golden ear

Chapter 293 The Mystery of Agate
Old Tang analyzed: "The glaze color of the Ru official kiln is mainly azure, but the color will change differently under different light and different angles. Under bright light, the color will be blue and yellowish, just like the rain. After the sky clears, when the clouds clear and the fog clears, the golden sun shines on the clear blue sky.”

"And in the place where the light is dim, the color is blue in the middle of the blue, like clear lake water. The reason is that the glaze surface has oblique slices at different angles and few stars of different sizes. The different effects of the different reflections of the bubbles on the light."

"Agate?" Wu Tianyuan asked curiously.

"That's right! In the literature of the Song Dynasty, it is recorded that it contains a lot of agate powder. Interpreted from today's scientific point of view, agate is a kind of quartz, which is deposited from silicon dioxide. Adding agate powder to the glaze has a great effect on the glaze color and texture of porcelain. However, the hometown of Ru Kiln in Ruzhou, Henan Province is rich in agate, and the Northern Song Dynasty also went to mine it many times. In addition, the surface of Ru Kiln has a faint light pink luster, which is exactly the reason for the agate to be glazed. Phenomenon."

"However, Ruzhou agate disappeared hundreds of years ago and has never been discovered. This is the first problem!"

"There are also textures. The glaze of Ru kiln wares is thick, and there are a few air bubbles in the glaze. The ancients called it "few like morning stars". In the middle and bottom of the glaze layer. Observing the glaze surface with a magnifying glass, the air bubbles in the middle layer are in the shape of sparse stars in the glaze layer, and the big ones are like stars. There is a row of naked eyes between the glaze layers of the carcass of Ru porcelain. Visible large and small air bubbles are another characteristic of agate glaze."

"The viscosity of agate is so strong that the air in the glaze and the carcass cannot escape normally during the firing process, and most of it is sealed in the lower layer of the glaze; the sesame nail glaze is sufficient. Gao Lian's "Zunsheng Bajian" " said Ru kiln "has tiny sesame needles on the bottom". On the bottom of the utensils, you can see nail marks as thin as sesame seeds. The marks are very shallow and the size is like corn. Most of the nail marks in Ru kiln are as big as sesame seeds. This is another example. Porcelain kilns don’t have it.”

"The most difficult thing is the roe pattern!" Mr. Geng continued: "The roe pattern refers to the flaky yellowing on the glaze of Ru porcelain, which is different from the color blocks on the azure glaze of Ru porcelain. The analysis of the roe pattern It is different. It is generally believed that the glaze surface is small and the pieces are as small as fish roe. Xu Zhiheng wrote in "Yin Liu Zhai Shuo Porcelain": "The Ru kiln was created in Ruzhou, Henan, and it was created in the Northern Song Dynasty.The soil veins are fine and moist, like a copper body, thick and thin, and the juice is moist.Those with copper bones without lines, those with copper bones and fish roe..."

"There are various descriptions for the opening of Ru porcelain, such as crab claw patterns, ice cracks, cicada wing patterns, caviar patterns, etc. And there are many red halos in the glaze of Ru porcelain, some are like the morning sun going out to sea, some are like the sunset glow, and some are like Some of them are like the rain after the sky, and some are like a rainbow hanging in the air. They are all beautiful image metaphors. In the final analysis, the red spots in the glaze are exposed on the blue glaze, like fish roe floating on the water. For the imitation of Ru porcelain, there is another huge difficulty of an atypical feature."

The two concluded in unison: "If you want to imitate Song Ru Kiln, it is basically impossible! Not to mention you, even the three emperors of Kang, Yong, and Qian have not completely imitated successfully!"

Wu Tianyuan was also mentally prepared for this point. His idol, Emperor Yongzheng, liked Song Dynasty porcelain the most. He spent his whole life imitating it but still failed to reach the height of that time, which shows the difficulty.

"Boy, a bird in the hand is worse than a hundred birds in the forest! Since you are determined to revive porcelain, I also have confidence in you, let's start from the Ming and Qing Dynasties!"

Wu Tianyuan didn't speak, it's useless to explain now, it's not that Mr. Geng doesn't have confidence in himself, but that this millennium mystery is too difficult.It's useless to say more, just come up with some results.

"I have long wanted to reproduce the traditional skills of my ancestors. Brother Wu, if you have the heart, we will cooperate!"

Old Tang had already heard about Wu Tianyuan's details from Mr. Geng, and the cooperation between public and private would be of no harm to him, so he quickly agreed.

"I'll invest [-] million first. You prepare the venue and equipment, and I have to prepare some things. Wait for my news."

Wu Tianyuan and Geng Lao left JDZ. This trip was worthwhile. Tang Tianming's level is higher, and he is a family handed down craftsmanship. He is the first batch of suitable collaborators.

When the two returned to the capital, Wu Tianyuan asked Niu Feng to go to the National Geological Museum and borrow a piece of Ruzhou agate ore and some high-quality kaolin to find new treasures of raw materials.

Wu Tianyuan returned to Zhongyuan City, and then rushed to Ruzhou not far away. This is the birthplace of Ru Kiln, and the Ruzhou agate that has been lost for a hundred years is said to be here.

"right here?"

According to the guidance of the sample, Wu Tianyuan finally found a clue of agate near a big mountain, buried more than 100 meters underground, it was a small vein.

"Old Hu, contact the local government through your relationship. Tianyuan Mining is going to develop this land!"

After finding the mine veins, the rest is easy to talk about. The mining license will be issued in less than a week. Wu Tianyuan and Tianyuan will be there, and they will be welcomed wherever they go in the country.

"Then there's top-quality kaolin, which is also the key to antique."

Wu Tianyuan returned to JDZ, which is one of the top five kaolin producing areas in the country. The highest quality raw materials have been produced for thousands of years, which is why JDZ, the capital of porcelain, has risen.

Wu Tianyuan didn't inform Old Tang. After running for a few days, he finally found the best quality kaolin veins.

Money is easy to do. Tianyuan Mining directly purchased a first-class qualified mining group and began to formally mine kaolin and agate.This is just the first step. Wu Tianyuan is also planning to acquire a company with seabed mining technology.The sea is four times that of the continent, and there are more mineral deposits than the land in terms of quantity and types. That is the real cornucopia.

"Oh? You mean that's what happened when you entered the kiln?"

"How many layers of glaze were applied to your body?"

"Yes, what is the temperature in the kiln?"

For the next ten days, Wu Tianyuan hid in the museum without leaving home, holding the porcelain every day, looking thoughtful, and kept recording something in the notebook.The staff were very curious, what happened to the curator?
"Finally almost!"

Wu Tianyuan stood up and said to himself with a long breath: "With these first-hand information, Old Tang should be able to make new breakthroughs. These are all secret recipes dictated by the official kiln!"

It turned out that on a whim, he had been chatting with Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing porcelains, and recorded the first-hand information at that time.Many of them are secret recipes that have been lost for hundreds of years, absolute core secrets.

"The next step is to establish a brand, use the top materials and the most authentic craftsmanship to imitate the lost official kilns, and revive the status of the overlord of Chinese porcelain!"

(End of this chapter)