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Chapter 574: Taotie Mark [1]

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"Don't miss it if you pass by, it's real blue and white porcelain..."

"Ru kiln porcelain, Ru kiln porcelain, good products need no further explanation, just look at it and you will know..."

"It's a jade snuff bottle, a fine piece that Emperor Qianlong once played with, and a top-quality piece that was confiscated from Heshen's house..."

"Five million, one price, you can keep the extra..."

"Mom, I want to pee..."

Chaotic noises could be heard from time to time. Zhang Wufeng stood in the crowd, looking at all kinds of people. When he saw the small vendors shouting enthusiastically, he couldn't help but feel a little funny. This antique street was like a vegetable market at this moment. It was so lively.

Zhang Wufeng walked all the way, and as far as he could tell, he had walked hundreds of meters and passed hundreds of stalls, but he didn't find anything valuable. This made him feel ashamed.

In particular, there were a lot of jade rough materials among them. A large pile of rough materials was actually full of white garbage.

Zhang Wufeng couldn't help but feel a little emotional. Although the smuggling of raw jade became more difficult after he took control of the Jade King's mine, this was mainly because he didn't want to cheat people. But at the same time, after passing by these stalls, he found that so many raw jades were basically out of stock. It can be seen that the risk of gambling on jade is really comparable to buying lottery tickets.

Although Zhang Wufeng did not use crystal power to scan at this moment, a strong man in the realm of original sin would definitely not make a mistake based on his sensing ability.

"what?"

Suddenly, Zhang Wufeng was startled for a moment, and then walked towards a small stall surrounded by many people.

"One million and eight hundred thousand! I'll give you one million and eight hundred thousand!" a young man with red eyes shouted.

"Two million, I'll give you two million!"

Another fashionably dressed woman also shouted out the price.

"Three million!" Zhang Wufeng shouted, and immediately, the noisy stall became quiet, and a series of eyes swept over at the same time.

"Three million, is there any higher price?" The owner of the small stall was a man from Xuzhou. He had a big beard and wore a dark green hat.

"The one who made the cage, you bitch." A young man from Wusheng cursed in a low voice in Wusheng dialect, and then stopped talking.

"It's really exciting. Three million, and his head was kicked by a donkey." A middle-aged woman muttered in her heart, and glanced at Zhang Wufeng again, but did not say it out loud.

"Three million, is there a higher price?" the vendor asked again.

Seeing that no one answered, he was slightly disappointed, but then he said happily: "My dear brother, if you buy it for three million, I only want a cash transfer, is that okay with you?"

His Yun dialect was not standard and sounded a little difficult, but Zhang Wufeng had no problem listening to it.

"Well, okay. You can also get cash. I'll take out the money and you can deposit it in the bank yourself." Zhang Wufeng said with a smile.

"Okay, okay, then I'll take this thing first, and then we'll go to the bank here to transfer the money." The man from Xuzhou said excitedly.

As he spoke, he spoke a few words in Xuzhou dialect to a young man next to him, asking him to watch the stall, and then go to the bank with Zhang Wufeng to transfer the money.

The item being auctioned was a square tripod with animal face patterns.

The animal-faced square tripod is also known as the Taotie nipple-patterned square tripod and the Duling square tripod. This is an early Shang Dynasty animal-faced square tripod unearthed in Zhangzhai South Street, Yuanzhou, Kuncheng in 1974. It has a straight mouth, a folded rim, a square lip, two arched ears along the edge, and grooves on the outside. The square armpit is in the shape of a bucket, the foot is cylindrical, and the belly is decorated with animal-faced patterns and nipple-patterns. There were two pieces unearthed, one is 1 meter high and weighs 86.4 kilograms. It is the largest bronze ware found in the early Shang Dynasty so far and is now in the Yunguo History Museum. The other is smaller, 0.87 meters high and weighs 64.25 kilograms, and is in the Kuncheng Provincial Museum.

Zhang Wufeng had seen this thing before, so it was not surprising to him. However, the square tripod with animal face pattern in front of him was only the size of a palm.

It is exquisitely crafted and the carvings are permeated with a special aura.

Of course, this is not the main point. The main point is that the outer layer of this thing was refurbished during the Tang Dynasty, so its age is only around the Tang Dynasty. And because the renovation method was relatively rough, its value is only about two million.

Two million is actually a high price.

But if the outer layer is removed, its value will be no less than tens of millions, or even priceless.

However, Zhang Wufeng did not have the mentality of picking up bargains. He did not care about the money at the moment, but only cared about the things inside.

"Mr. Zhang, it seems that you are very fond of bronze ware with animal face patterns from the early Shang Dynasty." The man from Xuzhou said this to Zhang Wufeng while paying attention to Zhang Wufeng's mood, as if he was expressing the weight of his words by observing his words and expressions.

"Well, I do like it a little, and I have some specialized knowledge in this area. Take bronze ware for example, this thing..." Zhang Wufeng did not lie, he said with a smile, and told some related knowledge by the way.

“Well, if it weren’t for financial constraints, we wouldn’t sell these family heirlooms.

Indeed, the exquisite bronze vessels of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, especially the bronze ritual vessels, were highly valued by the rulers. They were heirlooms of aristocratic families and were only used during grand ceremonies or sacrifices. Many ritual vessels were cast with inscriptions (called bronze inscriptions in calligraphy), recording the various privileges, sacrifices, military exploits, orders or rewards of slave-owning aristocrats, so that they could be preserved forever by future generations. The Maogong Ding in the Western Zhou Dynasty has the longest inscription, with 497 characters. The content is extensive, involving sacrifices, exhortations, decrees, wars, and lawsuits, and has the nature of a historical book. The number of tripods reflects the status, the weight of the tripod, the size of the power, and even the rise and fall of the kingship. Most of the bronze vessels are covered with animal face patterns, which are also called Taotie patterns. Taotie patterns are a kind of greedy and mysterious monster imagined by people, with horns, claws, and tails. In fact, they are created based on the common cows, tigers, and sheep. Taotie patterns are the decorations formed by deforming them. It is also an imaginary animal, with a sideways figure, horns, one foot, and a curled tail, mostly used for decorative belts. The animal face pattern is the humanization of beasts and gods by the ancients, who attempted to invent gods with the help of the image of fierce beasts. The gods also have effective appeal and can gather strength to help the tribe fight against natural disasters and other tribes. The combination of human form and animal face to form the pattern of gods is the transition of mankind from primitive ignorance to civilization..."

"Yes, I didn't expect you to know so much about this. Since you know this, you should also know that this imitation of the animal-faced square tripod should have come from the Chongguan period of the Tang Dynasty, and the craftsmanship is really not good. It should be an early broken tripod that was refurbished. Its value should lie in the inner part.

But it is impossible to judge these because they are very old and difficult to separate. So their value will not exceed two million. "

Zhang Wufeng smiled.

This is a problem that only a true master can see, and someone like Zhang Wufeng who has seen its inner meaning has reached the true master level.

This is the conclusion that a master can come to under normal circumstances.

The Xuzhou people sighed slightly, nodded, and said, "Yes, it is true, but once it can be separated, the things inside will probably be worth no less than eight million. This is like gambling on stones, but if you buy them for collection and still care about their true value, then you will fall into the trap."

"Haha, yes, that's why I like it, so I bought it for three million without saying anything. If I increase the price a little bit, not only will I offend people, but I will also waste time." Zhang Wufeng laughed.

"Well, anyway, look at this thing no matter how you look at it. If someone likes it, they won't lose out even if it's expensive, but if someone doesn't like it, they'll lose out even if they buy it at a cheap price." said the man from Xuzhou.

"That makes sense." Zhang Wufeng said as the two of them walked into the bank.

Soon, Zhang Wufeng transferred the money to the people of Xuzhou, and he also got the square tripod with animal face pattern.

"Mr. Zhang, I see that you are very fond of this. You bought it for three million yuan, and you are very knowledgeable about this. I didn't want to sell it at first, but seeing your attitude, I said so. I also have a small-sized 'Si Mu Wu Large Square Ding' at home. Do you want it? If you do, I will give you eight million yuan! You are an expert, you can decide whether to buy it after looking at the goods. This is definitely not deceiving you. You will know after you see it! If you don't want to see it, I won't force you."

The man from Xuzhou hesitated for a long time and suddenly spoke.

"Huh? A small-sized Simuwu Large Square Ding?" Zhang Wufeng was a little surprised. He looked at the thing in his hand and then looked at the man from Xuzhou.

"Yes, it's a small one, about the same size as this one. How should I put it? You'll know if it's worth eight million after you see it! My son owes usury and is being hunted by someone. I have to raise money as soon as possible. Three million would have been enough, but I still want to leave some savings for my son, but I won't let him know..."

The man from Xuzhou spoke thoughtfully, his tone somewhat difficult.

"Are you talking about the Simuwu Large Square Ding? The huge bronze tripod that was discovered in Anyang County, Kuncheng Province in 1939?"

"Yes!" said the Xuzhou man affirmatively.

Zhang Wufeng nodded. He knew that after the large square tripod was unearthed, it was too large and heavy to be moved at once, and the invaders from the State of Ju demanded it many times. In order to avoid being plundered, people buried it underground. It was not until the victory of the war that it saw the light of day again and is now collected in the Yun State History Museum.

The Simuwu Large Square Ding is rectangular, with a mouth length of 110 cm, a width of 78 cm, a wall thickness of 6 cm, a height of 133 cm including the ears, and weighs 875 kg. At that time, it required to craftsmen to work at the same time to cast it, and more than kg of metal raw materials were used. It is not only the largest bronze ware unearthed in my country, but also a rare fine bronze ware in the world. Although the large square tripod is large and heavy, the craftsmanship is very delicate. The body of the tripod is a thunder pattern as the ground, and the surrounding areas are carved with blue dragon and Taotie patterns in relief. This animal pattern is carved out through highly artistic exaggeration and deformation. The pattern sets off a ferocious, mysterious and majestic atmosphere. The Simuwu Ding represents the highest achievement of bronze casting technology in the Shang Dynasty in terms of casting technology and artistic level. Archaeologists believe that this tripod was made by the King of Shang to worship his mother, so it was named Simuwu Large Square Ding.

In primitive society, tripods were cooking utensils, and were made of clay. With the emergence and development of metallurgical technology, tripods were cast in bronze in the late Shang Dynasty more than 497 years ago. Moreover, tripods at that time had become a ritual vessel, a symbol of power and wealth. The bronze vessels of the Shang and Zhou dynasties formed a unique series of shapes. Containers include tripods, cauldrons, vases, pots, etc., and musical instruments include cymbals, bells, imitation wooden drums, chimes, etc., as well as weapons, chariots, etc. Among them, containers are the most numerous. The exquisitely shaped bronze vessels of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, especially the bronze ritual vessels, were extremely cherished by the rulers. They were heirlooms of aristocratic families and were only used during grand ceremonies or sacrifices. Many ritual vessels were cast with inscriptions (called bronze inscriptions in calligraphy), recording the various privileges, sacrifices, military exploits, orders or rewards of slave owners and aristocrats, so that they could be preserved forever by future generations. The inscription on the Maogong Ding from the Western Zhou Dynasty is the longest, with characters. It covers a wide range of topics, including sacrifices, instructions, decrees, wars, and lawsuits, and has the nature of a historical book. The number of tripods reflects the status, the weight of the tripod, the size of the power, and even the rise and fall of the kingship.

Most bronze wares are covered with animal-face patterns, which are also called Taotie patterns. Taotie patterns are a kind of greedy and mysterious monster imagined by people, with horns, claws and tails. In fact, they are created based on the common cows, tigers and sheep. Taotie patterns are the decorations formed by deforming them. It is also an imaginary animal. Taotie patterns are all sideways, with horns, one foot and curled tails, and are mostly used for decorative belts. Animal-face patterns are the humanization of beasts and gods by the ancients, who attempted to fabricate gods with the help of the image of beasts. Gods have effective appeal and can gather strength to help the tribe fight against natural disasters and other tribes. The combination of human form and animal face to form the pattern of gods is the transition of mankind from the primitive state of ignorance to civilization.

By the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty, the patterns and styles of bronze wares had changed. Taotie patterns and Taotie patterns were gradually replaced by ring patterns and water ripples. The vessels had additional parts such as lids, forks, and ears, and three-dimensional animal-shaped decorations were added to these parts.

The splendid bronze art was created under specific historical conditions by slaves who had no personal freedom but had rich imagination. These wide variety of patterns and styles not only show the intelligence and superb skills of the casting craftsmen, but also reflect the ethical and moral concepts of the slave society at that time, becoming a witness to history.

What Zhang Wufeng values ​​is not the historical and cultural heritage of this thing, nor anything else, but the spiritual imprint of the Taotie pattern itself!

The mark of Taotie!

Perhaps the spiritual mark on the big thing has dissipated, but the patterns on the small thing in front of him shocked Zhang Wufeng, because its spiritual mark is extremely vivid. If such a thing is swallowed, one can imagine how the strength will be improved!

Thinking of this, Zhang Wufeng said in a deep voice: "If it is really similar to what you said, then I will give you 10 million, of course, the premise is that I like it. Well, let's go and take a look."

"Okay, okay!" The Xuzhou man answered immediately, and then he thought for a moment and said, "How about this, in order to prevent you from doubting my integrity and suspecting that I have a gang that tricked you into going to a strange and secret place to rob you, I will ask my nephew to get it, and you can wait at my stall for about 20 minutes."

The man from Xuzhou thought for a moment and said.

"Haha, that's fine too." Zhang Wufeng said with a smile. The other party really had no intention of doing anything, but under normal circumstances, it is normal for some normal people to be on guard against strangers. Zhang Wufeng still wanted to continue shopping on Taobao, so he didn't really want to run away with the people from Xuzhou.

(End of this chapter)