Chapter 315 Folk Treasure Appraisal (4)
We previously introduced Tang Sancai (Tang tri-color pottery). This is a type of pottery that flourished during the Tang Dynasty, with yellow, white, and green as its basic glaze colors. Later, people habitually referred to this type of pottery as "Tang Sancai." The Tang Dynasty was the golden age of Chinese feudal society, a period of economic prosperity and flourishing culture and art. Tang Sancai is a type of painted pottery craft that emerged during this period, renowned for its vivid and lifelike shapes, bright colors, and rich sense of life.
The Tang tri-color pottery figure now placed in front of Professor Tian Fan is a tri-color Bactrian camel figurine, nearly one meter tall, with a pack bag decorated with animal face patterns hanging on it, and silk and a water bottle also in place. It stretches its neck and opens its mouth, stands upright on its hind legs, and slightly bends its front legs, as if it has just straightened up from a lying position, looking up at the sky and neighing, ready to embark on its journey back to the west. The figure is extremely majestic and magnificent.
Gazing intently at the camel with its head held high and neighing, Zhuang Rui, in a daze, seemed to see the bustling East and West Markets of Chang'an, with smiling Hu women spreading out beside him in the wine alleys near the post stations. It was as if he were immersed in the atmosphere of the Tang Dynasty's golden age, experiencing the legends of foreign lands and the East.
Jin Pangzi, Sun Lao, and others were also stunned by this Tang tri-color camel. This tri-color work not only had bright colors and a bright glaze, but also had an exquisite and accurate shape. More importantly, there were many tiny cracks on the glossy glaze of the tri-color camel, like small cracks.
This type of crazing is mainly caused by the uneven shrinkage ratio of the body and the glaze. The body shrinks less while the glaze shrinks more. During the firing process, the glaze shrinks during cooling, thus forming cracks on the surface of the glaze.
As more Tang tri-color glazes were unearthed, this crackled glaze became a very prominent feature for identifying Tang tri-color glazes. Of course, skilled forgers in later generations would certainly have tampered with this feature as well.
"Teacher Sun, what do you think of this object?" Tian Fan knew that among the people present, Teacher Sun was a collector of miscellaneous items and was quite familiar with Tang tri-colored pottery. As for Fatty Jin and the others, they probably didn't know much about it. So, after everyone had taken a quick look, Tian Fan asked Teacher Sun.
Old Sun held a 20x magnifying glass. He examined the crackle glaze carefully for a while, then shook his head and said, "I'm not sure about this object. Judging from the crackle, it's made of sesame seeds, not something that was later coated with potassium permanganate solution. But this object is too perfect; I'm not sure..."
The sesame seed-like cracks that Mr. Sun mentioned refer to the natural cracks that form on Tang tri-color pottery after it is eroded by groundwater and acidic and alkaline substances in the soil. These cracks are quite fine and resemble sesame seeds, and can be clearly observed from about a foot away.
Counterfeiters often use chemicals such as hydrofluoric acid and potassium permanganate to corrode and stain the glaze of objects. After leaving it for a period of time, the "crazing" of the glaze will become obvious, but the cracks will be wide and not as fine as natural crazing.
This sancai (three-color glazed) camel is undoubtedly an authentic piece, judging from its glaze, shape, and crackle pattern. However, it is so perfect that it surpasses even the sancai camel in the Palace Museum's collection. Therefore, neither Professor Tian Fan nor Mr. Sun dared to draw any conclusions.
"Teacher Tian, I once attended one of your classes on the characteristics and identification of Tang tri-color ware. After seeing this piece, I bought it and had it examined by several people, all of whom said it was genuine. Today, I would like to take this opportunity to ask you to help me identify it."
The owner of this Tang tri-colored camel was a middle-aged man in his forties, slightly overweight, with a square face. Even in front of the experts, he remained neither arrogant nor humble, suggesting that he was a person of some status.
"Mr. Liu is a member of our Jinan Collectors Association and the chairman of Tianx Food Co., Ltd. He is very passionate about collecting and has been a guest on our 'Collecting World' program before..."
The male host from Shandong TV took the opportunity to introduce the background of the owner of the treasure to Zhuang Rui and the others, which indirectly indicated that the other party had the financial resources to collect such valuable antiques.
"Mr. Liu, since you are an expert in this field, may I ask how you acquired this Tang tri-color camel?"
The work of appraising antiques not only requires examining the artifacts themselves, but also tracing their provenance. Some precious artifacts are unearthed from ancient tombs, and even stolen antiques will have their provenance and quantity documented.
Mr. Liu seemed unconcerned about discussing the item's provenance, saying frankly, "Hehe, I saw this tricolor camel at a friend's private gathering. I liked it at the time, so I bought it..."
"reunion?"
Zhuang Rui muttered to himself, "It must be an exchange activity organized by some collectors, right?"
"It's the black market."
General Manager Qian, sitting next to Zhuang Rui, covered the microphone with his hand and spoke softly.
Zhuang Rui was stunned for a moment when he heard this, because he suddenly thought of the tricolor horse he had seen in the black market on the grassland. It was also a nearly flawless imitation, which was bought by that foolish Japanese man at a high price. This tricolor camel with such perfect glaze, could it also be a fake?
Once this thought arose in Zhuang Rui's mind, it lingered like a shadow, impossible to shake off. He had no choice but to use his spiritual energy to examine it again while the others were talking. Zhuang Rui walked to the table with the three-colored camel and began to examine it closely.
"Mr. Liu, how much did you spend to find this item?"
Sitting next to Professor Tian, Fatty Jin pressed on, asking a crucial question during the appraisal process, especially regarding such a perfect sancai (three-color glazed pottery) piece, as the seller would never set the price too low.
"I feel that 400,000 yuan is worth the price."
Seeing that even several experts were unsure of the authenticity of his collection, Chairman Liu felt a surge of pride.
Logically speaking, the price he paid for this Tang tri-colored glazed pottery piece was roughly the same as what would be sold at a reputable domestic auction house.
Some readers might be thinking, "Tang Sancai is a national treasure, how can it be so cheap?" Actually, these readers are mistaken. Tang Sancai first gained recognition overseas, and its price peaked in the 1980s. In December 1989, a Tang Sancai pottery horse offered by Sotheby's London set a record for the highest price ever paid for a Chinese artwork at auction, fetching HK$49.55 million, a record that stood for 12 years, making it incredibly popular.
However, due to the severe impact of counterfeit products on the market, many people were deceived, and their confidence in Tang Sancai (Tang tri-color pottery) waned, causing the price of Tang Sancai in the international market to plummet.
In recent years, the prices of Tang tri-color pottery works auctioned on the international market have mostly been around several hundred thousand US dollars, while the prices in China are even lower. Even some exquisite pieces are priced between several hundred thousand and one million RMB.
Therefore, if this Tang tri-colored camel is genuine, Mr. Liu still made a profit on this deal.
"Brother Jin, Brother Sun, I think this item is genuine. It was probably stolen from a Tang Dynasty tomb. What do you think?"
After thinking for a while, Professor Tian shared his insights. In recent years, tomb raiding was rampant, and it was hard to guarantee that some exquisite artifacts would be lost. The owner of the treasure in front of him also stated that the item came from the black market. All signs indicated that this tricolor camel was highly likely to be genuine.
"It's fake! This Tang Dynasty tri-colored camel is a modern replica!"
Before Jin Pangzi and the others could answer, Zhuang Rui, who had been silent all along, suddenly raised his head from the table and said decisively.
"Oh? How do you know?"
Professor Tian, seeing Zhuang Rui's certainty, knew that he must have noticed something amiss.
“Teacher Zhuang, if you say it’s fake, you should at least have some evidence, right? I don’t care about the hundreds of thousands of yuan. If it’s really fake, I’ll just consider it a lesson learned. But please point out where it’s fake.”
Although Chairman Liu wasn't as aggressive as that woman, his words were still witty and pointed: "Since you say it's fake, then show me the evidence."
Zhuang Rui frowned upon hearing this. The reason he said it was fake was because there was no spiritual energy inside this tricolor camel. Zhuang Rui had seen thousands of antiques, and they all contained some spiritual energy.
Therefore, Zhuang Rui was certain that this tri-colored camel was a fake, but based on his understanding of Tang tri-colored pottery, he couldn't come up with any reason why it was fake.
"Well, there's a reason for that..."
Zhuang Rui circled the tricolor camel again, using his spiritual energy to examine it from head to tail, trying to find something different. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and for a moment, an incredulous expression appeared on his face. However, because Zhuang Rui's head was always lowered, no one saw it.
"Damn it, they can actually mass-produce something like this?"
Zhuang Rui was so shocked because when he saw the tricolor camel's bent and raised foreleg, he was surprised to find that there was a character "Xu" on the inner wall of the foreleg, exactly the same as the one he had seen in the black market on the grassland.
Zhuang Rui now admires this forger to the point of prostration. Not only did he create a tricolor horse, but now he has created a tricolor camel. You know, even fakes have different grades and levels.
This tricolor camel is likely made using techniques and soil that followed the Tang Dynasty's tricolor firing process. Even carbon-14 dating might not be able to detect it. Such a perfect imitation should cost over 100,000 yuan. The creator of this tricolor camel is definitely a master in the forgery industry.
Chapter 316 Folk Treasure Appraisal (5)
"Xiao Zhuang, come here for a second..."
Old Sun stood at the entrance to the rest room from the appraisal table and waved to Zhuang Rui.
Zhuang Rui had already circled the Tang tri-colored camel several times, but hadn't pointed out the problem. People on and off the stage were getting impatient. Although Zhuang Rui had performed well before, he couldn't just spout nonsense like that.
Seeing Zhuang Rui's furrowed brows, Liu Jia, who had originally intended to smooth things over, quickly stepped forward after seeing Teacher Sun address Zhuang Rui, saying, "Fellow collectors, please give the experts some time to evaluate this Tang tri-color pottery piece. Whether it's genuine or fake, the following will be even more exciting."
Upon hearing the host's words, Fatty Jin and the others simply stood up, left the table, and went into the lounge inside.
"Teacher Sun, what's the matter?"
Zhuang Rui was now worried about how to explain why this Tang tri-colored camel was fake. Based on his knowledge of Tang tri-colored pottery, he really couldn't find any fault with it unless he used his spiritual energy to examine it. Now, although he knew that there was something else going on with this tri-colored camel, he couldn't just smash it, because that would make it even more inexplicable.
“I’m not so optimistic about this Tang tri-color pottery either. It’s too perfect. Among unearthed cultural relics, it’s rare to see such a bright and flawless piece. But if we can’t find any faults, we can’t presume to say whether it’s real or fake. What you just said was a bit presumptuous.”
Given his relationship with Uncle De, Old Sun was considered Zhuang Rui's elder, so he criticized Zhuang Rui's actions earlier. However, his opinion on the antique also represented the thoughts of Professor Tian and others, who all nodded in agreement.
“Teacher Sun is right. I also auctioned a Tang tri-color lady figure last year. That piece was relatively well preserved, but the glaze on the waist was still somewhat damaged. This tri-color camel is the first time I have ever seen one like this.”
General Manager Qian also shared his opinion. For people like them, they've seen countless antiques. At their level, when they see an object, they often have an intuitive feeling. Like this tricolor camel, although there's nothing wrong with it, something just doesn't feel right.
Of course, this is not absolute. If they had the opportunity to obtain this tricolor camel, they would most likely buy it as long as the price wasn't too outrageous, because at least on the surface, they couldn't find any trace of forgery. This is actually the root cause of why even experts can be fooled and pay tuition fees; sometimes they are too confident in their professional knowledge.
"Xiao Zhuang, I think we should do this: when we go out later, you apologize and say you misjudged him. Nobody's perfect, and I'm sure the other party won't say much. We can issue him an appraisal certificate, and I'll write it."
Professor Tian's words seemed to make Zhuang Rui admit his mistake, but by having Zhuang Rui sign the authentication certificate, he was essentially taking on the risk. If it were later revealed that the antique was fake, it would be Professor Tian who would lose face.
"Hmm, Teacher Tian is right. Xiao Zhuang, let's do it this way. I'm starving and just want to go eat."
Jin Pangzi and others echoed Professor Tian's opinion. It's easy to say whether something is true or false; you can just say it. But if you don't explain it logically, others won't be convinced. Moreover, this person who holds the treasure is considered an expert in the field. If this drags on, it will only lower the authority of the expert team in the eyes of the public.
"Teachers, why don't you ask me why I said this object is fake?"
Zhuang Rui smiled wryly. While everyone was trying to persuade him, he was racking his brains for an explanation, and he actually came up with one.
"Oh? You actually noticed the problem?"
Professor Tian was somewhat surprised. This tricolor camel was impeccable in terms of shape, glaze, and crackle pattern. He asked himself if he could find any fault with it, but he did not expect Zhuang Rui to have a basis for his opinion.
"I didn't see anything wrong with it, but I have a friend outside the art circle who once spent over 300,000 yuan to buy a Tang Dynasty tri-color horse on a black market in the south. He had it appraised by many experts, who confirmed it was genuine. I've seen it before, and in terms of glaze and shape, it's comparable to this piece today. But just last month, he accidentally broke that tri-color horse. While cleaning up the broken pieces, he discovered something fishy. On the inner wall of a broken piece of porcelain, he found a simplified Chinese character. I don't need to explain what that means, do I?"
Zhuang Rui's so-called friends were obviously fictitious. The fake tricolor horse was bought by the Japanese and is probably now treasured and kept at home. It's impossible for it to be broken.
In fact, Zhuang Rui's words did not stand up to scrutiny, because no one would easily break an item that cost hundreds of thousands of yuan. However, such things have happened before. So, as soon as Zhuang Rui finished speaking, the other experts looked at each other in surprise. They did not expect that Zhuang Rui would use this as a basis to judge the authenticity of this tricolor camel.
"Xiao Zhuang, we can't ask them to break the item for appraisal, can we?"
"Yes, quite a few Tang tri-color pottery pieces have survived. Perhaps this one is genuine."
Several people disagreed with Zhuang Rui's statement. Although they were all antique appraisal experts with good professional ethics, they would not risk breaking a seemingly real object to determine its authenticity. This method was a bit too crazy. If it was real, who would be responsible for the damage to the antique?
"What Xiao Zhuang said is true. Some skilled forgers like to leave traces on porcelain or other objects. But Xiao Zhuang, can you be sure that this Tang tri-colored camel also has a name inside?"
Professor Tian pondered for a long time, but he was not optimistic about Zhuang Rui's suggestion. The most crucial point was that if the object was damaged and the problem could not be found, who would bear the responsibility? You know, four or five hundred thousand yuan is a considerable sum for these experts, even though they can afford it.
While the group was discussing, Liu Jia, the host who had been listening for a while, suddenly spoke up, "May I interrupt for a moment?"
"Do the experts mean that only by breaking this tricolor pottery can a conclusion be reached about its authenticity?"
Liu Jia didn't know much about the antique business, but she understood what the others meant by speaking so frankly, and she asked the question with great excitement.
"This... is Xiao Zhuang's idea, but it's not very feasible, because if this thing is real, then we'll have to compensate someone, and that's not a small amount..."
Although Professor Tian didn't understand why the female host was so excited, he still explained it to her.
"So that means if someone pays the fee, they can break this Tang tri-color pottery on the spot for authentication, right?"
Professor Tian was confused by Liu Jia's words. He nodded subconsciously, then quickly shook his head and said, "We must ask the owner of the antique for his opinion. If he doesn't agree, then whatever we say will be in vain."
If someone is willing to bear the consequences of breaking the Tang tri-colored pottery, the experts wouldn't mind using this method, because they don't want to draw any conclusions about the piece. If it's genuine, that's fine. But if it's fake, and so many people can't find any fault with it, it would be a very embarrassing thing if word got out.
"Okay, I'll go talk to the owner of the treasure and then see if the TV station can cover the cost. Please wait a moment."
Liu Jia seemed to have taken the wrong medicine; after speaking, she turned and walked out, swaying her slender waist, leaving a room full of experts looking at each other in bewilderment. Why was this host so interested in breaking Tang Sancai pottery? Girls don't usually play those mud-throwing games when they're little, do they?
On the other hand, smashing something on a TV recording set takes a lot of courage. If you break something and can't find any clues or faults, then the person who smashed the item has completely lost their wisdom.
Thinking about this, the experts couldn't help but complain to Zhuang Rui. This young man was good in every way, but he was just a bit too serious. There are plenty of things in the world that are hard to distinguish between real and fake, so one more won't make a difference.
Liu Chuan was completely unaware that several experts were secretly criticizing her and Zhuang Rui. Right now, she was excited. How could she make a program that would attract viewers' attention? The answer was news, news with something to watch.
Today's treasure appraisal, while having a few minor highlights, was generally uneventful. If we could have staged a scene where experts smashed the treasure on the spot, revealing the true and false three colors, regardless of who won or lost, this episode of the treasure appraisal program would definitely have been a highlight.
Liu Jia excitedly found the owner of the treasure, Mr. Liu, and told him about it. For some reason, Mr. Liu actually agreed. However, if they smashed his Tang tri-colored pottery and still couldn't find any flaws, the compensation would not be 400,000, but 800,000.
However, when Liu Jia reported this matter to Deputy Director Zhu, she was met with a setback. Deputy Director Zhu praised her idea, but refused to offer the 800,000 yuan outright, because he did not have a high opinion of Zhuang Rui. He was so young, and even Professor Tian, a professional ceramic appraiser, was not sure about something. What kind of trouble could he possibly cause?
"Mr. Zhuang, gentlemen, the station's budget is also quite tight. In my opinion, we should just let this matter drop..."