Chapter 0545 – Righting the Name

“I did see the little guy holding a drawing in his hand!”

The old man didn’t think much about it and casually answered the student’s question, only after the words came out, he himself froze slightly, he had been unable to see some object very clearly for almost two years or more.

“Teacher, you can really see?”

Fatty Jin was shocked and delighted at his words, if the teacher could regain his eyesight, it would be a great thing for the country, because he had a lot of work that was in the way of his eyes not being able to see and not being able to carry on with it.

“Seeing is seeing, you little fatty, what’s so strange about it! I couldn’t see well all of a sudden back then either, and now that I can see clearly, it’s because God is letting me do some more work!”

The old man’s life, for people very open-minded, nearly a century of wind and rain, as well as his family kind of special changes, so that it can really do glory and shame. Even now recovered some eyesight, also did not cause the old man very special reaction, just to their own again can work, expressed a kind of heartfelt from the heart happy.

The human body is originally the most complex discipline, in the history of China, more than 90 years old people’s hair turned black, regrowing teeth and these things, it is not unheard of, for the old man, can not figure it out, do not think, there is that time might as well do some of their own things to do it!

To be honest, the master’s calm attitude, let the original because of the fear of the old man what to find, and the heart of some small apprehension Zhuang Rui, completely calm down, with the idiom to describe someone who is not shocked by anything, although it is often mentioned by people, but it is the first time that Zhuang Rui see with their own eyes.

“Teacher, you and Xiao Zhuang chat first, I’ll go to the restroom ……”

Fatty Jin can not be as thoughtful as the old man, after the immediate greeting, went downstairs, looking for the old man’s nephew to discuss, to let the master go to the hospital to do a checkup, he is afraid that the teacher don’t be the age of the limit after the return of the light.

The master beckoned to Zhuang Rui and casually said, “Come on, young man, bring your painting over, where did you receive this painting from ah!”

In addition to teaching and educating, the old man’s greatest hobby is to appreciate antiques, but unfortunately, due to eye disease, these years rarely help people identify antiques, as for writing does not affect, because for the old man, writing has become a habit, even if you can’t see, you can write.

Today, the old man’s eyes to see particularly clear, coupled with a number of years have not helped people identify antiques, but also a little bit of the hunt, so did not wait for Zhuang Rui opened his mouth, he opened his mouth to ask up.

But the old man asked this, but out of politeness, because he brought Zhuang Rui this so-called Lang Shining scroll, from the bottom of his heart, is not very believe that will be Lang Shining’s authentic.

Because although Lang Shining painted a lot of court painting, but because the oil painting paper and ordinary rice paper is different, most of the oil paintings are used in the Goryeo paper, that kind of paper is thickened by multi-layer adhesive, the old Beijing, mostly used for paste windows, the texture is relatively rough, painted on it, oil paintings, it is very difficult to save.

Qing Palace oil paintings in existence, is too rare, can be identified as Lang Shining authentic oil paintings, is now only 12 or 13 pieces, more collections in Beijing and France, some museums and a few private hands.

Master once identified in the Forbidden City in Beijing, a piece of Lang Shining signed “teacher less master”, also known as the “old lion less lion” oil painting, but now is already can not be completely open, a open to be broken open, and now there is no good way to repair.

The scrolls preserved in the Forbidden City are still like this, the ones passed down to the people are even more difficult to preserve, this is also one of the reasons why the old gentleman doesn’t believe that Zhuang Rui’s this Lang Shining scroll is authentic, of course, with the old man’s cultivation, he will still look at the object and then make comments.

“Sir, this painting is I got it from a foreigner in Hong Kong, it is said that his ancestor’s Austrian, once in the early part of the last century, came to China …….”

Thinking about the old man’s origin, a serious former Qing royal family, Zhuang Rui’s words were a bit more euphemistic, did not have the heart to say that the ancestor of that ship king, was once a bit officer of the Eight-Nation Alliance Army.

“Oh? That to take a closer look, Lang Shining this person’s paintings, at that time flowed to France and Austria relatively more, not only his paintings, that is, some of the rest of the painters made by the emperor and consort’s portrait map, but also more in these two countries ……”

The old man heard Zhuang Rui’s words, face some emotion, he as the national heritage appraisal committee chairman of the time, once wrote a few books of cultural relics cataloging books, for the loss of some of the country’s precious cultural relics of the destination, have had an in-depth study of that period of history at the time, but also know very well.

In the last century, the Qing dynasty has not yet overthrown, one of the palaces in Beijing to worship the emperor’s ancestors Shouhuang Temple, is the location of the French Expeditionary Forces Command, and some of the other royal palaces, is the Austrian or German troops stationed, so there are many precious seal of the emperor as well as the emperor’s portrait, have been lost in these countries.

To give a simple example, when the German army command stationed in Zhongnanhai Ziguangge, and there is the Qianlong dynasty to store the portraits of ministers, so the international auction market, “Ziguangge ministers” first appearance in Germany, which is definitely not a coincidence.

And the Qing dynasty in the emperor portrait more out of the French Frey family reason, also lies in the Frey is the 1900 “eight allied forces” invasion of Beijing during the period of the French army’s top generals.

The identification of antiques, not only according to its stylistic features and artistic expression, but also according to its origin and heritage, as well as the combination of factors, is a very complex discipline, so the old man heard Zhuang Rui talk about the origins of this painting, immediately associated with the loss of the baby from the country out of the year.

“Come on, young man, you spread the painting slowly a little bit, I want to see it first ……”

The old man held the handle of the wheelchair, almost wanted to stand up, but still didn’t succeed, from Zhuang Rui entering into this room, he now still showed an anxious look for the first time, but this can be understood as a kind of old man’s persistence for art.

“Sir, don’t be in a hurry, it’s all right to leave this painting here for you to look at it slowly.”

Zhuang Rui smiled and first pushed the old man to the front of the coffee table, after taking the magnifying glass on the table to the old man again, only then did he open that pair of “Emperor Qianlong’s Concubine’s Garden Tour” scrolls, this scroll is very long, probably about three meters, Zhuang Rui according to the old man’s words, just spread out the appearance of sixty or seventy centimeters.

The old man did not make a sound, holding a magnifying glass, almost all of the sitting body bowed down, very carefully viewed the paper has been slightly cracked scroll, after a long time, said: “Roll these up, look at the following.”

The old man is very attached to this painting, even the inner nephew and student pushed the door into the room, did not notice, has been looking at about more than half an hour’s time, before a long breath, said: “is Lang Shining’s authentic, although there is no inscription on it, but it must be, from the material of the painting, and the style of the painting, as well as at that time the social situation, is the authentic undoubtedly ……”

Zhuang Rui heard the words of the old man, there is no reaction, because he has long been determined in his heart that this painting is Lang Shining’s authenticity, but the fat man Jin on the side was startled, he is also a painting and calligraphy appraisal expert, naturally, he knows that Lang Shining’s paintings are rare, and he did not think that Zhuang Rui can really find such a treasure to come.

Fatty Jin immediately took the magnifying glass in the teacher’s hand, carefully observed, after a long time, nodded his head and said, “The teacher looks good, from the time of this painting, that will be able to paint this level and craft oil painting, and can have the opportunity to paint the emperor’s consort of the person, non-Lang Shining.”

Fatty Jin paused for a moment, then said: “But Lang Shining’s surviving works, the controversy is very big, this painting should be from the Qing Palace directly out of the circulation, there is no celebrity collection of seal drop and Lang Shining’s own paragraph, take out will certainly still exist controversy.”

After hearing the student’s words, the old man nodded slightly and looked at Zhuang Rui and asked, “Young man, are you prepared to sell this painting? Or are you going to collect it yourself, or donate it to the country?”

Zhuang Rui did not expect the old man asked such a question, very seriously thought for a while, before answering: “Sell is absolutely not sell, at this stage is the collection, or in the future there are conditions, open a museum may be, as for the donation to the state even if, the Forbidden City has a lot of cultural relics, the country now have no funds to maintain.”

Zhuang Rui this is indeed the heart of the matter, he is at this stage and even in a long time, may not lack of money, open a museum of the mind, before also once remembered, since the old man asked, said out in passing.

Donate to the state? Zhuang Rui was never thought of, their own personal things, money I do my own museum for people to visit, always better than donating to the state in the warehouse can not be properly kept, it is much stronger!

The old man sniffed and nodded, said: “You have a point, can put these ancestors left behind the object, from abroad to get back, is a merit to the country, donate or not donate is not important, the little fat man, take my seal and brush over, young man, I’m in this painting on the inscription of a few words, stamp an Inscription, I do not know if it’s possible?”

The old man didn’t know how many people he had advised in his life to donate their collection of national treasures to the country, but he also knew that Zhuang Rui was right, and didn’t force himself at that moment.

“Can, of course can, sir can inscribe on it, that is my honor ……”

Zhuang Rui was overjoyed at his words, the old man was giving him the right name for this painting of Lang Shining without any payment, after having the old man’s inscription, even if it was a fake painting, that would become real.