Just now, Xi Qing proposed to look at things with a long history, so Joseph brought Xi Qing to him, but he didn't have much hope in his heart. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

Now, Xi Qing has no object to look at, and if he is allowed to leave like this, Joseph will not be reconciled.

"Sir, I have a Buddha head here, are you not interested in looking at it?"

"Buddha head?!"

Xi Qing has great feelings for the Buddha, "Yes." ”

After agreeing, Joseph took Xi Qing to a small room inside.

Then, a head about the size of a human head attracted Xi Qing, walked to the table, and carefully picked up the broken Buddha head on the top of his head, whose face was almost invisible, with both hands.

This Buddha head is missing an ear, except for the bridge of the eye socket and the nose and the mouth can be recognized, the whole face is very blurred, the reason why it is said to be the head of the Buddha carving, because the head is full of bulges, and Xi Qing saw the Buddha statue sculpture in the temple is exactly the same.

It's just that this Buddha's head was destroyed too much, as if it was knocked off from one ear with a blunt object, and half of the ear was gone, and Xi Qing was distressed when he saw it.

Xi Qing knew that many Buddha heads were stolen from the monuments by Western colonizers, and if the entire statue could not be moved, the Buddha's head or Buddha's hand would be cut off.

These Buddha heads, along with other looted artworks, were placed as trophies in the rooms of Western colonizers or collectors, and if it weren't for the fact that the Buddha head was too broken, it probably wouldn't have been left in this basement.

Rub, Xi Qing is cold.

If you find the Buddha body, this Buddha head still has some effect, but now it seems that it has long been missing.

Joseph has also opened a shop for many years, and there are often some Chinese customers who are interested in these broken stones that have no artistic beauty in Joseph's opinion, and now he saw Xi Qing holding up the stone statue, and immediately stepped forward and asked: "Sir, do you like this stone statue?" ”

Xi Qing nodded, but immediately shook his head again, and said: "This Buddha head is too broken, if it is intact, I will consider buying it for less than 100,000 euros, but for now...... What a shame......"

Xi Qing is telling the truth, this Buddha head has been damaged too much, the original color is gone, even if you buy it yourself, there is not much collection value.

"Oh, that's a shame......

Joseph shrugged his shoulders, he didn't regret that this thing was broken, he just regretted that he couldn't make the deal.

"If you could find a complete sculpture like this somewhere else, I could buy it......"

Xi Qing said a little unwillingly, these foreign robbers will really rob a lot of good things, Joseph's family doesn't have it, maybe someone else's family has it.

Joseph shook his head and said bluntly: "Sir, such things are usually in museums, and I don't know who has them at home, so I'm sorry I'm afraid I can't provide ......"

"Forget it, it's okay......"

Xi Qing was a little disappointed in her heart, and continued to watch boringly in the basement.

"Huh? What is it? ”

Xi Qing was under the Buddha's head, and when he saw a few rusty palm-sized bronzes, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, and as Xi Qing rummaged through it, his eyes lit up.

"Bronze mirror?!"

When Xi Qing separated the few things on the table, he also saw that these rusty objects were four copper mirrors, but three of them were too corroded, not to mention the lack of edges and corners.

There is only one piece, the mirror surface is still smooth, but the round edge and back are also covered with patina, and after a few strokes with your hands, the powdery patina is scattered to the ground.

Because the rust is too thick, Xi Qing can't see what the pattern on the back is, so there is no way to break the age of this copper mirror, but to the touch, this copper mirror makes himself special and comfortable.

"This ...... What is it? ”

After fiddling with the bronze mirror for a while, Xi Qing inadvertently faced the mirror of the bronze mirror with the light, and a beam of light that was not very bright was reflected on the wall in front of Xi Qing.

While the mirror is reflecting, it also has a concentrating effect, and the beam of light shining on the wall is obviously much brighter than the light bulb on his head, but in that light, Xi Qing vaguely seems to see something.

Xi Qing froze, his body took a few steps closer to the wall, and then picked up the mirror, the mirror was slightly sideways, and a beam of light was reflected on the wall again, this time Xi Qing's hand did not shake, he really saw a trace of image from the beam of light that was only the size of a palm.

Light and shadow?

So familiar?

Xi Qing was shocked. In that beam of light, Xi Qing saw a Bodhisattva lotus sitting statue pattern, Guanyin Bodhisattva with high temples fluttering on his head, sitting on a lotus pedestal with a peaceful expression, holding a net bottle, with a kind face, eyes slightly closed, and a compassionate expression.

This pattern is not very clear, just when Xi Qing's mood is agitated and his hand shakes slightly, the picture of Guanyin disappears.

Xi Qing immediately turned the bronze mirror upside down, and carefully observed the mirror, but found that the mirror was extremely smooth, and there was no Guanyin pattern, but ...... The image that appeared on the wall, Xi Qing could also confirm that it was definitely not his hallucination.

Is it really light and shadow?

Taking a deep breath, Xi Qing calmed down and looked at the mirror, and after a while, a strange feeling rose in Xi Qing's heart.

The moment he entered the mirror, Xi Qing felt that the bronze mirror seemed to come to life, and the original subtle grinding texture on the mirror surface was infinitely magnified in Xi Qing's eyes.

Xi Qing found that these textures are slightly different in depth, and it should be these differences that make the image of Guanyin Bodhisattva appear under the reflection of the light.

This is not the same as the previous light and shadow projection, if it was because of the natural magic power before, this time it is completely the production of the craftsman.

Could it be the magic of a carver?

Sincerity is rare.

Let's talk about the copper mirror here, the copper mirror is the mirror made of copper in ancient times, also known as the bronze mirror, in ancient times, people used water to shine on the surface, after the invention of bronze, the copper basin held water to take a picture.

In pre-Qin works such as "Shangshu", "Chinese" and "Zhuangzi", it is mentioned that the ancients "in view of water". The ancient saying interprets the word "Jian" as "basin", so it can be said that the basin (Jian) that holds water is the earliest mirror and the earliest used to reflect the face.

With the advent of alloy technology, since the Yin Shang era, there is a history of using copper and tin or silver and lead to make copper mirrors, copper mirrors are generally made of round or square, and the back of the inscription is decorated with patterns, and the button is worn with a button, and the front is sharpened with lead and tin, which can be clearly illuminated.

The bronze mirrors of the Shang, Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn periods have been sporadically found in all Chinese archaeology, and they became popular at the beginning of the Warring States period, and the output increased greatly.

In the Han Dynasty, due to the large demand of daily life, coupled with the rapid economic prosperity after the middle of the Western Han Dynasty, the production of copper mirrors has produced a qualitative leap, the copper mirrors made excellent craftsmanship, thick texture, and rich and diverse inscriptions and patterns on the back of the mirror. Later, after two development peaks in the Tang and Song dynasties.

It continued until the Ming and Qing dynasties, with the birth of modern glass, the bronze mirror gradually faded out of the historical stage.

In ancient times, the bronze mirror had a close relationship with people's daily life and was an indispensable household utensil for people, just like the glass mirror now, almost everyone had to use it.

At the same time, it is a delicate handicraft, now some large museums in the collection of bronze mirrors, are well-made, beautiful shape, gorgeous patterns, rich inscriptions, is the treasure of China's ancient cultural heritage.

The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period is a period of maturity and great development in the history of the development of ancient Chinese bronze mirrors, which is the transition stage of ancient Chinese bronze mirrors from naïve to mature, and it is also the casting center of bronze mirrors, and an important period of migration from north to south.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, on the basis of the three dynasties (Xia, Shang, and Zhou), the bronze mirror developed by leaps and bounds. Whether it is the casting process of the copper mirror, or the number of casting, it has greatly exceeded the previous one.

In the Qin and Han dynasties, the number of bronze mirrors unearthed was the largest, and the use was widespread, and the Han mirrors were not only more in number than in the Warring States period, but also had great development in the form of production and artistic expression.

As for the bronze mirrors of the Sui and Tang dynasties, there has been a new development compared with the previous generation. The tin content is increased in the copper alloy, and the texture of the copper mirror appears silvery bright, which is both beautiful and applicable.

By the time of the Song Jin and Yuan dynasties, there was no major breakthrough in the production process of bronze mirrors, most of them continued the style of the Han and Tang dynasties, but there were some more historical stories of bronze mirrors and so on.

In recent years, the number of people who collect bronze mirrors is also increasing, and the price is rising year by year.

If anyone can find the bronze mirror in the story of the reunion of the two halves, I am afraid that the background of the story alone will be invaluable.

According to the history of the development of the bronze mirror, Xi Qing can almost conclude that this bronze mirror should definitely be from the Sui and Tang dynasties, for the simple reason that Buddhism was introduced to China after the five dynasties at the end of the Han Dynasty and developed in the Sui and Tang dynasties.

To be able to express the Buddha statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva with such painstaking grinding with a bronze mirror, I am afraid that no one will spend so much effort except for the Sui and Tang dynasties when Buddhism was prevalent.

This is really a powerful craftsman, but Xi Qing doesn't know why this rare bronze mirror was lost abroad? And for so many years, no one has discovered the mystery in it.

"Running abroad to play with the treasure of his own country, Xi Qing is really speechless, but it should be good to be able to bring this treasure back......"

Xi Qing smiled self-deprecatingly, although in terms of the preservation of cultural relics, those Dunhuang scriptures and bronze mirrors in front of him could not be preserved better if they were left abroad, because in the ten years of turmoil in China, I don't know how many cultural relics were turned into ashes.

But psychologically speaking, Xi Qing would rather have the treasures in foreign museums burned than see the development of his own national civilization from other countries, not because of anything else, it is a wordless mockery, reminding China of the humiliation that China endured a hundred years ago, and this is the last thing Xi Qing wants to recall.

"I want to ask sir, what is the price of this piece of metal?"

Xi Qing shook his head, and after retracting his thoughts, he took the bronze mirror and raised it to Joseph, he was bullying Joseph for not understanding this thing, and deliberately said that the bronze mirror was a piece of metal.

"Oh, no, this gentleman, this is the mirror of your country, in our country, there are also mirrors made of metal, the price is very expensive, this is definitely not the iron piece you said......"

Joseph emphasized that Xi Qing didn't expect Joseph to know a little bit about this thing, but listening to his voice, he didn't know much, so he immediately said: "Mr. Joseph, okay, it's a mirror according to what you say, but can you reflect yourself in the mirror?" ”

Xi Qing's words made Joseph a little speechless, although the bronze mirror was smooth, but due to oxidation, the mirror became a little blurry, at most it could only reflect a person's figure, and it was not clear to see the outline of the person at all, and there was indeed a big difference between the metal mirrors made in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries abroad.

To be honest, the definition of art in foreign countries, in addition to calligraphy and painting, is very practical value, and the back of this bronze mirror is rusty, the mirror surface is blurred, one has no art appreciation value, and the other has no practical value, and it is all lost in the room, Joseph really can't find the words to refute Xi Qing.

"Well, but it's a treasure, and you still have to pay a little more."

"Mr. Joseph, if you think it's a treasure, you might as well keep it for yourself......"

Xi Qing saw Joseph standing there, his face was hesitant, and he didn't say the price, so he threw the bronze mirror in his hand on the table, of course, not with the mirror facing up, because Xi Qing was afraid of destroying the grinding lines of the Guanyin statue.

"2000 euros, if you can get the price, I'll sell it to you......"

Joseph gritted his teeth and said a price that he had in mind.

But at this price, he said it himself, and he was a little lacking in confidence.

"Are you talking about 2,000 euros? Did I hear me right? ”

Xi Qing frowned slightly, 2,000 euros is about 20,000 RMB, not to mention the mystery in the mirror, just in terms of the quality of this bronze mirror, it is slightly expensive.

But his expression was so exaggerated that Joseph felt that he had slaughtered a monkey.

"Hey, the price is not high, his origin is amazing."

"Really? Looks like you're going to make up a story for me, so okay, you think about it first, and I'm going to go. (To be continued.) )