Chapter 97 - 97 Shocking the Viewers! Qianlong’s Imperial Longquan Seal Ink! (5)
“During the Ming dynasty, it was very carve cranes on paperweights!”
“Since it’s made out of rosewood, its price isn’t as high as the ivory one!”
“It’s worth around 250 thousand!”
!!
Qin Rubing stated aloud.
With this declaration, everyone now knew what the small box held.
It likely contained all sorts of paperweights.
[ Yellow Jade Chi1 Paperweight ]
[ Material: Hetian Jade ]
[ Carving: Exquisite ]
[ Value: 590 thousand ]
…
…
[ Gold Thread Nan Yin Wood Paperweight ]
[ Material: Extremely rare gold thread nan yin wood! ]
[ Value: 870 thousand! ]
…
…
[Copper-wheeled Enamel Paperweight: Valued at 330 thousand!]
[Copper-engraved Guqin-style Paperweight: Valued at 440 thousand!]
…
…
Of course, you might be asking how did these experts know the prices?
Well, that’s because there are similar models already present on the market.
Most ancient scholars also liked to imitate.
Whenever a particular beautiful creation had been crafted, or if a popular figure had used one, most would attempt to craft a variant of their own.
As a result, a large number of similar items would be created.
“Miss Qin, look, this last paperweight is much more valuable!”
“This used to belong to a popular figure!”
Wang Yousheng chuckled. He had finally found a valuable paperweight.
“A popular figure? Who could it be?”
“The great corrupt official, Heshen!” As Wang Yousheng spoke, he turned the back of the paperweight slightly. Usually, the Qing dynasty officials would mark the items they liked in their study rooms with their own names.
“What? It actually belongs to Heshen?” Qin Rubing took the paperweight and inspected it. The words, “Niohuru Hala’s Shanbao” were indeed inscribed on the paperweight.
Shanbao.
It was Heshen’s actual name.
“F*ck, how could it actually be Heshen’s? Are you f*cking kidding me?”
“Yeah, how could a box from a modern era contain an item from the Qing dynasty, especially that of Heshen’s?”
“Idiot, can’t someone from the modern republic era collect relics from the past?”
“It seems like the items in this box are much more valuable than the items from yesterday!”
“How much is it worth? Although Heshen was a big corrupt official, an item with his calligraphy and painting should still be worth a lot, right?”
Wang Yousheng glanced at the bullet comments in the livestream and stated, “As for how much it costs, I don’t know the actual value because there’s no comparison to be made. The price can only be determined once it goes on auction. However, as you can see, this paperweight is different from ordinary ones! It has a sleeping sheep lying down on grass! It has a vivid depiction of the scene, and though the carving itself isn’t exquisite, it’s still considered to be high quality! Since Heshen was extremely rich, he must have hired an expert craftsman to create this for him! Even without his personal insignia on it, this sculpture alone would be worth… 5 million at the very least!”
At this point.
Wang Yousheng had finished appraising the paperweights within the box.
“These should be ink-water pots, right?”
Qin Rubing opened up another box that was filled with some oddly-shaped teapot-like objects.
“The heck is this?”
“I don’t understand. What could these teapots possibly be made for?”
Seeing this, Luo Feng pondered for a moment before enlightening his viewers, “Hmm, how should I explain this? You know how we used to make ink, right? By grinding an inkstick on an inkstone, then, pour a small amount of water onto the paste that has been formed. This is the container used to house the minute amount of water.”
[ Bean-green-glazed scholar’s ink-water pot. Material: porcelain. Its appearance takes after a small green pumpkin with a water spout. Value: 190,000! ]
[ Qing Dai Shoushan Stone ink-water pot. Material: Shoushan stone. Its design is a cloud platform in an immortal’s paradise. Value: 220,000! ]
[ Treasure ship ink-water pot. Material: silver. Its shape is carved after an exquisitely designed treasure ship! Its workmanship is vivid and lifelike! Value: 3.19 million! ]
Luo Feng had spotted three ink-water pots, and among the three of them, the one that was carved to look like a treasure ship was the most valuable.
Truthfully speaking, even Luo Feng himself had found it difficult to believe that it was the ancient people who made it.
It was extremely realistic, to the extent that it could even pass off as a modern toy ship.
...
Back during the old ages, all handicrafts were made by hand.
As such, an ink-water pot with such a caliber of workmanship had definitely deserved to be valued in the millions.
Putting aside the ink-water pots, there were also other items contained within the small box.
Naturally, they were also highly valuable items.
It was the brush washing bowl used by the ancient people.
[ Brush washing bowl: A small dish or bowl used to clean a calligraphy brush after use. It is often in the shape of a lotus leaf, a flower, or other decorative shapes. It is a traditional tool used in Chinese calligraphy and painting, and can also be used as a decorative item. The craftsmanship and design of an ink stone container can be very elaborate, and some antique or high-end pieces can be quite valuable. Aside from its practical value, depending on the aesthetics of the bowl, it can also be used to cultivate and inspire positive sentiments in their users. ]
Naturally, the reason why these bowls were particularly expensive was due to the high quality of craftsmanship that was put into the carving and design of these bowls.
[ Jun kiln peach-shaped brush washing bowl! Value: 690,000 ]
[ Bronze gilt lotus leaf brush washing bowl: The shape is an exquisitely carved lotus leaf and lotus flower, valued at 1.29 million! ]
[ Qing green glaze lotus brush washing bowl, valued at 1.14 million! ]
[ Stone-carved lotus leaf brush washing bowl, valued at 990,000! ]
...
[ Jade-carved lotus root brush washing bowl, valued at 2.39 million! ]
In terms of price, average ancient brush washing bowls had already fetched a high price in the auction market.
However, since this particular batch of bowls had all been carved intricately…
Their prices would definitely be much higher than the usual stock!
“Oh my God!”
“How many pieces of calligraphy and painting supplies has Luo Feng already obtained?”
“Idiot, these are not calligraphy and painting supplies, they are just props!”
“Their prices aren’t particularly high, but the brush-washing bowls have seen a resurgence in prices in recent years! Moreover, these bowls that Luo Feng have found look really good!”
Wait a minute.
What was this?
Suddenly.
Wang Yousheng opened one of the boxes, which had a rather unpleasant smell festering within it.
It was not ink.
“Could it be for storing seal paste?”
“Hurry up and open it! Check the quality of the paste!”
Qin Rubing was well aware that back in ancient times, all emperors and officials would carry around a seal of their own.
Of course, one did not have to be an official to own a seal.
Some of the great literary figures, like Tang Bohu had also owned a seal of their own so that they stamp and prove that a work was their own. Naturally, in order to use a seal, one had to prepare seal paste as well.
“There’s no hurry. Let me first take a look at the craftsmanship and the material of the box itself!”
Wang Yousheng looked at the box containing the seal paste and was surprised to find that it was crystal clear.
It doesn’t look like ceramic. Could it be crystal? No, it can’t be made out of crystal.
“Could it be made from agate? Or maybe amber?”
The moment Qin Rubing’s voice subsided, her eyes suddenly picked up on something massive.
She had found something good.
“Look, what is this worm-like creature inside there?”
“The way it coils up seems to remind me of a dragon!?”
Holy sh*t!
An insect caught in amber?
This was the most expensive item discovered thus far.
Upon hearing this, all eyes were instantly drawn onto the box’s amber lid.
There was indeed a long, slender insect contained within it.
“This should be a millipede from almost 100 million years ago. It’s only 8.2 mm and has five pairs of compound eyes, it definitely lived during the era of the dinosaurs!”
Damn!!
!!!!
!!!
The surprise from earlier was washed over by yet another wave of surprise.
From afar, the creature that was petrified within the amber lid of the box had a figure reminiscent of a small dragon…
It was majestic.
“Everyone, listen to me. Just this seal paste box alone would already be worth a few million!”
After all, the amber was preserved nicely, and it had even contained a rare millipede from the age of the dinosaurs.
No one could deny that it was worth a few million yuan.
While Qin Rubing spoke, she gently opened the lid of the seal paste box and and carefully used a pair of tweezers to sample a bit of the paste.
She wanted to inspect the quality and the material of the paste.
“Master Wang! Isn’t this… Longquan seal paste?”
The moment she spoke those words, the eyes of the experts present instantly shot towards her as if they had just seen a ghost.
After all, Longquan ink was exclusively used by the ancient royal family.
The paste in which emperors used for their seals was the very same Longquan seal paste.
“Quickly! Look at the bottom of the box and see if there’s any indication that it has been used be the emperor!”
Wang Yousheng was highly agitated.
Hearing this, Qin Rubing hastily lifted the box and looked at its bottom…
Engraved at the bottom were the words “To be used solely by the Qianlong Emperor”.
Engraved in an even smaller font were the words, “There was also a line of small words, “Perfectly seamless as if woven from heavenly fabric, like the wings of cicadas still connected when spread open.”
“Oh my god!”