BXBX NOVEL Chapter 177: Buying a Painting (Second Update)
“Boss, this painting has been passed down through generations in my family, it’s a bamboo and rock painting by Zheng Banqiao,” said the rag collector, his face serious. “Ah… our elders said it’s an heirloom and it must be passed on from generation to generation. Even if we were to hit rock bottom, we would still never sell it… But recently my son fell in love with a city girl, wants to get married, and needs to buy a house in the city. We tried to pull together the money but couldn’t. So I really had no choice but to sell our heirloom.”
“What? A painting by Zheng Banqiao?” Upon hearing this, Boss Zuo was shaking in his voice!
His face was a wash with excitement.
What the hell? Zheng Banqiao? A bamboo and rock painting?
If this is a real piece, how much would it be worth?
Would it not be shocking?
Zheng Banqiao was an outstanding figure in the history of Huaxia’s art.
The primary representative of the “Yangzhou Eight Eccentrics”.
Famous for his “three excellent talents: poetry, calligraphy, and painting”.
He was skilled in painting flowers, plants, and rocks, with a particular mastery over orchids and bamboo.
He painted bamboo the most in his life, followed by orchids and rocks.
The works of Zheng Banqiao that have survived to the present day are not abundant, so each one is extremely precious.
In Boss Zuo’s mind, horrifying figures spun round and round, and these figures were astronomical!
Zheng Banqiao’s painting “Bamboo and Rock”, created in 1756, was auctioned for 46 million in 2011.
Zheng Banqiao’s painting “Double Pines and Orchid Bamboo” on a hanging scroll, created in 1762, was auctioned for 36 million in 2010.
Zheng Banqiao’s painting “Bamboo and Rock”, created in 1763, was auctioned for 51 million in 2014.
…
In other words, if this rag collector’s so-called heirloom is a genuine Zheng Banqiao, then it’s worth tens of millions!
Boss Zuo spent most of his life in the antique collection world, but he had never managed to handle such a valuable treasure!
“Come…let me take a look.” Boss Zuo, forcing down his excitement, hurriedly took the rag collector into the side of a desk.
“Feiyan, let’s go over and have a look too.” Huang Xiaolong said, cheerfully leading Cui Feiyan over.
Boss Zuo carefully took the painting from the rag collector, gently unrolling it onto the desk.
It was indeed a picture of bamboo and rock. The painting was about 170 cm long and 90 cm wide. The bamboos stood tall and straight, reaching for the skies. Each leaf had a distinct expression, and the ink was clear, lively, mixed with light and dark shades, vividly rendering the texture of the bamboo. In its composition, the relative positions of the bamboo, rock, and accompanying inscriptions, were handled very harmonically. The delicate beauty of the slender bamboo, further highlighted the unique charm of the rock.
Boss Zuo took out a magnifying glass and a ruler, examining, appreciating, and authenticating several times over…
As Boss Zuo was engrossed in the authenticating the bamboo and rock painting, a fleeting and subtle slyness flashed across the eyes of the rag collector, but he quickly resumed his honest and foolish demeanor.
All of this was under the watchful eyes of Huang Xiaolong who was standing nearby.
At this moment, an intriguing light flickered in Huang Xiaolong’s eyes!
As though, he had spotted something!
“Hehe ” Ten minutes later, Boss Zuo put down the tools in his hands, rubbed his forehead, his face showing extreme disappointment.
“Boss, what…what did you say? My heirloom, how much do you think it’s worth?” The rag collector asked, his attitude extremely humble.
“Hahaha your item is definitely a forgery!” laughed Boss Zuo. “I thought as much, you actually think your family would pass down a genuine Zheng Banqiao? If it were a genuine piece, that would be a miracle!”
“Ah?! That can’t be! This has been passed down in my family for generations!” The rag collector beat his chest and stomped his feet. “How could it be a forgery? It can’t be! Absolutely not!”
“Alright, enough acting. Forging a painting involves three aspects, first is the painting itself, second is the signature, third is the seal.” Boss Zuo sneered. “Firstly speaking about the painting itself, Zheng Banqiao’s style can be summed up as ‘cutting back on extravagance and leaving only simplicity’, hence, his painting style is very simple. His entire picture is concise and crisp, with the bamboo clear and the stones outstanding. The momentum is spirited, the spirit is serene, and his characters have the bearing of standing proudly aloof from the world. But this forgery is somewhat more complicated in composition and the painted bamboo is too fat, which is a serious mismatch with Zheng Banqiao’s ‘simplicity’.”
“Now, speaking about the signature, the script of Zheng Banqiao is usually irregular in size, skewed and crooked, and has a rhythm that comes across as ‘scattered rocks paving the street, rushes inserted into the waves’. It manifests the artist’s free and unconstrained personality. The handwriting of the signature on this forgery is too neat and too strict, it is not Zheng Banqiao’s script.”
Boss Zuo was eloquent, the rag collector was stupefied, forgetting to continue his act.
“From these two points of view, your bamboo and rock painting is a forgery!” Boss Zuo looked contemptuously at the rag collector, “and you thought you could fool me?”
“Hahaha ?Impressive! Boss, you are really impressive! Let’s get straight to the point, Boss, how much can you pay for this painting?” The rag collector’s face changed from a simple and honest look to a cunning one.
Cui Feiyan stood at the side furrowing her brow, and said to Huang Xiaolong in a low voice. “Little Long, these two men, one is more cunning than the other, they are both bad eggs.”
“Hehehe ?They are, all fools,” replied Huang Xiaolong with a smirk, making an underlying insinuation.
“What’s your price?” Boss Zuo counter-questioned.
“Well… Boss, 200,000, and take the painting!” The rag collector gritted his teeth, his face showing the pain of parting with a beloved item.
“Still acting?” Boss Zuo’s face was gloomy. “Your forgery is traced back to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It has some historical significance and the painting techniques are passable, worth some collectable value. However, 200,000? Why don’t you go rob a bank! 10,000! I can only offer 10,000!”
Well, that’s a fierce haggle, from 200,000 straight down to 10,000.
Boss Zuo sure is a tough player!
“Boss, let’s not beat around the bush, 10,000 won’t do. How about 20,000. Really, I can’t do with 10,000.” The rag collector revealed his bottom line.
“Hehehe ?Do you think I, Zuo, am a fool? 10,000. I can only offer 10,000. If you want to sell, sell it. If you don’t want to, you can leave.” Boss Zuo squinted his eyes.
His gaze was very sharp. For this forgery, even if he were to make an offer, the most he could do would be 15,000 to 20,000. If he could buy it for 10,000, there would still be a profit of several thousand.
If the price exceeds 10,000, it would be meaningless.
Just then!
Huang Xiaolong, who had been standing quietly to the side, finally spoke up.
“Come on, I’ll offer 20,000. I’ll take the painting,” he said lazily.
Huh?
Boss Zuo, the rag collector, and Cui Feiyan all turned simultaneously to look at Huang Xiaolong.
“Pfft ?” Boss Zuo couldn’t help but burst out laughing, his eyes full of disdain, “Young man, what are you meddling in? I just made it very clear that this painting is a forgery, a total forgery. You are still willing to offer 20,000? Let me tell you the truth, even if I used my connections to resell this forgery, it would only fetch around 15,000. If I bought it for 10,000, I would only make a profit of 5,000…”