For the sake of safety, Chu Chen wanted to find a suitable portable safe, so everyone did not go back to the hotel, but came to Cuiyuzhai, which was not far from the Eight Immortals.

In the reception room, Wen Yuting put the Bodhisattva statue in front of her, and couldn't wait to ask: "Brother Chu, you show me, what is so special about this Bodhisattva statue?" ”

Chu Chen joked: "What can be special about the Bodhisattva statue, it's just that it belongs to this dynasty." ”

"This dynasty, this paragraph? Where's that? Wen Yuting asked impatiently.

"I said Xiaowen, don't be so anxious, this thing won't run away on its own feet."

After Chu Chen finished speaking with a smile, he pointed to a place on the lotus seat and said, "Well, the money is here." ”

"Daming Xuande Nianshi, Brother Chu, are you saying that this is made in the Xuande Year of the Ming Dynasty? That should be expensive, right? Are you missing it again? After Wen Yuting read the paragraph word by word, she asked one after another with excitement on her face.

"What?! This is a Bodhisattva statue made in the year of Xuande of the Ming Dynasty?! ”

The three men present couldn't help but exclaim in surprise when they heard this.

Wen Yuting asked with some surprise: "What, is the Buddha statue made in Xuande Year very precious?" ”

"How can it not be precious!"

Li Guodong said excitedly: "Although I don't play antiques much, I have also seen this information when I checked the information of the Xuande furnace before. The bronze Buddha statues made in ancient times, the bronze Buddha statues of Yongle and Xuande in these two periods, are the most famous, and there are only about three or four hundred existing in the world. ”

Zhou Wenping admired this Bodhisattva statue and nodded in agreement: "Yes, the Ming Dynasty began to set up a statue building institution "Buddha Zuo" in the palace from the Yongle period, which was subordinate to the "Imperial Supervisor" and specialized in making Tibetan Buddha statues. These statues are mainly concentrated in the Yongle and Xuande dynasties, so they are also called "Yongxuan court statues" or "Yongxuan statues". ”

However, it was found that eight or nine out of ten of the existing Ming Dynasty court statues belonged to the Yongle period, and the Xuande statues were less than one-tenth of them; At the same time, it is also found that most of the statues in the Yongle period are exquisitely workmanship and reflect a very high artistic standard, while the statues in the Xuande period are generally rough in workmanship and the artistic level is average. ”

"But Xiaowen, you see this Bodhisattva, the workmanship is so exquisite, the artistic level is very high, it can be said that its craftsmanship and artistic level have broken through the routine of Buddha statue production in the Xuande period, and has a good performance comparable to the Yongle statue, which can be described as precious."

"Brother Zhou, how much is this Bodhisattva statue worth?" Wen Yuting asked with curiosity on her face.

Zhou Wenping thought for a while, and then said: "This statue is in such good condition, and the gilt on the surface has not fallen off much after so many years, so I think that the value of this statue should be at least three million. ”

"Wow, it's so expensive, Brother Chu, you're rich again!" Wen Yuting said enviously.

Chu Chen waved his hand and said with a smile: "This statue of Manjushri Bodhisattva, I didn't think about changing hands, like such a beautiful and precious statue, if it changes hands, if I want to invite another statue, it is very likely that I will not be able to find it at all." ”

Zhou Wenping also nodded in agreement after listening to it, the statues of Yongxuan Buddha are only three or four hundred in total, and there are only a handful of Buddha statues in such exquisite Xuande years. People who really like to collect Buddha statues, if they get such a statue, which one is not covered to death, and there is no accident, they will definitely not take it out and change hands.

"Brother Chu, can you tell us about the characteristics of the Buddha statues in the Yongxuan period?" Chu Yulan asked with a hint of longing.

Chu Chen said with a smile: "Xiaolan, you are really studious, Brother Zhou spoke very well just now, let's listen to Brother Zhou, it's not good to listen to me alone, change someone to talk about it, your horizons can also be broadened a little, and Brother Zhou is still focusing on the bronze direction." ”

Xijing is the capital of the Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang dynasties, and a large number of bronzes have been unearthed over the years, Zhou Wenping has been exposed to this knowledge since he was a child, so he is also mainly based on the knowledge of bronzes in terms of antiques, and it is not at all a bronze gilt statue like this, so it makes sense for Chu Chen to let him explain to everyone.

Zhou Wenping was still confident in this aspect, so he didn't shirk it, and said with a smile:

"Okay, since Xiao Chen gave me this task, then I will give you a brief explanation, but my level is limited, if I make a mistake, please ask everyone Haihan!"

"After you have seen this statue, you should know that it is still different from our traditional Buddha statues, with obvious characteristics of Tibetan Buddhism, which is also because it was an important period for the Ming Dynasty to operate Tibet, when in order to envelop the upper echelons of Tibet, a large number of precious gifts were rewarded, and the palace statue was a very important part."

"Therefore, at that time, a new model of Buddha statues was produced, which perfectly integrated the art of the two places, so that the world-famous Yongxuan Buddha statue was born."

This statue of Xiaochen can be said to express this artistic characteristic vividly. You see, the Yongxuan Buddha statue is characterized by a plump and upright face, a body with broad shoulders and a thin waist. And this statue of Manjushri Bodhisattva is such a performance, with a square face, a solemn demeanor, broad shoulders, a restrained waist, and a body carved vividly by craftsmen. ”

"Looking at the ornamentation, the Yongxuan statue is characterized by a strong sense of clothing materiality, and the performance is particularly vivid and natural, and this statue is exactly how it is expressed. You see, it was adorned with a collar and a long chain on the bodice, and a U-shaped beaded jewel on the chest and waist, which was particularly common at the time. The shoulders are draped in large silks, and the hands and feet are also decorated with skushi. In particular, the skirt and silk are expressed in a realistic way, and the clothing lines are smooth and beautiful, vividly showing the natural texture of the silk fabric. ”

"Yongxuan Buddha statues are generally used, double-layered girdle lotus seats. Lotus seat, the shape is standardized, the characteristics are obvious, the lotus petals are full, the three-dimensional sense is strong, the tip is rolled into three beads, and the upper and lower edges are decorated with circular beads of the same size. ”

Zhou Wenping took a sip of water and said: "Speaking of this, I want to say that the statues of the Yongle period and the Xuande period are a little different, the general statues of the Xuande period are a little fatter than the body of the Yongle period, the lotus petals are also more fat and full, and the curly grass pattern on the head of the lotus petals is more complicated and more decorative. ”

Let's talk about the inscription again, the general Yongxuan statue is engraved with a six-character font soft, engraved in front of the lotus seat, the shape is like this statue, and the Yongle period, engraved is "Ming Yongle Nianshi". ”

Then, Zhou Wenping flipped the statue over, pointed to the cover at the bottom and said:

"This is called the collection, this statue is good in this point, the installation is intact, you see, the center of the case back is engraved with a delicate cross vajra, and the edge of the back cover can be seen sealing wax, cinnabar and the chopping of the fixed bottom cover, these are the basic characteristics of the Yongxuan statue."

"Zuihou Let's talk about the production process, Yongxuan statues are generally cast in brass. The casting method is the traditional lost wax method in the Central Plains. The statues are all co-casting, without sub-casting and welding. At present, some imitations on the market are red copper, and there are traces of welding. ”

"Okay, I'll just talk about it briefly, Xiaochen, do you have anything else to add?" After speaking, Zhou Wenping breathed a sigh of relief.

"Brother Zhou, you spoke very well, I have nothing to add, let us give Brother Zhou the warmest applause for this wonderful lecture."

As soon as the words fell, Chu Chen applauded, and the others also applauded warmly, praising Zhou Wenping's wonderful words.

"Awards, awards, it's all because of Xiaochen's textbook-like standard statue, otherwise I'm just talking on paper." Zhou Wenping was humble again and again, with a happy and somewhat embarrassed look on his face.

Wen Yuting said with a smile: "Brother Zhou, don't be modest, what you say is good, I can go to Taobao according to the characteristics you said, and I found that it is quite easy to pick up leaks." ”

Zhou Wenping hurriedly said: "This is not good, do you think that every Buddha statue in the Yongxuan period will be like a manifestation of this statue?" Let me tell you, there are many statues that either have fallen off with gilt on them, or they are crippled, and there are very few statues that are really similar to this statue. ”

"Like we usually see, when we see this kind of statue, we will definitely think that it is a fake, let alone a stall, even if we see it, we will choose to turn a blind eye."

After Wen Yuting heard this, she asked with some surprise: "In this way, isn't there a lot of good things to miss?" ”

Zhou Wenping said with a smile: "There is only Xiaochen, a freak with amazing luck, who can always pick up leaks." Like usual, how can there be so many leaks for you to pick up? Xiaowen, you have to remember that there is no essence that is bought, and there are some hawkers who leak eyes, but the number is very small, if you are counting on this to pick up the leaks, then be prepared to use eye drops often. ”

Li Guodong saw Wen Yuting's yearning to pick up the leak, and also persuaded: "Yuting, think about it, if it weren't for Xiaochen, who have you heard of who can often pick up leaks?" Moreover, we have listened to Xiao Chen's opinions these few times, so don't jump into it as soon as your mind is hot. ”

After Li Guodong finished speaking, Chu Chen and Chu Yulan also advised her to be cautious, seeing this, Wen Yuting thought about it, and could only give up this unrealistic plan, and said a little dejectedly:

"Woo, I really want to pick up the leak, after I go back this time, I don't know when I will have this opportunity."

When Chu Chen saw her like this, he smiled and said: "Xiaowen, it's not that we can't meet again, if you have time, you can also go to Panjiayuan with Brother Li or Xiaolan to find me, and then I can also take you to visit a few antique markets in the capital, and it is not impossible to pick up the leaks." ”