Collection of Gods

Chapter 407 The Emperor’s Nine Cauldrons

Inside the manor, the lights are bright.

Tang Yuan led Dong Wenhui and others towards home. As soon as he stepped into the door, he saw Kelly Osbourne and many servants standing in two rows, bowing to Tang Yuan in unison and greeting: "Chairman, welcome go home."

"Housekeeper Kelly, prepare tea for the guests."

Tang Yuan was already used to this battle. He casually gave instructions to Kelly Osbourne while changing his shoes.

"Yes."

Hearing this, Kelly Osbourne immediately directed several servants to prepare, while others quickly stepped forward to entertain Dong Wenhui and others as guests.

Such a battle is really an eye-opener for Dong Wenhui and others.

"Director Dong, please take a short rest in the living room. I will go upstairs to change clothes, and then take down the tripod-shaped bronze vessel for you. In the meantime, if you need anything, just ask the servants directly."

Tang Yuan led Dong Wenhui and others to the living room, and then said to Dong Wenhui.

"Ok."

"Then let's wait in the living room."

Dong Wenhui responded with a smile.

After hearing this, Tang Yuan said nothing more, turned around and took the elevator back to his room.

About fifteen minutes later, Tang Yuan changed into casual clothes, walked out of the elevator with his arms around the bronze tripod.

Dong Wenhui and others were sitting in the living room, enjoying tea and chatting. When their eyes fell on the bronze tripod in Tang Yuan's hand, it was difficult to look away.

Tang Yuan walked slowly to the middle of the living room, then slowly placed the bronze tripod on the open space in the living room, then looked at Dong Wenhui and others, and said with a smile: "Director Dong, this is the bronze tripod I bought with a huge sum of money. , you guys come and take a look.”

Dong Wenhui and others were waiting for Tang Yuan's words. Now that they had received Tang Yuan's permission, they all stood up from the sofa and surrounded the bronze tripod in a blink of an eye. Even because of their enthusiasm, Tang Yuan He was pushed to the edge by everyone.

However, Dong Wenhui and others were enthusiastic. As top experts from the National Museum, they all knew how to exercise restraint, and everyone kept a certain safe distance from the bronze tripod.

"It's incredible. The bronze tripod from the late Spring and Autumn Period is actually so well preserved. It's really rare!"

"Look, that should be the cloud and thunder pattern, but even the pattern is so clear!"

"Is this a ritual vessel or a daily vessel?"

"It's hard to say. If it's a bronze ware before the Spring and Autumn Period, you can tell it at a glance. But if you want to distinguish the bronze ware from the Spring and Autumn Period, you have to study it carefully to get the result."

……

The experts from the National Museum brought by Dong Wenhui on this trip are either top experts in bronzes or top experts in the restoration of cultural relics. They are all people with profound research in these two fields. Now, a brand new national treasure-level cultural relic was placed in front of them. They directly transformed into workaholics, and their attention was completely attracted by the bronze tripod in front of them.

Tang Yuan was listening to their discussion and discussion from behind. He couldn't help but feel a little confused. Zhou Huahai happened to be beside him, so he asked in a low voice: "Mr. Zhou, is there anything special about the bronzes of the Spring and Autumn Period? Why can the bronzes, ritual vessels and daily utensils before the Spring and Autumn Period be recognized at a glance, but the ritual vessels and daily utensils of the Spring and Autumn Period require careful study?"

Faced with Tang Yuan's question, Zhou Huahai responded with a smile: "Dr. Tang, according to archaeological evidence, China is the earliest civilization in the world to master the smelting of bronzes. Its history can be traced back to about 6700 years ago. Since the Xia Dynasty, China has comprehensively Entering the Bronze Age, bronze ware developed to its peak during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, reached its peak during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and finally disappeared during the Qin and Han Dynasties."

"During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, bronze ware was a scarce resource. Its heavy shape and orderly patterns symbolized an insurmountable social hierarchy. During this period, bronze ware was institutionalized, mystified, and empowered, making it absolutely insurmountable. Most bronzes are in the hands of nobles, which are symbols of their identity and status, and civilians are not qualified to touch them."

"According to the literature, the emperor used nine tripods, the princes seven tripods, the ministers five tripods, and the scholars three tripods. Everyone must abide by the laws and cannot exceed them. This is true during life, and it is also true after death and burial. This makes us in the archeology of Shang and Zhou Dynasties When looking at the bronzes of the period, it is easy to distinguish between ritual vessels and daily utensils, because the ritual vessels of that period were extremely luxurious and exquisite, while the daily utensils were mostly ordinary and mainly practical."

Compared to the taciturn Zheng Daoquan, Zhou Huahai was relatively talkative. Faced with Tang Yuan's questions, he first explained to Tang Yuan the status of bronze ware in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and then explained to Tang Yuan the role of bronze ware in the Spring and Autumn Period. period status.

"In the Spring and Autumn Period, the Zhou Dynasty turned from strong to weak, the royal family was declining day by day, and the princes were in dispute. Duke Huan of Qi, Duke Wen of Jin, Duke Xiang of Song, Duke Mu of Qin, and King Zhuang of Chu successively came to dominate the world. Bronze ware became a symbol of the Zhou emperor's status as co-owner of the world. , but during this period, it became a symbol of various princes and kings usurping royal power."

"As time goes by, the Spring and Autumn Period coincides with great social changes. Along with a variety of complex factors, the original divine function of bronze art gradually weakens, and the relationship between decoration and function begins to become more pure. Compared with Shang and Zhou bronzes In the Spring and Autumn Period, the bronzes in the Spring and Autumn Period realized the functional transformation from fearing the gods to paying attention to the world. People's dual needs for decoration and function caused the decorative shapes of bronzes to show two trends."

"On the one hand, people pursue the practicality and convenience of using functions. On the other hand, people are obsessed with the richness, complexity, beauty and exquisiteness of decoration. This contradictory state of mind made the bronzes in the Spring and Autumn Period, even for daily use, gradually They became extremely luxurious and exquisite, which caused bronze vessels to gradually break away from the shackles of rituals, causing the boundaries between ritual vessels and daily utensils to become increasingly blurred."

"In this regard, our experts will say that if you want to distinguish whether the bronze tripod in front of you is a ritual vessel or a daily vessel, you need to study it carefully before you can make a conclusion."

After listening to Zhou Huahai's explanation, Tang Yuan couldn't help but sigh with sincerity: "Mr. Zhou is indeed an expert in bronzes. This really enlightened me!"

"Dr. Tang, you are ridiculous."

Zhou Huahai waved his hand and replied with a smile: "The question you just asked, any person from our team can answer it for you. This is just very basic knowledge for our study of bronzes. .”

Tang Yuan followed Zhou Huahai and said a few polite words, then patted Dong Wenhui in front of him and said with a smile: "Director Dong, let's not just watch. You should do it when you need to do it, and get on the equipment when it's time to do it."

"Row!"

"You really won't see any results if you try it."

Dong Wenhui nodded, then clapped his hands, attracted everyone's attention, and said loudly: "Comrades, let's start working according to the division of labor when we came."

"It's eight o'clock now. How about we try to finalize the separation plan for this bronze tripod before twelve o'clock?"

First-class flights, five-star hotels, luxurious dinners, generous subsidies, and national treasure-level bronze tripods. The superimposition of many buffs caused the team members led by Dong Wenhui to be in unusually high spirits. When faced with Dong Wenhui's inquiries, they all responded positively response.

Soon, after all the equipment was ready, the entire team began to get busy step by step...

(End of this chapter)