Reborn Treasure Appraiser: I Really Didn’t Want to Be an Expert

Chapter 85: Zhao Mengfu's "Heart Sutra"?
The woman's goal is clear and she is very motivated.

The colleagues were very restrained, but when their eyes passed over Ye Anning, a hint of sarcastic smile would still appear at the corners of their mouths.

This kind of excitement must have been seen for many days, right?
Wang Qizhi was too lazy to bother with the woman anymore and frowned: "Ye Anning, where are the things?"

"I'll get it!"

Ye Anning turned and left. After a while, he came out holding a long box and placed it on the coffee table.

The teacher and student looked at each other, Lin Sicheng sat down and took the tool kit from Wang Qizhi.

It was a bit abrupt and the onlookers were confused.

It was Ye Anning's uncle who said he wanted to solve the problem, and it was also he who said he understood the appreciation, but why was it the young man following behind who sat down?
She looks pretty and calm. She's not nervous at all when being stared at by so many eyes.

But he is too young, only about twenty years old at most.

If he were ten years older, women might be intimidated. But his handsome features, the slightly milky youthfulness between his eyebrows, and his forced seriousness made him seem a little funny.

The woman raised her eyebrows, her tone teasing: "Little brother is really handsome!"

Lin Sicheng didn't say anything and opened the bag.

The woman persisted, "Are you Assistant Ye's brother, or her boyfriend?"

Lin Sicheng still didn't say anything, but frowned and looked at her.

His expression was calm and his eyes were not sharp, but the woman felt that those two gazes were like two knives, stabbing straight at her.

The woman was annoyed and curled her lips, her eyes seemed to say: Have you grown all your hair yet? Are you trying to imitate others in looking at antiques?

In fact, he wasn't the only one; most of the colleagues watching had similar expressions: So-called appraisal relies on experience, vision, and knowledge. And which of these doesn't require years of accumulation?

Among them were many senior people who had been in the industry for more than ten years, such as directors and supervisors. Not to mention the young man in front of them, they had only seen people of Ye Anning's uncle's age a few times.

Curious as they were, they couldn't just sit back and watch the fun. After the staff dispersed, only the two leaders and Teacher Ma remained.

Lin Sicheng took the tools one by one slowly and then opened the box.

But as soon as he opened the lid of the box, he was stunned: How strange, it turned out to be a Sanskrit calligraphy, and it was a horizontal scroll.

Unfortunately, there is only half a page, which is a fragment.

To the untrained eye, it seems out of place and misplaced. However, those who are knowledgeable know that many famous scholars in history have copied Sanskrit Buddhist scriptures, and many original copies have been preserved.

Earlier, Zhang Jizhi, known as one of the "Five Masters of the Southern Song Dynasty", wrote a bilingual Sanskrit-Chinese copy of the Diamond Sutra.

Later, there was a Sanskrit-Chinese bilingual album of the Heart Sutra written by Zhao Mengfu of the Yuan Dynasty. Both of these pieces are collected in the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

Later, there was the Sanskrit-Chinese bilingual copy of the Diamond Sutra, commissioned by Zhu Di and handwritten by Xie Jin. Even later, there were the "Zunsheng Mantra," "Mahavairocana Sutra," and "Heart Sutra," all written by Emperor Qianlong.

The following paintings are all kept in the Palace Museum.

There are also many works circulating among the people: Xianyu Shu and Deng Wenyuan in the Yuan Dynasty, Wen Zhengming and his son, Tang Yin, and Shen Zhou in the Ming Dynasty, Fu Shan, Wang Duo, Liu Yong in the Qing Dynasty, and so on.

There are more painters: Bada Shanren, Shitao, Guanxiu, Ju Ran... Almost all painters who have been monks were spared.

As to whether it is true or false, it depends on one's own opinion.

A quick look at this painting reveals that there is not a single Chinese character in the entire painting, only Sanskrit, which is truly rare.

After a rough scan, Lin Sicheng picked up the magnifying glass and flashlight: According to the old rules, when looking at a painting, you must first determine the age, and to determine the age, you must first look at the mounting.

But just one glance, Lin Sicheng's eyelids couldn't help but jump: Dark Flower World Backer?
This is a unique mounting style of the Yuan Dynasty: the heaven and earth refer to the borders on both sides of the painting paper. In the Song Dynasty, the upper layer was made of brocade and the lower layer was made of silk, and they were colorful.

During the Yuan Dynasty, the material used for mounting was changed to damask, advocating a simple, elegant style, with the mounting not detracting from the painting. The Ming Dynasty, inheriting the Song Dynasty's culture, further adapted it, primarily using brocade and silk. Damask was occasionally used, but with a focus on color and color. It wasn't until the mid- to late-period Suzhou mounting boom that plain damask began to be used, often with bright patterns, creating a more striking visual effect.

This one is made of plain silk with dark patterns.

The same goes for the so-called back mount: both the Song and Ming dynasties paid attention to thin mounting, and with excellent craftsmanship, generally only two layers of paper were mounted on the back: one layer for the base and one layer for the cover.

Only in the Yuan Dynasty, due to the influence of religious elements and the deterioration of papermaking and mounting technology, the mounting became extremely thick and was jokingly called "back support".

Like this one, it is mounted with four layers of paper.

Of course, whether it is the sky and the earth or the mounting and pasting, it only refers to the style. In modern times, people can imitate it however they want.

The problem is, the more Lin Sicheng looked at it, the more he felt that the silk and paper on it were real things?
Look carefully: the silk used is Jiangnan silk, which is soft and long, with fine and uniform silk quality, light and smooth texture, and is woven with double warp and double weft, with high density and wear resistance.

The background pattern is the "eight-petal lotus" unique to the Yuan Dynasty, decorated with curling grass patterns in between, and the layout is symmetrical and regular.

There are obvious signs of oxidation and some fading, but the silk is still flexible... In other words, these strips on the scroll are the blue silk from the Yuan Dynasty.

But a problem arose: during the Yuan Dynasty, social classes were strictly enforced, and craftsmanship deteriorated. Most Ling silk was not dyed, and those that were dyed only in the common red, green, and black. Only a few items used in the imperial court were dyed in the indigo blue color, which was both expensive and complex.

Moreover, after hundreds of years, the texture is still flexible and the color is still bright. There is only one possibility: this is tribute silk from the Yuan Dynasty.

It’s not that ordinary people are not allowed to use it, but it’s ridiculously expensive, and only the powerful can afford it.

Turn it over and look at the mounting: four layers of mounting, all made of mulberry paper dyed with Huangbo (Phellodendron chinense bark).

Similarly, it is unique to the Yuan Dynasty.

Look at the only remaining shaft: Huh... ivory?
Although the axis head is expensive, its decorative style is extremely simple, with only sparse linked bead patterns engraved on it... This is also quite consistent with the characteristics of the Yuan Dynasty: precious materials are bone, and simple and elegant patterns are on the surface.

But it's not surprising, if it was an ordinary wooden shaft or a gilded shaft, it would not be worthy of the three green silks.

Finally, Lin Sicheng picked up some paste from the broken seam of the mounting and tasted it: wheat flour was added with alum to prevent moth damage, and a small amount of honey and sugar was mixed in. It not only enhanced the stickiness but also made it easier to remove the mounting and repair... This formula was only available in the Yuan Dynasty.

Therefore, whether it is the silk, the backing paper, the axis head, the materials used for mounting, or even the mounting style, all point to the middle and late Yuan Dynasty.

The overall style is unified, the characteristics of the era are obvious, and there are no traces of modern imitation or forgery.

As the saying goes, they are similar in every way.

But then again, if this calligraphy is really from a famous Yuan Dynasty artist, there is absolutely no reason for Baoli not to collect it.

If you think about it this way, is there something wrong with the painting?

Lin Sicheng turned his thoughts and turned on the flashlight.

The content is the Heart Sutra, whose full name is the Mahaprajnaparamita Heart Sutra.

The standard Sanskrit seed character. In Tantric Buddhism, the seed character is the "heart seal" of Buddha and Bodhisattva, symbolizing the origin of the universe.

To put it simply: it has its own magic power.

It is also very well written: it has the ancient and mysterious feeling of Sanskrit, while also retaining the rigorous structure and clear pattern of Chinese regular script.

What is rare is that it combines the strengths of many schools, is round, vigorous, and beautiful, and has a coherent spirit. And there are also some subtle traces of softness on the outside and strength on the inside, and a charm contained in the elegance...

Seeing this, Lin Sicheng frowned subconsciously: Exquisite brushwork and harmonious composition are only one aspect, the key is, this brushwork, this character style... why do they look so familiar?

But then again, how many chapters of the Heart Sutra in pure Sanskrit have I read?
After a brief recollection, Lin Sicheng's pupils shrank: the album of "Heart Sutra" written in Sanskrit and Chinese by Zhao Mengfu of the Yuan Dynasty, treasured in the National Palace Museum in Taipei?
He closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them again, his eyes gleaming with light: two Heart Sutras, the handwriting was almost identical...

(End of this chapter)