Chapter 113 The Five-Beamed Golden Silk Prince Consort's Crown (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets 5/5)
"How did he combine these techniques?"
Lin Sicheng thought for a moment: "I guess it's a thin layer (Tang gold clay), then a thick layer (Ming gold clay)! The thin layer is baked over charcoal (Tang method), and the thick layer is precisely temperature-controlled (Ming method)..."
Wang Qizhi understood the principle, of course, but he just didn't quite understand: "What's the significance?"
Lin Sicheng succinctly stated: "Simulation!"
After a moment's thought, Wang Qizhi suddenly realized: Over a thousand years have passed since the Tang Dynasty. As time goes by, gold molecules mix with each other, mercury molecules slowly dissipate, and the gaps in the gilded layers gradually shrink, making the gold layer increasingly dense.
However, the genuine article has not reached the point where the gaps have completely disappeared. When observed under high magnification, the boundaries of the layers can still be seen.
Therefore, in order to make the imitations as realistic as possible, counterfeiters use this revolutionary gilding technique: the gilding layer must be solid, yet traces must be left.
After pondering for a moment, Wang Qizhi glanced at the price tag and his eyes widened slightly: 150,000? And it was clearly written: counterfeit.
But don't doubt it, if someone actually buys it, they're definitely not out of their mind.
You can buy them, bury them in a pit, or use other methods to ferment them for two or three years, then dig them up and sell them as freshly buried goods.
Even three million would be too low for you; even if you realize you've been scammed, you won't dare to sue...
Wang Qizhi examined it for a moment: "How about we make a replica of it too?"
“I can copy it,” Lin Sicheng said hesitantly, “but teacher, where will we put it?”
Wang Qizhi was stunned.
He wasn't doing it for the money: because it takes too long, even a small replica like this would take years to make.
In a year, if he repaired a few more bronze pieces and Lin Sicheng repaired a few more porcelain pieces, they would have earned back the 150,000 yuan they had earned in ten years.
Wang Qizhi was just itching to try it.
But to be honest, this thing is just a bronze-cast tomb, and I really don't know where to put it.
"Never mind then!"
Wang Qizhi looked around again, then pointed to a beaded crown: "Hmm, this should be a phoenix crown, but the design is a bit strange?"
Lin Sicheng glanced at it: "It does look a bit strange, somewhat like... a phoenix crown worn by female officials in the Tang Dynasty?"
"Is that unlikely?" Wang Qizhi rarely questioned. "I can understand adorning it with pearls and phoenix-winged hair ornaments, but a gold-threaded headdress? I don't recall that."
Lin Sicheng thought for a moment and said, "It's probably a fake."
"I know it's a replica!" Wang Qizhi tried hard to recall, "But which one?"
"A fake..."
Lin Sicheng responded subconsciously, but after uttering just two words, he suddenly paused: "Yeah, which one is it a replica of?"
The five beads on the forehead reveal that this type of crown was designed specifically for high-ranking female officials, unique to the Tang Dynasty, and only available during the reigns of Empress Wu Zetian and Emperor Xuanzong. Those qualified to wear it were undoubtedly the emperor and empress, or close female officials serving the crown prince, such as the famous Shangguan Wan'er.
Therefore, very few were made at the time, and not a single physical artifact has survived.
There are relevant documents and illustrations, but only one:
It was engraved on the wall of the outer coffin of Li Chongrun, the grandson of Wu Zetian, son of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, and Crown Prince Yide.
The theft was discovered in 1970. After a rescue excavation, all the artifacts except for the immovable ones were sent to the Shaanxi History Museum.
Later, through joint restoration by the Shaanxi History Museum, the National Museum of China, and the Palace Museum, the two female officials depicted on the outer coffin wall roughly looked like this:
Therefore, apart from the different colors of the five beads on the forehead, this crown is basically the same as the two crowns in the picture in terms of size, shape, decoration, beaded beam, and even the phoenix wing hair ornament.
The problem is that only the image was restored, not the crown. In fact, the restored image didn't appear until 2022.
Therefore, Wang Qizhi had absolutely no recollection of it.
But then another question arises: how was this gold-threaded crown replicated?
Suddenly, Lin Sicheng made a deduction: this crown was definitely made by a researcher from the Shaanxi History Museum, or at least it was his composition and design.
It was because he participated in the restoration research of the "Imperial Crown Prince Yide's Coffin and Palace Maids Picture" that he was able to replicate this crown to such an extent.
Looking at the bronze pagoda next to it, as well as the gold bracelet and agate cup from yesterday, the answer is obvious: remove the part after "at least", and 99% of the time, this crown is a replica made by researchers from the Shaanxi History Museum.
Looking at the craftsmanship: the crown is made primarily of filigree inlay. Then, copper-silver alloy wires are drawn, then gold-plated, and finally woven into a mesh structure.
The crown is carved with phoenixes and intertwined floral patterns using sharp chisels. The phoenix wings are covered with gold leaf, while the floral patterns are outlined with finer gold wire, and then cinnabar, azurite, and granulated beads are added to create a "golden and green" effect.
Not to mention the exquisite craftsmanship, it is entirely made in accordance with ancient methods: gilding for the core, granulated beads for decoration, hammering for the shape, and engraving for the patterns.
They used silver-copper alloy wire, and if they had mixed in a little gold, people would have believed they were dug out of a Tang Dynasty prince's tomb.
After watching for a long time, Lin Sicheng breathed a sigh of relief: "A master!"
More than just a master.
Wang Qizhi nodded vigorously: "A master among masters!"
He even had the urge to buy it and study it carefully.
The longer you look at it, the stronger it becomes.
Looking at the price: 96,000... isn't that expensive?
But no one knows a teacher better than his student. Just as he raised his hand to call the shop assistant, Lin Sicheng grabbed his hand and asked, "Teacher, what are you doing?"
Wang Qizhi replied matter-of-factly, "Of course we'll buy it!"
No... why would I need to buy it?
"Let's work on it together, we can replicate it too."
"Of course!" Wang Qizhi nodded. "The problem is, the technique of gold bead gilding has been lost for a long time. How can we imitate it? Surely you can't know how to do it too?"
Lin Sicheng paused, his mouth shut as if he were a murmured gourd.
Of course he will.
In 2019, a secondary tomb of the Tang Dynasty Qianling Mausoleum was robbed. The Shaanxi History Museum and the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology conducted a rescue excavation and then reconstructed the technique of blasting beads and welding based on the murals and documents in the tomb through simulation experiments.
But that was in 2020, so even if Lin Sicheng would, he wouldn't say it.
He was just curious: how did this person acquire the technology that took more than ten years to restore?
Just as he was thinking about it, Wang Qizhi sighed again: "Besides, people like that are probably not easy to find!"
That's for sure, since it's a side job.
Even if you know perfectly well that he copied it, he probably won't admit it.
So Wang Qizhi thought he should buy one first as a stepping stone.
"Don't rush, let's look around some more. What if we find something better, at a lower price?"
Wang Qizhi thought for a moment and said, "That makes sense!"
The teacher and student began searching again, but after taking only a few steps, Wang Qizhi stopped. He turned around and stared blankly at Lin Sicheng.
After glancing at it twice, Lin Sicheng didn't know what to say: A national first-class cultural relic, a Tang Dynasty gold and silver mirror with a design of four phoenixes holding ribbons.
The gold is gold leaf, the gray is silver leaf, and the black is lacquer.
This one is obviously a replica; the real one is in the provincial museum.
What surprised the two was the craftsmanship involved in making the bronze mirror: foil making, engraving, gilding, lacquering, and polishing.
To put it simply: after applying the gold and silver foil decorations, you need to apply at least three to five coats of lacquer, allowing it to solidify into a lacquer layer that is more than five millimeters thick, and then polish it after it has dried in the shade.
Until the gold and silver patterns are flush with the lacquer surface, the surface is smooth as a mirror, and the gold and silver patterns are integrated with the lacquer base, presenting a "flat" effect.
Therefore, it is called "gold and silver inlay", which is the artistic pinnacle of combining ancient metal inlay and lacquer techniques.
Japan has two such items: a Tang Dynasty lacquer-backed octagonal mirror with gold and silver inlay and a gold and silver inlay leather trunk, both of which are considered national treasures.
However, the specific techniques had long been lost, predating even the "gold bead welding" technique, and were lost after the Song Dynasty. It wasn't until 2022 that the Hubei Provincial Museum accidentally collected relevant documents, allowing for its restoration.
But here, a...?
There's no doubt that they used the ancient method; the teacher and student wouldn't be so blind as to not be able to tell.
The gold and silver foil is made by casting, with concentric gold wire rings inside and out, inlaid with patterns, coated with lacquer multiple times, and then repeatedly polished by hand with charcoal.
It will take three months just to sand the paint layer smooth.
Let's look at the price: 160,000.
That's quite fair: after all, it uses real gold foil, and quite a lot of it.
Wang Qizhi's palms started to itch again, and Lin Sicheng felt like he was being scratched by a cat.
From Wang Qizhi's perspective, the lost skill displayed on that mirror alone was worth three times 160,000. Therefore, Lin Sicheng really had no suitable reason to persuade him otherwise.
But if I don't try to stop him, he really will...
"Teacher, don't rush, take another look!"
“I saw it!” Wang Qizhi said with great certainty. “There are quite a few items in the store that use the granulated bead technique, but none of them are adorned with gold beads.”
Therefore, this is the only replica that the master and apprentice have discovered so far, made using a typical lost technique.
The question is, 160,000?
Lin Sicheng shook his head: "Let me take another look!"
There are still so many items; maybe we'll find one that "uses a lost craft," is relatively small, and isn't too expensive.
If all else fails, go find Teacher Bai from yesterday and buy back that agate cup.
Only 42,000...
"Look carefully, I need to rest for a bit!" Wang Qizhi rubbed his temples. "My eyes are getting a little blurry!"
It would be strange if I didn't get dizzy. I was excited all night, didn't sleep a wink, and was so tense. Even an iron man would get dizzy.
"Then take a nap!"
"No need to nap, it's already eleven o'clock!" Wang Qizhi glanced at his watch. "Let's watch for another half hour."
"good!"
Lin Sicheng nodded and handed the flashlight to Ye Anning, who was pretending to be invisible, so that she could provide him with a supplementary light if necessary.
Then he picked up a magnifying glass, ready to look at another counter.
He had already walked past, taking three or four steps, when he subconsciously stopped and turned back.
A golden crown sits quietly in a glass case, gleaming brightly.
It was quite pretty, but the more Lin Sicheng looked at it, the more incongruous it seemed.
At first glance, it looks a bit like the Diao Chan crown from the Song and Ming dynasties.
The History of Song Dynasty, Volume 4, Clothing and Carriages: The Diaochan Crown, also known as the Cage Headband, is square in shape, like a flat headscarf. It is decorated with silver, with silver flowers in the front, adorned with tortoiseshell cicadas, and three small cicadas on the left and right, each holding a jade nose. A sable tail is inserted on the left. When the Three Dukes and Princes attended ancestral rites or grand court assemblies, they wore it in addition to the Jinxian Crown.
However, the Diaochan crown of the Song Dynasty originated from the Jinde crown of the Tang Dynasty, while this one is a Yuanyou crown and does not have a cage scarf, so it is definitely not it.
It looks a bit like the crown worn by a prince consort in the Ming Dynasty?
The Ming dynasty inherited the Song dynasty system: ranks from first to ninth grade differed based on the number of beams on their hats. Dukes wore hats with eight beams, plus a sable-cloaked turban. Marquises wore hats with seven beams, earls with six beams... Imperial sons-in-law wore hats with five beams, flanked by three small cicadas, each holding a jade nose, with a pheasant tail inserted on the left, and no turban.
There is indeed no cage scarf, but the problem is that the crown is decorated with silver bead flowers like those on a Song dynasty crown.
Anyway, it just felt really strange and out of place, especially since it was surrounded by incredibly realistic imitations, making this piece stand out even more.
After taking a couple of glances, Lin Sicheng stepped back and picked up the magnifying glass.
But after a few glances, his pupils contracted slightly: Crimson gold threads?
It's not the pure gold of the "nine-nine gold" type, but rather the pure gold used in the Ming Dynasty to make crowns for the sons-in-law, according to the "Regulations on Carriages and Clothing." It was made by combining "five parts gold, three parts silver, and two parts copper" and then drawing it into pure gold wire.
It's this color right in front of you: a yellowish yellow with a slight hint of white.
Most importantly, it doesn't look like it was artificially aged.
Lin Sicheng's heart skipped a beat: Could it be that a genuine product suddenly appeared in a store full of counterfeits?
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