Chapter 86: The Black Market for Antiques (6)

  Among these twenty or thirty items, Zhao Qirui was interested in a five-color dragon and phoenix pattern pen from the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, and he took it down for 1.2 million yuan. This made Chu Chen somewhat envious. According to the quality of this pen, if calculated at normal market price, it would be short of 2 million yuan. Others would not have let go, and the auction would definitely have been more.

  However, the highest auction price for these items was only 300,000 yuan, which shouldn't be considered particularly good stuff. Moreover, several bosses didn't even bat an eye at these things, so Chuyan felt that there should still be better stuff in the back.

  Just as he thought of this, the auctioneer smiled and said:

  "Gentlemen, the items up for auction next will surely make your trip worthwhile."

  As they spoke, a ceremonial lady carefully carried in a box of calligraphy and painting, and then carefully placed it on the table.

  The auctioneer put on a pair of white gloves, carefully took out the book and painting from the brocade box, and then carefully opened the painting before smiling at everyone and saying:

  "Look, everyone!"

  At the same time, the projector also displayed a photo of this work in front of everyone.

  Chu Chen saw from afar that it was a landscape painting. The mountains in the painting were layered, the streams curved, and the trees were scattered. On both banks of the stream, thatched cottages could be seen. The whole work looked quite magnificent from a distance.

  "It's Shen Zhou's 'Mountain and Water in Rain'!" The person sitting in front suddenly exclaimed.

  The shout suddenly raised the atmosphere on the scene, especially those few bosses who were previously unmoved, also felt a stir in their hearts.

  Shen Zhou, a prominent painter and calligrapher of the Ming Dynasty. His courtesy name was Qinan, and his pseudonyms included Shitian, Baishi Weng, Yutian Sheng, Youju Zhujushi, etc. He was from Changzhou. He did not participate in the imperial examination, but instead focused on poetry, literature, calligraphy, and painting, and is considered the founder of the "Wu School" of literati painting during the mid-Ming period, along with Wen Zhengming, Tang Yin, and Qiu Ying, collectively known as the "Four Masters of the Ming".

  Chu Chen did not expect that the first blockbuster would be Shen Zhou's work. To say nothing of other things, the transaction price of Shen Zhou's true works at the auction is not low. For example, at Christie's auction last year, Shen Zhou's "Spring Grass and Autumn Flowers" was sold for over 90 million yuan.

  Considering the size and theme of this work, even if it were a genuine piece, its value wouldn't be low. However, judging from the expressions of the buyers after they came on stage to appreciate it, the vast majority of them had a positive attitude, with only a few shaking their heads in dismay, although this could also be an expression used to deceive others.

  Fortunately, according to the rules, there were not many people who could go on stage to watch, otherwise, it would have taken a long time for Chu Chen to get up. It's worth mentioning that Zhao Qirui, who usually sits under the stage, also lost his composure when he saw such a work and came onto the stage with Chu Chen.

  This rain landscape painting is quite large, estimated by Chu Chen to be around nine square feet.

  In terms of painting techniques, the mountains and rocks are depicted using light ink washes with subtle gradations, with bold and dense brushstrokes, and later accentuated with dark ink dots to suggest moss. The style appears to be derived from Huang Gongwang's transformation, with a clear and elegant composition.

  "Autumn arrives, I'm at leisure on the creek tower, my brush and ink are busy but my mind is free. My old eyes see books as if through mist, blurry, only writing mountains in the rain." - Seal of Shitena

  Judging from the calligraphy of the title and the inscription, the lines are sharp and powerful, with a bold and expansive structure, tight in the middle and open on all sides, known as "long and strong", vigorous and extraordinary, which is consistent with Shen Zhou's style in his later years. The seal also conforms to the characteristics of a genuine product.

  So if we just look at these two points, this work should be a genuine Shen Zhou. However, judging the authenticity of a work is not enough with just these two points, and for some reason, Chu Chen doesn't have a good feeling about this work, always feeling that it lacks something in terms of style.

  Shen Zhou excelled in landscape and flower-and-bird painting, especially renowned for his landscapes, which have two distinct styles. In his early years, he mainly followed Wang Meng, and later studied Dong Yuan and Juran, with fine brushwork as the main focus; after the age of 40, he extensively borrowed from various schools, paying particular attention to Huang Gongwang, and his style gradually became coarser, forming a coarse-brush style; after the age of 60, he absorbed Wu Zhen's painting method, with sparse and powerful brushstrokes, and a grand and expansive tone.

  Its mature landscape paintings, in terms of brushwork and ink, absorbed the hardness and strength of Song Dynasty's Imperial Court style and Ming Dynasty's Zhe School, while retaining the subtlety and elegance of Yuan Dynasty's painting style, with a balance of boldness and softness.

  In terms of composition and scenery, whether complex or simple, he emphasizes the grandeur of "momentum" in mountains and rivers, changing the empty and quiet atmosphere of the Yuan people, and intentionally emphasizing the simplicity of "quality", cleverly hidden in clumsiness.

  From the style of the painting, it should be Shen Zhou's style in his 70s, and at this period, his painting style should have been mature. However, from the style of the painting, it is a bit rough but lacks some softness, the mountains and rivers look majestic at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they lack some momentum, which does not match Shen Zhou's style during this period.

  Moreover, Chu Chen also thought of a detail, this work is almost identical to the "Rainy Mountain Picture" included in an ancient painting catalog published by Wenwu Press.

  For a painter, his creation is mostly accidental. Two works may have the same theme, but it's impossible for some details to be similar, this situation is fundamentally impossible.

  "Really?"

  At this time, Chu Chen thought of a word and immediately used his ability. The result confirmed his guess that the year of this work was indeed around 500 years ago, but its true value compared to the genuine product was simply incomparable.

  Combining the results of the heterogeneity test and examining the title, signature and seal, this should be a substitute work by Shen Zhou.

  After Chu Chen came to this conclusion, thinking of the performance of so many people on the scene, he couldn't help but think, who would be the unlucky one later? Suddenly, his gaze swept away and saw Yu Guangjie and Qian Changxing discussing something happily, a wave of disgust rose in his heart.

  When Chu Chen first saw Yu Guangjie, he didn't like him very much. Yu Guangjie's gaze seemed to carry a hint of disdain, which made Chu Chen particularly disgusted. Thinking of Qian Changxing on the other side, Chu Chen had a premonition that there would be conflicts between the two men sooner or later.

  As he thought of this, a sudden inspiration struck him - perhaps this piece would be an opportunity.

  Zhao Qirui returned to his seat and eagerly asked Chu Xun, "Little Chu, how is this painting? If it's good, I'll buy it as a birthday gift."

  Chu Chen smiled and nodded, saying in a low voice: "Zhao Ge, this painting is problematic. If you believe me, it's best not to buy it."

  Zhao Qirui was taken aback after hearing this, thinking that the painting looked quite good. He asked in a puzzled tone, "But isn't that wrong? I've seen Shen Zhou's calligraphy works before, and this character is undoubtedly written by him personally."

  "The words match, but the pictures don't." After all, at an auction, it's best not to say too much. Chu Chen's words were brief and to the point.

  Zhao Qirui thought that Chu Chen wouldn't shoot without a target, and after listening to this explanation, he hesitated for a moment before nodding slightly.

  Seeing this, Chu Chen also made a timely eye gesture towards him, and then pointed slightly in the direction of Yu Guangjie.

  Zhao Qirui understood his meaning at a glance, so he smiled and nodded slightly.

  When the last person on stage returned to his seat, the auctioneer smiled and said: "I won't introduce the painting anymore. I suppose everyone has understood it. Now let's start the bidding without a reserve price. Please make your bids."

  As soon as the words fell, the scene was silent, and everyone was thinking about the valuation of this work with their heads down.

  About half a minute later, someone spoke up and said: "Three million!"

  "Five hundred thousand, I say Old Meng, you quote this price and don't feel embarrassed?" The person quoting the price sneered, presumably not getting along with Old Meng.

  "Six hundred thousand!" The others didn't bother with them either and continued bidding.

  "800,000!"

  The price soared rapidly, breaking through one million, one and a half million, two million...

  It reached 23 million, and the bidders began to dwindle, but after reaching 10 million, it was only those few who had been quietly waiting at the fishing platform.

  In fact, the auction in the black market also has a drawback, that is, everyone must use cash for transactions, which leads to the final price not being too high. Think about it and you'll know, just 5 million yuan weighs over 100 kilograms, not to mention safety, packing and carrying are very troublesome, let alone tens of millions.

  "Twenty-four million!"

  "Twenty-five million!" At this time, Yu Guangjie also quoted a price, which made Chu Chen and others feel a thrill.

  After a while, another boss quoted: "28 million!"

  After all, who isn't a fool, now the collection world is getting hotter and hotter. As the saying goes, "Antiques in prosperous times, gold in chaotic times."

  Works like Shen Zhou's, even now, may not be bought at an auction for $4 million, and since it is a prosperous era, such works will definitely appreciate in value. This is more cost-effective than keeping gold or jewelry at home.

  "Two hundred and ninety thousand!" Yu Guangjie also refused to fall behind.

  "Three million two hundred thousand!" The boss just now seemed to be determined and directly added three hundred thousand.

  The two of them took turns bidding, and in an instant the price rose to 39 million. The man hesitated for a long time, but ultimately let out a sigh. He had only brought 35 million in cash this time, and even with the premium, it was still only 38 million. It was truly a case of having the heart but not the means, and he could only shake his head in disappointment.

  Upon seeing this, Yu Guangjie proudly and complacently glanced around in all directions, with a self-satisfied expression, causing the people around him to frown.

  "Four million three hundred thousand!" Zhao Qirui smiled and quoted a price.

  "Ah!"

  Yu Guangjie heard this price, as if he had eaten a fly, and Zhao Qirui was not casually reporting the price. Ah Chao's eyes were very sharp, and from the bodyguard who helped Yu Guangjie carry the money, he estimated that the amount of money Yu Guangjie brought this time should be around 4.5 million.

  Yu Guangjie had not participated in the bidding before, so Zhao Qirui thought he opened 4.3 million just right.

  At this time, Yu Guangjie was very entangled, he didn't have the right to premium.

  If he buys this piece of work, then he will be unable to afford anything else that catches his eye afterwards.