2)
Buying fake items and acting like you've struck gold is something that only happens in the antique trade. These shop owners act as if they're treating this place like a shopping mall, driven more by spite than reason.
Of course, the happiest person right now is Boss Li. He spent 30,000 yuan to have a master copy this painting made, and he made forty times that amount in one go. Even drug trafficking doesn't have such high profits.
"Alright, next I'd like to share with you a pair of official kiln porcelain pieces from the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty. As you can see, these are a pair of famille rose lotus-patterned bowls without lids... As you all know, Xianfeng official kiln products are extremely rare, so this pair of famille rose lotus-patterned bowls can be considered two unique pieces that only exist in the world..."
As Li Dali spoke, the auction continued. This time, a pair of Qing Dynasty Xianfeng imperial porcelain pieces were brought up on a tray.
As is well known, Emperor Xianfeng was one of the most unlucky emperors of the Qing Dynasty. He was caught up in the Taiping Rebellion, the largest peasant uprising in Chinese history, and he also encountered the unprecedented upheaval of Western powers invading China.
Emperor Xianfeng bore the burden of all the suffering of the Qing Dynasty's ancestors. His life was short and filled with hardship. After the blow of the Second Opium War, Emperor Xianfeng finally collapsed and died in Rehe at the age of thirty-one.
Emperor Xianfeng loved opera and women most in his life, and he disdained the calligraphy, paintings and ceramics that his ancestors liked. Therefore, the porcelain produced during the Xianfeng era is extremely rare.
As the saying goes, rarity increases value. The value of fine porcelain from the Xianfeng period was no less than that of porcelain from the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong reigns.
"Brother, let's go up and take a look..."
Since this wasn't a painting or calligraphy shoot, Fatty Jin still planned to take a look.
"good……"
Zhuang Rui nodded and walked to the front of the stage with Fatty Jin.
"Excuse me, let me make way, let the two teachers take a look first..."
"Yeah, Lao Xu, why are you squeezing like that? Do you even understand what you're doing?"
"Come on, come on, Teacher Zhuang, this is a good spot, take a look..."
As soon as Zhuang Rui and Fatty Jin walked over, the collectors, who had been crowding around the table, made way for them. There were just too many people participating in the auction today, and the scene had been rather chaotic.
"Brother Jin, please take a look first..."
Zhuang Rui gestured to Fatty Jin.
"No, I'm not as good as you at appraising ceramics. Here are two pieces, let's each take a look at one..."
Fatty Jin waved his hands repeatedly. As the saying goes, everyone has their own area of expertise. No matter how skilled an expert is, they are only good at a certain field. People like Zhuang Rui, who can make achievements in many categories such as bronzes, calligraphy and paintings, jade and ceramics, are extremely rare.
"Alright, let's look at one of each then..."
In summer, people tend to sweat and their hands become greasy. Zhuang Rui took a pair of white gloves and put them on. He then picked up the famille rose lotus-patterned bowl from the tray and examined it closely.
This porcelain bowl, originally a covered bowl, has four layers of famille rose lotus petals on its outer wall, which is different from the three layers of lotus petals in other dynasties. The inside of the bowl is glazed white, and the rim is decorated with gold. The decoration on the outer wall makes the bowl look like a lotus flower, with lotus stamens and four layers of lotus petals painted from top to bottom, and the foot is painted as a lotus stem.
The entire object is brightly colored and has a unique shape. Given that the Xianfeng era was a hundred or two years ago, if this object is genuine, it is quite remarkable that it has been passed down as a pair.
Zhuang Rui had little knowledge of Qing porcelain, and with his eyesight alone, he couldn't find any faults. He then focused a wisp of his spiritual energy on the porcelain, letting it wander over the piece. His eyebrows twitched slightly, and he glanced at Li Dali standing to the side out of the corner of his eye.
So this guy's really going all out with making fakes? The famille rose lotus bowl that I thought looked pretty good immediately became obvious under the influence of the magic, it's still a fake.
This result left Zhuang Rui somewhat frustrated. It turned out that without the spark in his eyes, his appreciation skills were truly subpar.
After Zhuang Rui put down the famille rose lotus-patterned bowl, Boss Li immediately came over, pretending not to know Zhuang Rui, and said, "Teacher Zhuang, isn't this a nice piece? It's Xianfeng imperial porcelain, which is quite rare on the market..."
Li Dali wasn't stupid. This event was organized because of Zhuang Rui, so of course he wanted to make full use of Zhuang Rui's status as an expert to make a quick buck for himself.
"Yes, porcelain from the Xianfeng reign is very rare, and it's even more remarkable that a pair has survived after so many years. If they are genuine, the starting price at auction would be at least 500,000..."
Zhuang Rui understood what Li Dali meant. If it were a different occasion, he definitely wouldn't have said those words.
However, most of the people gathered here now are amateur collectors, and even if they buy things, they do so to show off their wealth.
Although the existence of these people has boosted the antique market, it has also brought many factors that are detrimental to the development of the art market, so Zhuang Rui doesn't mind making them bleed a little.
On another note, Zhuang Rui's words also contained a hidden meaning. Before the starting price of 500,000, it was stated that the item had to be genuine to be worth that price. However, Zhuang Rui never said anything about whether the famille rose lotus bowl was genuine.
"Old Liu, you can't argue with me this time..."
"Why should I? You can buy it, but I can't?"
"This is interesting. Let's hear the starting bid. Even Professor Zhuang is optimistic about this item..."