[Chapter Word Count:2090 Last Updated:2015-04-0111:00:00.0]

However, for these two words, Tang Yi felt a little unfamiliar, and he didn't have any special feelings.

But Tang Yi also understands that in the Ming and Qing dynasties, the famous rhino horn carving master lived in Jiangnan for many generations, since this is the good work of the Jiangnan master, then "Zhisheng" must be the name of a certain master, but he does not know that there is such a person.

"This is an Asian rhino horn product, the top craftsmanship of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. The existence is scarce, the age is long, and the master's knowledge has been lost, so it is no wonder that people will go to great lengths to preserve it in this way. Qin Lao said, "This kind of size, this kind of year, this kind of style rhino horn cup, it's really rare!" ”

Rhino horn, most people are familiar with it, haven't played with rhino horn, haven't you seen a rhinoceros? The horn on the nose is naturally the horn of the rhino. In ancient times, people regarded rhino horn as a treasure or even a national treasure, and the ancients believed that the rhinoceros could ward off evil spirits and suppress evil, so there was a custom of taking the image of the rhinoceros as an advocating object, such as bronze and porcelain.

However, one of the more important reasons why rhino horn is precious is that it has the effects of detoxification, cooling blood, anticonvulsion and nourishment, and it is a precious medicinal material that is extremely difficult to obtain. The rhino horn cup contains wine, and the medicinal ingredients can be dissolved in the wine, which is extraordinary. Rhino horns are also very scarce, so rhino horn cups are widely recommended. Especially after the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the families of wealthy businessmen competed to buy rhino horn cups, showing their wealth.

And in various literature and even literary themes, descriptions of rhino horns also abound, and there are clouds in "Warring States Policy": the rhinoceros of chickens and the luminous sky. Even in "Smiling Proud Jianghu", Zu Qianqiu also made a comment on the rhino horn cup drinking, which made Hu Chong also drunk.

However, as Qin Lao said, rhino horn is also divided into regions. It can be divided into two main categories: the Asian rhino and the African rhino. The price of these two rhino horns varies greatly. The price of rhino horn is recorded in grams, African rhino horn is about 1,000 yuan a gram, while the price of Asian rhino horn is eight or even ten times that of African rhino horn. However, rhinos are protected wild animals, and the sale of rhino horn raw materials is currently prohibited. But if it is a private object that has been passed down in an orderly manner, it will have to be discussed separately.

After listening to Qin Lao's words, Tang Yi carefully checked the carving of the cup again.

This cup is a knight cup, which is considered large, with a wide mouth and a flat bottom. If you weigh it, I am afraid that the weight must be more than 400 grams. But in terms of its own material, this rhino horn cup is worth about 4 million, not to mention that it is an antique made by masters in the late Ming Dynasty. "No wonder the treasure light is so thick." Tang Yi said secretly in his heart while watching.

The inside and outside of the cup mouth are shallowly carved with cloud patterns, which are endless, and the inside and outside pass the wall, connecting as a whole.

And the pattern on the outer wall of the whole cup is "Chibi nostalgia". On the cliff, the ancient pine and strange stones, the floating smoke, the river below crosses, the waves are turbulent, and the figure stands on the bow of the boat. The scenery is complex but not chaotic, the picture is rich in layers, the mountains are ancient and forested, the water ripples are as fine as the slightest, the mountains and rocks on the shore are scattered and elegant, the knife technique is accurate, and the composition is exquisite.

Qin Lao stood aside, and with the movement of Tang Yi's eyes, he pointed to the body of the cup and said: "There are two most exquisite points in this cup, one is that the use of an ancient pine in the mountains, three-dimensional carving, the tree body and the cliff are hollowed out, not only does not affect the overall composition, but also can be used as a cup handle; Second, borrowing a part of the smooth cliffs, the relief of Mr. Dongpo's half-rung "Nian Nujiao, Chibi Nostalgia", with a knife on behalf of the pen, adding infinite humanistic taste. ”

"The big river goes east, the waves are exhausted, the eternal romantic characters, the west of the base, humanity is, the Three Kingdoms Zhou Lang Chibi ・・・・・・" Mao Zhu actually chanted, but after reciting a few words, he muttered again: "The payment is directly born・・・・・・"

Who is Naosheng exactly? This was also the question that Tang Yi wanted to ask Qin Lao.

"Who are the famous rhino horn carvers you know in the Ming and Qing dynasties?" Qin Lao asked with a smile.

"In the Ming and Qing dynasties, there is a saying about the management of rhinos, there is a saying of 'South Bao North', Suzhou Bao Tiancheng, and Beijing Fang Hongzhai. Especially Bao Tiancheng, who is the most famous, is known as the first person to control rhinos, and I really don't know about the rest. Mao Zhu said earnestly in front of Qin Lao.

"Well, there's that saying. Bao Tiancheng is famous because he is a master who focuses on rhino control and rarely carves other objects. As for Fang Hongzhai, on the one hand, he is the only rhino master in the north, and on the other hand, because he is a monk, his identity is special. So these two are the most famous. Qin Lao nodded approvingly, after all, the recognition of rhino horn antiques is relatively low, and it is already rare for Mao Zhu to be able to name these two people.

"In fact, in terms of rhino control skills in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, many masters in the Jiangnan area are of comparable level, in addition to Bao Tiancheng in Suzhou, Zhou Wenshu in Nanjing, Jiang Lieqing in Changzhou, and You Zhisheng in Wuxi・・・・・・ Qin Lao continued.

"Then this 'straight birth' is what you just said?" Tang Yi immediately asked.

"That's right. You Kan, the word is straight, the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, rhino horn ivory jade carving master. If you want to say who is the number one ruler, I think he is also a candidate. Why? First, he had a pioneering move, and he invented the process of dyeing rhino horn carving; Second, at auctions, his masterpieces often fetch high prices. Finding such a treasure, Qin Lao was obviously very interested, he took a sip of water and continued:

"You Kan's rhino horn works were called You Rhino Cup by the people at the time. But the reason why You Kan is not as famous as 'Nanbao North' is that there are too few documents about him that have been handed down, only a few words. But he can be called a master in this situation, purely because the masterpieces of art that have been handed down have touched the world! ”

As for Bao Tiancheng, there are relatively many documents that have been handed down, such as the Ming Dynasty Zhang Dai's "Tao'an Dream Memories" There are clouds: Wu Zhong's stunt, Lu Zigang's jade, Bao Tiancheng's rhino ・・・・・・ have been invincible for hundreds of years. This directly defined Bao Tiancheng. However, this is only Zhang Dai's own opinion. Of course, Bao Tiancheng's level of rhino control is extremely high, but I think at least You Kan is not inferior to him. Who is the number one rhino control? I'm afraid the answer is not the same, depending on the opinion. ”

Qin Lao's words made Tang Yi and Mao nod frequently. As the saying goes, listening to your words is better than reading a book for ten years, these essence assertions condensed after practice and thinking, combined with physical explanations, let the two people's cognition of rhino horn artworks unconsciously improve a notch.

"Ahh Mao Chai seemed to react suddenly, shouted violently, looked at Tang Yi and said, "You empty glove white wolf, you have made a lot of money!" ”

"I didn't expect it to be such a top-notch work of art with excellent workmanship, but your 'empty glove white wolf' is too ugly, and I spent 800 yuan!" Tang Yi frowned and said.

"800 bucks?" Qin Lao's expression was also a little unnatural.