Although the cloisonné enamel technique, also known as the cloisonné technique, originated in the Yuan Dynasty in China and reached its peak in the Ming Dynasty, especially during the Jingtai period, the cloisonné enamel technique reached its peak during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty.
The application range of cloisonné enamel craft during the Qianlong period was extremely wide, involving almost every aspect of daily life, among which screens were one of them.
The frame of this set of Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea screen is made of fine red sandalwood, with a deep and quiet color and a mellow patina. The screen is a five-panel style, with each vertical panel and horizontal beam forming a frame inlaid with a flower board. Such exquisite craftsmanship and materials were only available to the royal family even during the Qianlong period.
In fact, screens of this style once appeared in large numbers in the Ningshou Palace Garden, which was carefully designed by Emperor Qianlong for himself in his later years as a place for retirement. They embodied Emperor Qianlong's personal preferences and aesthetics, and were the ideal of the exquisite and elegant life of literati and officials that Emperor Qianlong longed for, as well as his spiritual sustenance for a long and happy life.
Its design and production also fully reflect Emperor Qianlong's concept of "three parts by the craftsman and seven parts by the owner". It is the culmination of the Qianlong dynasty's craftsmanship of carving, inlaying, copper engraving, enamel, etc. It also broke the division of labor of the various works of the Imperial Household Department, combined the efforts of all parties on one piece, and broke through the boundaries of the objects, spreading the craftsmanship to the interior space. It is a rare masterpiece.
However, this set of screens, which would definitely cause a sensation in thirty years, was placed in the warehouse like garbage and no one cared about it. If Yang Jing had not come here this time, this set of screens, the four armchairs, the octagonal table and the two chairs would probably have been dismantled.
It would be a lie for Yang Jing to say he didn't feel bad to see such precious furniture lying here in such a mess.
Yang Jing asked Director Wang beside him: "Director Wang, where did all this furniture come from?"
Director Wang said, "These pieces of furniture are just like the bed in the cafeteria. They were brought in from outside during the destruction of the four olds. They have been here for nearly 20 years. I remember that I had just joined the factory not long ago and was still learning from my master when these things were brought in from outside. At that time, my master touched these pieces of furniture and said that they were all good things, but I never saw what was good about them. They were just some huanghuali wood. What was so good about them?"
After a pause, Director Wang continued, "A few years ago, someone came to me and wanted to buy these four armchairs. I offered 20 yuan each, but he couldn't afford it. He couldn't even afford 20 yuan, so why would he buy them? Later, someone else came to buy them, but I didn't sell them. It would be better to dismantle these old furniture than to sell them. Over the years, I have dismantled a lot of them and turned them into new furniture and sold them. Now these are the only ones left."
These words made Yang Jing feel extremely distressed and completely speechless at the same time. It really is terrible to be uneducated.
But it is not the fault of Director Wang. The old sea yellow that was sold for ten thousand yuan per kilogram in later generations is now shockingly cheap. In the late 1970s, the price of old sea yellow was 1.5 cents per kilogram. Even now, the price is no more than 30 cents!
In the early 1980s, this old yellow sandalwood armchair in good condition was sold for 20 yuan each, while those in poor condition were sold for 5 yuan each!
What if it's 20 yuan in 30 years? 2 million is just a taste of it! The price of a chair like this is eight figures or more!
If Director Wang knew thirty years later that any piece of the old furniture he dismantled could be worth millions or even tens of millions, I wonder if he would have a myocardial infarction!
It’s a pity that I came too late. If I had come a few years earlier, perhaps I could have saved more of the old furniture that was dismantled.
"Director Wang, if I want to buy these old furniture, I wonder if you can sell them to me? Well, I can buy them with US dollars or foreign exchange coupons. I really like these antique furniture."
When Director Wang heard this, his face immediately lit up. "Mr. Lin Qi, if you want these things, I'll make the decision. You can take the thousand dollars! Of course, it would be best if it's foreign exchange certificates."
Yang Jing nodded at Na Yong without saying anything, and Na Yong quickly took out a thousand-dollar foreign exchange certificate and handed it over...
PS: I would like to thank "Kunpeng3357" for the reward of 600, "Master Huoyun" for the reward of 200, and "A Little Monkey" and "Book Friend" for the reward of 100.
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