The author's collection of Shoushan Stone and Mountain Purple (Qing Dynasty) turquoise figure carvings
Antique appreciation activities in the Ming Dynasty, guided by the concept of self-cultivation and education, have a distinctive liberal arts and interesting style. Literati advocate elegance and pay attention to seeking antique and elegant taste in enjoying high-grade utensils. This is especially manifested in playing with stones and enjoying it.
Literati in Ming Dynasty liked to play with a fist-sized stone called "sleeve stone". They held it in their hands and played it every day, keeping the sky safe. This trend continued until the Qing Dynasty. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, a small "stone mountain" was also displayed on the desk, which was also a pet of literati collectors. "Sleeve stone" and "mountain son" are insignificant compared with heavy objects. But this gadget embodies the elegance of literati and has extremely rich cultural connotation. There are such ancient stones belonging to "sleeve stone" and "mountain son" in my collection.
One kind of stone is green with banana leaves. Green contains dark blue texture and light yellow stone skin. The base is not original, but it is also an old mahogany work. Stone height 1 1 cm, length 1 1 cm, wide bottom and narrow top. The mountain shape is not abrupt, but it is layered. Mao Yu, a bookstore with front relief, is characterized by pines, waterfalls and undulating peaks, with far-reaching overlap. The words "Yunxiu" are engraved on the stone skin on the side, and the running script is engraved on the flat side on the back: "My home is deep in the white clouds, Wan Li is ugly, and Chen Jiru is between the eyebrows." Chen Jiru was a famous writer, calligrapher and painter in Ming Dynasty, alias Mei Gong, and a native of Huating (now Songjiang, Shanghai). He is the author of History of Calligraphy and Painting in Ming Dynasty, Secrets of Mei Gong, Golden Soup of Calligraphy and Painting, Complete Works of Chen Meigong, etc. This man was born in the thirty-seventh year of Jiajing (1558) and died in the thirteenth year of Chongzhen (1639). "Ugly and ugly Wanli" is twenty-nine years of Wanli (160 1), and Chen Meigong is 43 years old. Mei Gongchu sought to burn and abandon the Confucian crown and live in seclusion in Kunshan. Pro-death, Dong Sheshan, Du Men's writings. "My Home is Deep in the White Clouds" conforms to his life experience and also expresses his life pursuit. Meigong calligraphy Su (Dongpo) Huang (Gu) is vigorous and elegant, which is no different from Meigong calligraphy style. All ancient stone players know that the famous inscriptions on ancient stones, even if they are just words, are better than gold and jade. In the old Shang and Zhou bronzes, there are many inscriptions on the small "sleeve stone", which is very rare, although it does not mean bronze inscriptions. What is particularly pleasing to the eye is the shape and color of this stone. From a distance, it looks like a fist, with the wind of a noble scholar. Close up, the patina is smooth and the color is like ancient jade, which is exciting. As for the stone species, at first it was thought to be green. Some people said it was Shoushan wormwood leaf green, while others said it was the orchid Qingtian in Qingtian stone. Several experts have their own opinions, and it is still inconclusive.
The author used Chen Jiru's inscription to hide stones and mountains.
This stone was "scoured" by an antique dealer named Qian (known as Daqian) at the beginning of this century. Rich people monopolize ancient stones, so this kind of collection is extremely scarce. I only put a few pieces on weekdays, which are lonely and often break down. It is said that most of his ancient stones were "scoured" in Qilu's hometown, and the price was not low, so the selling price was higher. In the most conspicuous place of his shop, there is a green ancient stone in Laoshan Mountain, which is nearly 1 m high, and it is inscribed by the tomb owner Liu Xihai. Laoshan greenstone, also known as undersea jade, is produced in Laoshan Mountain, Qingdao City, Shandong Province. Stone color is like indigo, and it is divided into light green and bright green, which belongs to the clear supply of precious stones. This Laoshan green rock is magnificent in shape, dark green in stone color and antique, and it is indeed the best among ancient stones. The rich man told me that "an American paid $654.38 million+",which means that he won't sell the stone unless you pay $654.38 million+. Although I love it, I have no financial resources, and I know that I have no chance with this treasure. The other day, I passed by the store with a lot of money, just to feast my eyes and admire this boulder. I didn't expect an old "sleeve stone" engraved with an inscription to be displayed at the other end of his shop, and I immediately realized its rarity. At this time, Daqian is playing poker with several peers outside the store. When I picked up the "sleeve stone" and watched it, I followed him and said, "This is new, Xiuyu's, with words on it!" His family doesn't seem to care too much either. Because the inscription of "Chen Jiru" is different from that of modern people, he may not understand it, or he knew nothing about Chen Jiru when he saw it. It happened that I had thousands of dollars in cash with me, and it only took me a few minutes to make a deal.
Another ancient stone in my collection is16cm high and 1 1 cm wide. Its two sides are embossed with landscape pavilions, and the mountains are green in the distance. The mountains below the mountain, the pavilions with fences, the rugged rocks and the gurgling streams can be described as "a place where scholars live in seclusion". Although it is a relief, it is similar to the painting style of the Ming Dynasty, especially the Wumen landscape paintings (Shen Zhou, Wen Zhiming, Tang Yin and Chou Ying), which have distinct artistic characteristics of the Ming Dynasty. This stone is engraved with the inscriptions of "Jiajing Mao Yi Xiao Yang Ri Zuo" and "Zuo Yang", which is an ancient writing. "Jiajing Mao Yi" is the thirty-fourth year of Jiajing in Ming Dynasty, namely 1555. The whole stone is black as ink, antique and bright, but there is no base. Look at its stone, like pyrophyllite, but also like lamp frozen stone wrapped through the skin. For several experts who play with stones, they can't explain clearly why it was made, and they all agree that it is an ancient stone in the Ming Dynasty. Coincidentally, the price and purchase process of this ancient stone are similar to the former, and the time interval is also very close, about one month. I got it from a dealer named Zhang in Wenhua Street. He doesn't sell it as a business, and he seems to underestimate the value of this stone.
In fact, the value of ancient "sleeve stone" and "mountain son" lies not in the stone itself, but in the historical and cultural connotation displayed on the stone. Especially those ancient stones with famous inscriptions have special cultural connotations because "stones are valued by people". I remember in March 2005, CCTV's "Jianbao" program, a Jianbao person took out a chicken-shaped stone engraved with the seal "Allow Ming to hide stones". The stone is not big, it was knocked with jade. It was bought by the treasure holder for $5,000, and the expert's valuation was 400,000 yuan. In 2006, a 12cm long Lingbi Mountain with an inscription was auctioned in Beijing Hanhai Spring Auction, with a transaction price of 363,000 yuan. To tell the truth, if I have to spend a lot of money to compete with others for such a collection at a large auction, I really don't have the financial resources and courage, but I just got it inadvertently. This is also called "unintentional willow into a shade"!
The best thing about collecting is to "find" your favorite treasure. But "gold rush" needs cultural literacy and vision. Cultural literacy is gradually accumulated in reading and learning, and eyesight is smoked out a little bit. In a sense, playing with collections means "playing with culture" and "playing with eyesight", which is what the so-called "literary eyes know antiques" says.