Chapter 0640 – Oddities (V)

Bas Gimme put that thick kraft paper file bag, handed it to Zhuang Rui, said, “Mr. Zhuang, when Mr. and Mrs. Frey donated to the Gimme Museum and Louvre respectively, the list of items, are all in here, you look at it first!”

Bass at noon let people rummage around for a long time before finding this information from the archive room, he himself did not have time to look through it, Zhuang Rui and others arrived.

Zhuang Rui took over this kraft paper bag, touching it, he felt that on the surface of the kraft paper, there is still a thin layer of dust, it must be that this big bag of dossiers, has been dusty for a long time.

Deep breath, Zhuang Rui slowly opened the kraft paper bag, in this moment, Zhuang Rui feel as if he opened a door, a door leading to a hundred years ago that burned with the fire of the Yuanmingyuan.

Yuanmingyuan old site of the burning, so that many historical past is unverifiable, and inside the lost Chinese antiques and cultural relics, but also became a mystery, in the end, was once the Eight-Power Allied Forces robbed how many things, so far, is still a very controversial topic in the country.

But now Zhuang Rui, feel that he has touched the history of that year, although only for the invasion of China at the time of a country, but the conclusion inferred from this, I believe that it is more accurate than those experts in the country’s guess, a little more accurate.

Open the sealed file, Zhuang Rui reached out from the inside of a thick stack of documents, through the light of the bright glass window irradiated into the light, Zhuang Rui can clearly see, the top of the document, is a decree, written in English and French two languages, and in the signature below, is the famous General de Gaulle.

Carefully check the content of this decree, but was the French President de Gaulle, accept Frey donated Chinese cultural relics of the original file, donated items of the time span, for the 1914 to 1934.

But the time of signing the decree, but in the period of de Gaulle’s administration, that is, after 1945, may be in the Louvre handed over this file to the Guimet Museum signed, there is also the signature of Frey’s widow.

Other not to mention, just this slightly yellow paper, can be considered a piece of antique, these once recorded history of a certain time things, in the eyes of history scholars, extremely research and collection value.

As in ancient China’s sacred decree in general, survived to today, none of them are valuable precious cultural relics.

Zhuang Rui carefully put the decree signed by Charles de Gaulle to one side, continue to look down, behind the seven or eight pieces of paper, are some letters, including Frey and the Louvre at the time, as well as the curator of the Guimet Museum of correspondence.

However, these letters are all written in French, if it is not beside Qin Xuanbing know French, Zhuang Rui really can not read what is written above.

With Qin Xuan Bing’s translation, Zhuang Rui and Huangfu Yun’s face, become all not very good, because in 1914 Frey and the then director of the Guimet Museum of a letter written: “I have these Oriental works of art, are from the Shouhuang Temple in Beijing to worship the ancestors of the emperor one of the halls of the Shouhuang Temple of the main hall …… the site of the French Expeditionary Command.”

Looking at these letterheads of the parties involved a hundred years ago, Zhuang Rui and Huangfu Yun’s hearts are mixed feelings, a strong country is a strong people, a weak country is a weak people, in the eyes of Zhuang Rui and others, these things are extremely dishonorable, but in the hearts of those invaders, perhaps it is something that they have been proud of all their lives and proclaimed everywhere.

Shook his head, Zhuang Rui skipped this letter, let Qin Xuan Bing continue to explain.

After listening to Qin Xuanbing word by word, Zhuang Rui finally understood the Frey family and its relatives donated part of the Chinese works of art of the event, and for many domestic experts have been very confused about some of the questions, in these letters, also have answers.

Since the 1980s, oil portraits of Chinese imperial concubines from the Qing Dynasty that have appeared in international auctions have been mysterious and unknown to the world, and there have been many kinds of speculations about their origins.

But through these letters, it is clear that all the oil portraits are from the hands of the Frey family, in addition to their donation to the museum, there are more than 10 portraits of Qing imperial concubines, into the international auction market.

And the Frey family donated to the Guimet Museum and the Louvre of Chinese art, a total of 18 pieces, and these 18 pieces of the collection of fine art, there are three pieces of Lang Shining’s oil paintings, respectively, Lang Shining’s four volumes of Mulan, the Kazakh Tribute to the Horse Figure, the first volume of the South Tour of Kangxi.

There are also nine from the rest of the few palace painters handwriting of the western style painting painted by the Qianlong emperor and consort portrait oil paintings, in Beijing and Taiwan Palace Museum are rare to see the Qing emperor oil paintings, in the Jimei Museum, there are actually as many as twelve.

Zhuang Rui sighed in his heart, due to the Qing Palace oil paintings are too rare, the domestic research of such works of scholars and experts, there is almost no information to refer to the comparison, if he can bring these paintings back, I think it can fill a gap in the history of domestic art.

List of the remaining works of art, also mostly Chinese ancient paintings, but the author of one of the above, are written in unknown words, in addition to the Kangxi Emperor’s imperial “Peiwenzhai” twelve groups of jade seals and a side of the Qianlong “Emperor’s treasure” seal.

These things look in the eyes of Zhuang Rui, is also valuable, China’s emperors, in addition to the Tang Ming Huang was his son under house arrest for a few years to do the emperor, Song Weizong those two living treasure father and son, the rest have done the emperor, there is only the Qianlong emperor, his side of the seal, it should be more collectible.

After inspecting the list, Zhuang Rui raised his head and said to Bass, “Mr. Bass, forgive me for taking the liberty to ask, in your pavilion’s booth, it seems that there isn’t any of the works on this list!”

Although Zhuang Rui has not seen these things in kind now, but in his heart, all of these objects can be called priceless treasures, Zhuang Rui does not know why the Jimei Museum does not put them on display, if they ever appeared in the pavilion, I believe that in the country would have long been spread out.

“Ahem, Mr. Zhuang, you have to know, we have a total of tens of thousands of pieces of art from the East in the museum, but the booths are not as many as this …… so there are a lot of collections that do not have the opportunity to appear in the museum.”

Bas Gimme heard Zhuang Rui’s words, very unnatural cough a few times, in fact, his words only said half of the reason, the Gimme Museum is indeed a rich collection, but these oil paintings as well as jade seals are not displayed in the museum of the main reason, but still the museum is not very much attention to this.

Europeans have never appreciated Chinese ancient paintings, in their view, those more abstract paintings have no sense of beauty to speak of, the characters are uniform, can not see the facial expression, and the landscape painting is also fuzzy and hazy, so that people can not recognize, far less than the European realistic school of painting to see comfortable.

So in the early years, Chinese ancient paintings in the international market price is not very high, foreign collectors are not very pay attention to the collection of Chinese paintings, even if there is, but also mostly be collected in the hands of some Chinese abroad.

Until some Chinese oil painting masters in recent years, such as Chen Yifei and other people in the international market, only to make the ancient paintings have been respected by some, and by the international art market speculators, began the price speculation.

On the contrary, Chinese bronzes, as well as jade and Buddha sculpture, has been highly respected by foreign collectors, so these objects to get the opportunity to display, to be far greater than those paintings, and thus Zhuang Rui in the Jimei Museum to see, but also most of these things.

Like Frey donated these Qing Palace collection, to put it bluntly, has been in the Ji Mei Museum warehouse, stored more than half a century of time, if not Zhuang Rui this request, I’m afraid that is another half a century, don’t know whether can get to see the light of day?

After hearing the words of Bass-Guimei, Zhuang Rui and Huangfu Yun glanced at each other, the heart is like a mirror, Guimei Museum of these moves, fully explains this batch of cultural relics in their hearts, and does not occupy how important position.

After Zhuang Rui thought for a while, he put his eyes on Bass and said, “Mr. Bass, this batch of paintings and calligraphies donated by Frey, which were plundered from our country’s Yuanmingyuan, I think that they can be used as part of this transaction, in addition, among some of the artworks displayed in your museum, I would like to pick out a few more, what do you mean? ”

Hearing Zhuang Rui open the bargaining chips for the deal, Bas, who was originally relaxed, sat up straight, but with the sound of Zhuang Rui’s words, his brows tightened.

“Mr. Zhuang, may I ask how many Picasso’s works you can take out for this collection exchange?”

As soon as Zhuang Rui opened his mouth, he wanted to exchange all the Frey donated items, and also asked to pick a few pieces inside the collection artwork, which was unacceptable to Bass, knowing that the antiques that were placed in the museum for the exhibition were the essence among the finest items, even if Bass was willing to do so, I’m afraid that there would be dissenting voices in the board of directors.

“Five!”

Zhuang Rui stretched out a palm and said, “I will take out five of Mr. Picasso’s sketches in exchange for these 18 pieces of Chinese artworks donated by Frey, and in addition in the museum, I will also pick three more things.”

“Oh, no …… no way, oh my god, Mr. Zhuang, your offer is simply robbery, this is absolutely impossible.”

After hearing Zhuang Rui’s words, Bas Gimei violently stood up from the sofa with an unbelievable expression on his face, although he intended to offer those Frey’s donations, but how could he not expect that Zhuang Rui was actually willing to give only five Picasso’s sketches.

The difference between this and Bas Jimei’s mental expectations is really a little too big.