Chapter 142 Buddha statue of the Northern Wei Dynasty

Mr. Li's house is the same as the previous big family's house, a total of three rooms, except for the main hall in the middle to entertain guests, the wing rooms on both sides, one is used as a study, and the other is a bedroom.

After a few people entered the door, they came to Li Lao's study, the space here is not too big, but there are a lot of things, except for the books that are almost full on the shelves placed against the wall. On the desk in the middle, there are also some four treasures of the study.

Of course, the most important thing is the table by the window, on which there are magnifying glasses of various specifications, as well as some reagents prepared by Li Lao, who are usually here when Li Lao identifies antiques.

When Li Lao carefully put the seated statue of Sakyamuni Buddha in his hand on the table, and then took the backlight in Liu Dong's hand and plugged it in, the whole Buddha statue immediately became more majestic and vivid.

"Old Li, why is the style of this Buddha statue different from what we are used to?" After looking at it a few times, Zhou Bin couldn't help but ask the doubts in his heart.

After hearing this, Li Lao smiled slightly and asked, "You mean the ornamentation of this Buddha statue, right?"

Seeing Zhou Bin nodding, Li Lao explained: "You should know that as one of the three major religions in the world, Buddhism originated in India and then was introduced to China during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Moreover, the first Buddhist temple in China, the White Horse Temple, was established. However, the situation was turbulent at that time, and some Buddha statues and Buddhist scriptures at that time have not been handed down. ”

Therefore, the earliest Buddha statues that can still be seen today were in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, especially the Northern Wei Dynasty, which was the first peak of Buddhism's development in Chinese history. The art of Buddha statues in the Northern Wei Dynasty reached an unprecedented peak!"

After listening to Li Lao's words, Liu Dong and Zhou Bin nodded in unison, as long as they have studied Chinese history, they will naturally be very clear about the famous events in Chinese history such as the worship of Buddha in the Northern Wei Dynasty and the destruction of Buddha by Emperor Taiwu of Wei.

In the early Northern Wei Dynasty Buddha statues, the form of the statue was influenced by the Gupta Buddha art of India. The face is square and round, but slightly thin, the forehead is wide, the eyes are long, and he wears a full-shoulder or right-shoulder coat, which is symmetrically distributed in a U-shape or V-shape, and the lines of the clothes are deep and raised, clinging to the body, showing the bodybuilding of the body. ”

However, in the seventh year of Taiping Zhenjun, that is, after 446 AD, after Emperor Taiwu of Wei launched a campaign to exterminate Buddhism, Buddhist statues were severely damaged. It was not until six years later, after Emperor Wencheng of the Northern Wei Dynasty ascended the throne and promulgated the edict of restoring Buddhism, that Buddhist statues could continue to develop. ”

"In the Taihe period of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the craftsmanship and form of the gold and bronze Buddha statues have matured, and the Buddhist statue form of this period is also called the 'Taihe style'. ”

It is characterized by a thin face, a Han face, a high and wide forehead, and clear eyebrows. The meat bun is higher, in addition to the polished and shallow water wave style, the hair bun has a spiral hair, and the hair bun fist curls are mostly right-handed. The body proportions are coordinated, the body is slender and thin, giving people a sense of elegance and ease. ”

Therefore, in the late Northern Wei Dynasty, although the Buddha statue is still a Buddha statue, more has been changed into the form of the Han family's clothing and crown. And the Buddha is no longer big-eared, but a thin Han look. This is a striking feature of the indigenization of Buddhism. ”

After listening to Li Lao's explanation, Zhou Bin also understood the evolution process of Buddhist statues in the Northern Wei Dynasty and the characteristics of their statues.

"Old Li, do you mean that this bronze gilt Buddha statue of Shakyamuni Buddha is a Buddha statue in the early Northern Wei Dynasty?" Zhou Bin couldn't help but ask.

However, after listening to it, Li Lao did not nod, "It is still uncertain, according to its external characteristics, it is indeed the characteristics of the early Buddha statues of the Northern Wei Dynasty." However, in the end, it will not be able to reach the generation, and further identification is still needed!"

Hearing this, Zhou Bin nodded. However, at this time, Liu Dong, who was standing on the side, suddenly asked: "Elder Li, why does this Buddha statue look so new? You must know that the Northern Wei Dynasty is more than 1,500 years away from now!"

It was because of this that Yang Shang concluded that this Buddha statue was not a Buddha statue in the Northern Wei Dynasty, but a modern imitation, so he pushed this priceless treasure into Liu Dong's hands in vain.

And Liu Dong also didn't know the reason for this, if he didn't have the ability to identify in the mustard seed space, maybe he would also think that this Buddha statue was too new, and he also thought it was an imitation.

So after hearing what Li Lao said this time, he immediately asked the question in his heart.

After listening to his words, Li Lao said without a trace of memory on his face: "Xiaodong, I also encountered the same question as you before. Even more than 99% of people who play antiques will encounter the same question, but in the end, there are not many people who can have this vision and solve this question, including me!"

Looking at Liu Dong's eyes, which still looked a little confused, the old man continued: "In the antique shop, especially in porcelain, there is such a sentence called 'official kiln ware is as new', which means that the top official kiln porcelain is as good as new. There is also a sentence that is more clearly interpreted: "If the old is new, it must be a treasure"!"

"Many of the official kilns that have been handed down from generation to generation look like new kilns, shining as new. Especially in the eyes of the layman who has not yet started, it is no different from the new porcelain, and it is even more indistinguishable from the high imitation products. ”

In fact, this reason is very simple, the official kiln ware has been favored by people since the moment it was born, and it is carefully cared for, or it is displayed in a glass case, or placed in a brocade box, and it is also careful to open it occasionally to watch, so in addition to the thick pulp formed by natural oxidation of the years, it is rarely different from the new ware. The official kiln ware preserved in this way is a treasure in the porcelain, a treasure!"

But it is precisely these official kiln artifacts that will not be favored by people, always thinking that it is new, with a bright glaze and a flawless body, as if it has just come out of the kiln. Most of the porcelain auctioned by Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams and other major international auction companies in China's official kilns belongs to this category. Only a very small number of pieces are broken. This proves the concept that "old tools are as good as new is treasure". Many people say that ancient ceramics are deep and difficult to play, and the phenomenon mentioned above is also a major reason. ”

"Often there is only a trace of difference between the official kiln and the top high imitation products, and the slightest carelessness will slip into the quagmire of high imitations, so most people dare not touch the fine, sharp, and rare top official kiln products, and would rather seek the broken and dilapidated general products, if there is no experience accumulated for many years in appreciating porcelain, it is indeed difficult to distinguish. ”

Coupled with the rapid development of high-tech means and the continuous deepening of high-imitation technology, those "experts and experts" who still have a certain appreciation of the eye will inevitably lose their eyes once they are out of the experience in the market for a period of time. As a result, forcing those big auction companies to believe more in the orderly way of inheritance is really a last resort. ”

"Occasionally, there are indeed some old and obvious old kilns, scarred, damaged and incomplete, which is often caused by the owner not knowing its treasures and placing them at will, and many clumsy people only recognize these things. The main reason is that it is rare to see Nu Skin's official kilns, let alone get started. Occasionally, I saw it as a new weapon. The eyes only stay on the old or scarred ordinary products, and they do not go out of this circle. ”

Why do people in the antique circle say that "experts are not as good as connoisseurs, connoisseurs are not as good as players, and players are not as good as collectors". This is the principle of emphasizing the truth through practice. ”

"Xiaodong, when you can jump out of this circle, no one else will be able to distinguish between high-quality official kilns and high-quality imitation products, and your antique appraisal level will really enter the house!"

Hearing this, looking at the eagerness and expectation contained in Elder Li's eyes looking at him, Liu Dong couldn't help but nod heavily.