Chapter 50: Fresh Ivory

In ancient times, Yin-Yang had a clear meaning for ivory carving products, shark teeth and shark fins, white coral, tortoiseshell, bird feathers, rhinoceros bird products, especially butterflies should not be placed at home, otherwise there will be a broken family. Vicious animals such as wolves, bears, snakes, monkeys, elephants, owls, etc. Minions, skins, etc. should not be kept at home, otherwise there will be a bloody disaster.

Since the Zhou Dynasty, China has had an ivory carving industry, and the "Zhou Li Dazai" records that the handicraft industry of the Zhou Dynasty is called "Eight Materials", and ivory is one of the eight materials. In the Zhou Dynasty, only princes could hold an elephant wat if they were in the Zhou Dynasty, and in the Tang Dynasty, officials below the fifth rank could hold an ivory wat in the Tang Dynasty.

But really spread in China, get the folk recognition, but also from the Qing Dynasty Kangxi period counting, the rise of the literati elegant play, the wind of luxury, ivory carving has also become an important collection category, at that time, the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region carved masters, bamboo and wood tooth angle carving techniques for each other, is the Qing Dynasty court ivory carving development into the peak of the time, and even has a far-reaching impact on contemporary ivory carving art. Most of the ivory products of the Qing Dynasty are collected in major museums around the world, including human figures, Buddha statues, study utensils and various ornaments.

In front of a basketball-shaped ivory carving, Su Ren stopped to look at it carefully, and He Shen introduced it attentively on the side:

"Look, master, this thing is called an ivory ball, also called a ghost ball. It is an openwork carved ivory ball specially used for ornamentation. This ivory ball is staggered and overlapped, delicate and delicate, and the surface is engraved with various relief patterns. From the outside to the inside, the sphere is made up of several layers of hollow balls, which appear to be just a sphere on the outside, but there are layers within the layer.

Each of these balls rotates freely and has the same center. And each set of ivory balls inside and outside is carved with exquisite and complex ornaments, including flowers, dragons and phoenixes, and landscape figures. The ball and the ball are connected to each other, and it is easier to carve the surface of the outer sphere, but when carving many spheres in the inner layer, it is difficult due to the limitation of construction space.

"The slave had the privilege of appreciating the treasures of Lord Qianlong, the ivory ball has fourteen layers from the inside to the outside, but it is not as ingenious as the thirty-seven layers of ivory ball in front of him."

Su Ren said casually: "Science and technology are developing, the world is progressing, the predecessors of skilled craftsmen rely on craftsmanship to create zào, making a piece of a piece is difficult, all the effort is used, and now, computer drawing, mechanical micro-carving, in just a few hours, what kind of ivory carving you want can't have?" ”

He Shen arched his hand and sighed: "The master is reasonable, it is the slave who is shallow, science and technology, and the real blog is vast, such as the driving car, what is the day and night travel eight hundred, the horses in the whole world are compared, and the TV that can play the program is much stronger than the tasteless Peking Opera, the mobile phone transmits sound for thousands of miles, and the light illuminates the night, if it is placed in the past, the slave doesn't even dare to think about it." ”

Su Ren shook his head and smiled, in the past fifty years, the development of science and technology has changed day by day, I remember the hand-cranked telephone landline when I was a child, the fourteen-inch black-and-white TV, and the Phoenix's 28 bicycle, what about now? With a mobile phone and an ultra-thin TV hanging on the wall, the brand Phoenix may be gone.

Putting down the sigh in his heart, Su Ren set his eyes on the ivory carving, and walked through the ivory carving artworks, Buddha statues, Bodhisattvas, pavilions, the more he looked, the more disappointed he became, stereotyped, no new ideas, all modern mechanical carvings, there was no pure handmade zuò objects.

The front is still noisy, still noisy, and there is a stalemate with each other, and Yin Duobao's loud voice can be heard from afar.

After a long time, He Shen asked uncertainly: "Master, do you have any feeling that these things may be wrong?" ”

Su Ren paused and asked quietly, "Tell me carefully." ”

He Shen looked puzzled, pointed to the ivory carvings next to him, and said, "Master, according to the slaves, these ivory carvings have been deliberately made old. ”

As soon as he heard this, Su Ren's head was "buzzing" at that time, and he said urgently: "Can you be sure, it's not old materials and new carvings?" ”

Su Ren's "old materials and new carvings" refer to the discovery of an old elephant cemetery and the removal of ivory to make zuò carving artworks.

Such ivory is not illegal, it can be counted as an antiquity, but if it is in the past twenty or thirty years, then the problem will be quite strict, and if you don't get it right, you will go to jail.

"Of course the minions can be sure."

He Shen approached the ivory carving, took a closer look, and said, "Master, you see, the epidermis of ivory carvings will age over time. The older it gets, the darker the yellow surface becomes, gradually changing from light yellow to turmeric, dark yellow, and then light brown.

In addition, on the same ivory ware, the color is often different shades, and with the change of color, some ivory objects will appear on the surface of a hair-like light line, and such light lines are called "finch silk". The older the tooth is, the more numerous, darker, darker, and longer the finch will become, and cracks will appear. ”

He Shen pointed to the hollow place on the chest of the ivory carving Guanyin, and said in an affirmative tone: "This ivory must be new for a short time, and the time is not more than two years, master, you look at this one, the color and appearance of the deep inside are the same, there is no finch silk, no marks of different shades, there is no difference at all, how can it be the ivory that has been old for many years." ”

Su Ren took a closer look to see that this was indeed the case, and immediately picked up the Guanyin ivory carving, rubbed it vigorously with his fingers, lowered his head and sniffed lightly, and a faint smell of fireworks entered his senses.

"Smoked in smoke and roasted in the old way."

Su Ren gritted his teeth, scolding loudly in his heart, inferior to the ninth rate, no character, the corners are really not good things, the head of the house is more, what is the opening of the incense hall, what are the rules, these ivory carvings on the table have pitted everyone at once.

Is ivory so easy to touch? Especially fresh ivory!

The state has repeatedly ordered to crack down on ivory smuggling and illegal trade, how long will it take for Dongguan to destroy 6.5 tons of ivory? There are people who commit crimes against the wind, when the national law is not a decoration?

Buying and selling antiques, there can also be a good rhetoric, appreciating treasures, is the exchange between works of art, the state turns a blind eye to this aspect, as long as it is not smuggled abroad, it is easy to do, it is easy to say.

But what do you say about fresh ivory? Once they are found, the sentences of these participants are three or five years light, especially when they are severely beaten, they simply roast the shopkeepers in the hall on the fire.

Su Ren's eyes wandered around the hall, and on the tables one by one, there were ivory in his eyes, which was not a matter of one or two points, but in terms of tonnage.

What to do? What to do!

I was getting more and more anxious, I really wanted to roar, I was afraid, Su Ren was really scared, and he would leave immediately? It's not realistic at all, I'm already involved, where can I hide if I'm hiding.

If a police officer breaks in now, even if a nest is arrested, Su Ren will not be surprised, he may not be sentenced, but it is essential to pay a fine and keep a criminal record.

Thinking about it, Su Ren could only push the problem onto Shopkeeper Li, who made him prestigious, well-connected, and qualified.