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Chapter 177 The Final Word!
Chapter 177. The Final Word!
Hearing what she said, although everyone disagreed, they couldn't find a suitable excuse to refute for a while, so they couldn't help but look at each other, speechless.

Still Wang Pei couldn't help but smile:
"You can't say that, at least in this matter, Cixi still made a contribution to the porcelain industry,"

"You know, at that time due to the turmoil in the current situation, the Huaxia porcelain industry had already declined day by day. If it weren't for her, there would be no short-term revival in the late Qing Dynasty, let alone the series of Daya Zhai porcelain,"

"Now speaking, this kind of porcelain is called the last official kiln series in history, which has far-reaching significance."

Ye Shiyun refused to accept, turned her head and said: "So what? Did she repel the Eight-Nation Alliance?"

"No."

"It is said that the Old Summer Palace will be restored, has it been repaired in the end?"

"Of course not. It was just the wishful thinking of Emperor Tongzhi. In fact, the Qing court was empty at that time. How could it have the money to repair it? If it really wants to be repaired, it will inevitably be another search for people's fat and people's ointment, which will make things worse."

"Then it's over. After all, it's still a disaster."

For some reason, the two of them choked up a little, and Ping'er felt sulky inwardly, trying to get back to the scene, but was stopped by Wang Pei, who smiled and said nothing.

At this time, You Zhengxing was still staring at the safe room seal, speechless, and suddenly his expression changed:
"What nonsense! How can this mark, which has never been seen on the market, prove that it is Dayazhai porcelain? It is simply unreasonable!"

Qu Zhinong and the others thought the same thing. The collection circle cannot just rely on a few illusory empty words. Even if the historical records are correct, there must be further evidence. Now they all look to Ren Ping.

I saw him sneer slightly:
"Mr. You hasn't seen it himself, so it's a bit too arbitrary to say no. Anyway, in addition to the seal of the safe room, there are certificates, which can not only prove that it is Dayazhai porcelain, but also a thing used by Empress Dowager Cixi. Mr. You is interested to hear ?"

"Stop talking nonsense, and don't play tricks here!"

"Okay, Mr. You, do you know what was the manufacturing process of Daya Zhai porcelain back then?"

With a solemn expression, Ren Ping pointed to the rouge box.

You Zhengxing was full of disdain: "Are you testing me? The surname You started out as a modern art porcelain, don't you even know this?"

"Porcelain making starts with practicing Ni, then drawing, sharpening and drying the embryos, and then engraving, glazing, and firing in the kiln after the shape is formed. This is the basic step. One step painting, "

"Although the Chinese porcelain industry has gone through thousands of years, the general process is still the same until now. There may be some changes in the special kiln mouth, but it remains the same. Why do you ask?"

Ren Ping shook his head: "Of course I'm not talking about these, but the most unique feature of Daya Zhai porcelain, which is the last step you mentioned just now, colored painting."

"What's wrong with this step? In terms of craftsmanship, it is no different from other famille rose porcelain in Ming and Qing Dynasties."

"Really? But as far as I know, before this step, compared with other porcelains, Dayazhai porcelain has an important and special link, the draft,"

Ren Ping paused and said:

"In the past, whether it was glaze color or underglaze color, most of the patterns applied by porcelain craftsmen were the ones that porcelain craftsmen were proficient in, nothing less than plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum, as well as the picture of a hundred sons in spring, and the three stars of fortune, fortune, longevity, etc. ,"

"Even if there are others, they are all fixed patterns that have been circulated in the industry for a long time, and they are inevitably the same. However, Dayazhai porcelain is different. Before Cixi ordered the firing, she had the palace studios create their own creations and draw samples,"

"It contains a total of 33 combinations of patterns, including flowers, birds, butterflies, insects, etc. It can be said that each sample is unique. After that, JDZ craftsmen will paint it according to the picture,"

"This link may seem cumbersome, but it is actually unique in the history of Chinese porcelain making. The patterns on each piece of porcelain are extraordinarily exquisite, and it is precisely because of this that this series of porcelain is even more unique."

Before the words fell, Qu Zhinong couldn't stop nodding:
"That's right. Before Dayazhai porcelain was manufactured, the court studio would first draw a drawing and pass it to Jiujiang Pass at that time, and then it was officially fired. This is clearly recorded in the Qing court archives."

"More than that, every piece of Dayazhai porcelain will be registered and recorded after it is successfully fired and sent to the Qing court. Firstly, it is for filing, and secondly, it is also to prevent folk imitation, so as to highlight the dignity of Cixi. President Qu must also know? "

Qu Zhinong was noncommittal, paused, and frowned:

"So what? Does it have anything to do with what happened today?"

"Of course there is. That is to say, the patterns on the original body of Dayazhai porcelain were all made by Qing palace painters. As for the specific names of the original authors, it is no longer possible to test."

"That's not surprising, it's the same for all Daya Zhai porcelains."

"That is, although the painting skills of Dayazhai porcelain are excellent, it is not valuable only because of this. All the decorations are made by unknown painters, regardless of high or low. Do you still expect that there are no famous works among them?"

You Zhengxing taunted him.

Ren Ping chuckled slightly when he heard this:

"I don't dare to be a famous artist, but the owner of the original painting on my item is not an unknown painter, but a famous person."

"Oh? Who?"

"Of course it's the old lady Cixi." He said lightly.

As soon as the voice fell, everyone changed their colors:

"What! You said that the original painting on it was made by Empress Dowager Cixi?"

"good."

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, thinking that if this is true, this rouge box is indeed different from other Daya Zhai series porcelains, and the market price will rise a lot, after all, Cixi's paintings themselves are also very popular in the industry.

But empty words have no proof, how can this be proved?A suspicious look appeared on his face.

You Zhengxing already had an ominous premonition in his heart, but at the critical moment of life and death, he had no choice but to suppress it, raising his eyebrows:
"Ridiculous! How do you know that it is Cixi's imperial pen, does it have her signature on it?"

"No."

"What kind of unique logo or painting technique is there, so it is easy to recognize?"

"No. Regarding the painters of Cixi, there has long been a clear view in history, that is, their attainments are only reflected in aesthetics. For example, the painting style of Dayazhai porcelain is very agile and natural, reflecting the beauty of softness and beauty,"

"As for her own painting skills, I can only say that she is mediocre, otherwise she would not have so many palace painters to paint for her. Some of Cixi's paintings were actually painted by others, but they were stamped with a royal seal and used by her. .”

You Zhengxing breathed a sigh of relief, and said coldly: "Since that's the case, you still say that the painting on the porcelain is her original work? Didn't you slap yourself in the face?"

Ren Ping smiled and said, "I only said that some of them were painted by others, but that's not all. There are also genuine original paintings by Cixi on the market, and by coincidence, this one is among them."

As he spoke, he picked up the rouge box.

Everyone was in an uproar when they heard this. Some could not believe that it was such a coincidence that the original painting of Ren Ping's last piece of Dayazhai porcelain was actually Cixi herself, and the original painting still exists.

Some people thought that this thing was originally bought by You Zhengxing himself, but was regarded as a replica. Now it was used by Ren Ping as a bet. It was simply God's will.

Some of the more agile ones directly searched the auction records of major auction houses online to see if what Ren Ping said was true.

During the chaos, Wang Pei on the side shook his head:
"You don't need to look it up. The original painting was sold at the St. Benignon Auction House abroad more than three years ago. The transaction price is around 80 RMB. The price is not high, but after identification, it is indeed the original work of Cixi,"

"At that time, I also saw her, and I thought to myself that this old witch Cixi did not do good things during her lifetime, and after her death, her paintings were stolen and auctioned abroad. She really lost her face in the Pacific Ocean."

Speaking of the word "old witch", Ye Shiyun instinctively turned her head and glanced at her. Coincidentally, Wang Pei also looked at her with a tacit understanding.

Qu Zhinong and the others could hear the profound meaning in it, and frowned and said:

"Since it was an auction abroad, why did you meet me again? Could it be that..."

"Yes, the buyer is Zhi Yunzhai."

Wang Pei readily admitted everyone's speculation, and then pulled up the photo from his mobile phone. Everyone gathered around to take a look, and saw that the auction agreement signed with the overseas Saint-Binnon auction house was also listed, and next to it was the original painting. :
Made by the Empress Dowager Cixi in the Daya Zhai of the Yuanmingyuan in the 12th year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty, the picture of plum blossoms falling under the snow in early winter was sold for 8 pounds!

The Daya Zhai series of porcelain was made in the 13th year of Tongzhi, and it was completed in the first year of Guangxu to the second year of Guangxu. This painting was made by Cixi in the 12th year of Tongzhi, and the time was just right. In order to cater to his mother's birthday, Emperor Tongzhi asked the craftsmen to use it It is also reasonable to do the original drawing.

Although the picture of snow falling and plum blossoms on the painting is slightly old and faded, but the details of the comparison are exactly the same as those on Ren Ping's rouge box.

The most important thing is that in the corner of the original painting in the photo is the Cixi Royal Seal: the royal seal of the Empress Dowager Cixi, which is undoubtedly authentic, but it was replaced with the seal of the safe room during the porcelain making!

There are existing original paintings, auction records of major foreign houses, and the buyer is Zhiyunzhai, which is famous for making Dayazhai porcelain. It is normal to buy the original paintings of Cixi.

From this point of view, this yellow-ground famille rose rouge box with snow-fallen plum blossoms in early winter is indeed not to mention Daya Zhai porcelain, and it is a thing used by Empress Dowager Cixi. Its value may exceed the sky!
Thinking that just now they swore that it was a fake and persuaded Ren Ping to give up, but now there is a 180-degree reversal, everyone couldn't help but look embarrassed, and then looked at Qu Zhinong together.

Qu Zhinong knew what they meant, thought about it, and shook his head:
"The most expensive transaction price of Daya Zhai porcelain in the world is about 300 million, but they are all known types, such as pots and vats,"

"And this rouge box is not only rare in type, but also has the original painting as evidence that it was used by Empress Dowager Cixi. What is the final price... Forgive me for my lack of talent and learning, so it is difficult to make up my mind at once."

Having said that, no matter what the final market price is, there is a high probability that it will exceed 300 million, which is far higher than You Zhengxing's round tank of around 800 million. The winner or loser of this final round is already determined.

Everyone thought that Ren Ping had actually surpassed the well-off Yongrongzhai with temporary treasure hunting, and the shock in their hearts was no small matter. In addition, this rouge box had more or less a desire to collect it, so they all started chatting with Ren Ping.

Of course they also knew that Ren Ping would probably not transfer such a precious thing, but this person's sharp eyesight was so impressive that it would be good to get to know him.

In the deserted corner to the side, You Zhengxing was at a loss, as if he couldn't accept this fact for a while.

After a long time, he turned his head, and his voice trembled slightly:

"Wait...wait, even if the painting was made by Cixi, this thing may not be used by her. These are two different things."

When the crowd dispersed slowly, Ren Pingping sneered:
"Mr. You, you don't have to deceive yourself. You can't figure out the details of this? Who was Dayazhai porcelain originally made for? Who else would use a rouge box besides Cixi herself?"

"Furthermore, other patterns are fine. Since the original painting of Empress Dowager Cixi is specially printed on this one, do others dare to use it?"

(End of this chapter)