Chapter 99 Who Can It Be Sold To? (Bonus Chapter: Thank you for your monthly votes!)
Shang Yan took out a magnifying glass and a flashlight, and Lin Sicheng also took out a magnifying glass and a flashlight.
But the boss didn't care: with his years of experience, he could tell at a glance that this was a student.
Even the so-called Professor Shang wasn't too worried: because there were very few people who could see the true nature of this Buddha statue.
Fang Jingyuan and Fang Jingshu, on the other hand, were quite intrigued and stared at Lin Sicheng for several moments.
But after Fang Jingxian gave them a subtle glare, the two looked away and turned to look at the Buddha statue.
The two were newcomers to the field and had limited experience, so they were just watching for the spectacle. Besides, they had been there four or five times already and were quite tired of it.
After glancing casually a few times, the two instinctively looked at Lin Sicheng again.
Hmm, why does this feel just like them?
Even with a flashlight and a magnifying glass, I could only sway left and right, and rarely could I focus on one spot for more than ten seconds.
In contrast, Shang Yan remained motionless, her eyes fixed on the Buddha's head for three minutes straight.
In comparison, if we disregard the fact that the older sister claimed he was an "extremely young appraisal expert," it seems that this guy has no patience at all, is perfunctory, and irresponsible.
The brother and sister exchanged a glance, then looked at their older sister.
Fang Jingxian remained expressionless, her demeanor still aloof yet tinged with melancholy. In truth, she was a little puzzled: This child is too carefree.
It's no wonder she was suspicious; this transaction was indeed a matter of life and death for the company, and she had no choice but to take it seriously.
And so, no one spoke. Shang Yan and Lin Sicheng watched quietly, while the others waited quietly.
After a long while, Shang Yan straightened up, her tone somewhat uncertain: "The technique is based on 'intaglio' and 'relief', supplemented by round sculpting and flat carving, somewhat like the Southern School of knife techniques from the Ming and Qing dynasties?"
Lin Sicheng didn't speak, he just nodded.
"The figure is well-proportioned, with delicate eyebrows, long eyes, a high nose, and thin lips. The expression is dignified yet gentle. The clothing is light and close-fitting, with simple yet flowing lines, somewhat resembling early Ming Dynasty court sculptures. Or perhaps it is a style inherited from the Ming court in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties?"
After a slight pause, Lin Sicheng nodded again.
To be more precise: the figure is fairly well-proportioned, but compared to Buddhist statues in China, it is too slender. It only highlights the almost bony elegance of the statue, but ignores one point: being too thin makes it appear frail and lacking in solemnity.
Besides, it's a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha.
Of course, this is based on domestic Buddhism, specifically Han and Tibetan Buddhism. If we're talking about foreign Buddhism, there are even thinner ones.
Shang Yan continued reading: "The wood is definitely mahogany. It's very dark in color, has a fine and dense structure, is hard in texture, and has natural and smooth grain. It looks a bit like ironwood!"
Lin Sicheng nodded again: This is chicken wing wood, which belongs to the same genus as ironwood. The wood is very similar. It's normal that people who don't specialize in mahogany can't tell the difference.
"The surface oxide layer is very gentle and has a lustrous sheen; it must be a natural patina!"
After a slight pause, Shang Yan estimated, "Has it been three hundred years?"
Lin Sicheng's eyes lit up: "Yes!"
Shang Yan's estimate was a bit shorter; she would have to add another two hundred years: tomorrow morning.
But Lin Sicheng still wanted to give it a thumbs up.
Unlike her grandfather, Shang Yan didn't have such long-term goals or boundless enthusiasm, always eager to learn everything. Her entire life was dedicated to one thing: studying porcelain! Any other cultural relics or antiques were merely incidental pursuits related to porcelain.
Therefore, it's truly remarkable that she could make such a thorough assessment.
Shang Yan also felt quite proud of herself and nodded in satisfaction.
But having watched him grow up, she understands Lin Sicheng better: If you dare to go along with what this kid says, he'll flatter you to the skies and then sell you for a good price.
Shang Yan raised her eyelids slightly, then pursed her lips: "Don't just nod, tell me directly if something's wrong!"
"good!"
Lin Sicheng smiled and said, "It is indeed an artifact from the Ming Dynasty, but a bit earlier, roughly from the Yongle to the Xuande period, which is the early Ming Dynasty... including the carving style and the natural patina!"
"It is indeed rosewood, and it is genuine ironwood: white-flowered cliff bean wood!"
Shang Yan rolled her eyes, then smiled broadly: I knew you had a sweet tongue.
The period of the early Ming Dynasty and "three hundred years ago" are more than two hundred years apart.
White-flowered Millettia is indeed a type of rosewood, but it is fundamentally different from Ironwood.
"White-flowered Millettia, also known as chicken wing wood, right?"
“Yes!” Lin Sicheng nodded. “It is the ‘Mandarin Duck Wood’ mentioned in the literature, named for its wood grain resembling that of a waterbird!”
Shang Yan then pointed to the scriptures in the Buddha's hand: "Is this Sanskrit?"
"Yes, Pali, created in the 3rd century BCE, is a branch of ancient Sanskrit. Initially, it was just a dialect of central India, but after the Common Era, it was revered as the sacred language of the Southern Theravada school (Hinayana Buddhism), that is, the language of the Buddha..."
"Where is this scripture?"
"Palm-leaf scriptures are texts written on palm leaves, similar to bamboo slips in China before the Jin Dynasty. However, in India, these leaves were extremely rare, so they were specifically used for writing Buddhist scriptures... The text is the *Four-Part Vinaya*, a part of the Upper Theravada Vinaya Pitaka,"
Lin Sicheng spoke eloquently, the boss and his wife looked delighted, and the three Fang siblings' eyes lit up.
Fang Jingshu, the youngest sister, couldn't help but ask: "Aren't palm-leaf scriptures also in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda?"
Lin Sicheng nodded: "Yes!"
And quite a lot.
Tang Sanzang brought 657 scriptures from India, 526 of which were palm-leaf scriptures, most of which are now treasured on the third floor of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
In addition, the fourth floor also houses 150 grains of Buddhist alms from Indian monks that were brought back by the Tripitaka along with the scriptures, eight gold and silver Buddha statues, and the manuscript of the Tripitaka's "Great Tang Records on the Western Regions".
And this is only the third and fourth floors; the other five floors and the underground palace contain even more treasures. So, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is truly not to be underestimated…
The three siblings looked at Lin Sicheng, then exchanged glances.
I've come five or six times, and we've invited quite a few experts, but this is the first time someone has given such a comprehensive explanation.
Indeed, appearances can be deceiving.
Shang Yan was quite happy, and rather proud: See, I wasn't wrong: I said he could do it, and he definitely can.
Consider Lin Sicheng's assertion: Tomorrow morning, the style of palace carving, chicken-wing wood, palm-leaf scripture... Of course, it's just a wood carving imitating a palm-leaf scripture, but the inscription is in ancient Sanskrit.
Most importantly, its condition is so good, which means it has all the attributes of being "valuable" and "very valuable".
Fang Jingxian took a deep breath: she wasn't afraid of expensive things, she was afraid of encountering counterfeit goods.
She exchanged a glance with Shang Yan, then looked at the shopkeeper, about to ask the price, when Lin Sicheng pointed at the Buddha statue: "Wait, I haven't finished yet!"
Fang Jingxian and Shang Yan exchanged a glance after pausing for a moment.
Shang Yan gave Lin Sicheng a look that said, "Don't rush, take your time!"
Lin Sicheng was naturally in no hurry, speaking slowly and deliberately: "The item itself is fine, it's a chicken-wing wood Buddha statue, and it does indeed have the style of early Ming Dynasty court carvings, and the time is correct: at least five hundred years ago. But the shape is wrong, and the location is wrong... Let's start with the material: chicken-wing wood..."
The Ming Dynasty text *Gegu Yaolun* states: "Mandarin duck wood comes from the Western Regions, and has crab claw patterns inside… The Western Regions use it to make nose tethers for camels…" The "Western Regions" in the Ming Dynasty referred to Tibetans and their neighboring Burmese herders. Essentially, at that time, this item was used for reins on livestock…
To put it bluntly, chicken-wing wood was worthless in the Ming Dynasty. When did it become expensive? During the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, the old Eight Banners used it for sleeping in sandalwood, sitting on rosewood, using huanghuali for medicine, and making chicken-wing wood utensils…
Lin Sicheng turned the Buddha statue around: "Looking at the craftsmanship and style: it does indeed have the style of early Ming palace sculpture, but only in part. Another part incorporates the artistic style of Theravada Buddhism from the Ming Dynasty's Xuanwei (tributary) period and the Wahan Kingdom period in Burma: that is, slender and elegant..."
During the short span of forty years from the Hongwu to the Xuande reigns, Burma paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty more than thirty times, averaging nearly once a year. Several emperors were delighted and bestowed upon Burma all sorts of gifts: silk, tea, porcelain… as well as various crafts and technologies.
Therefore, this period also saw a great development in Burma's science and craftsmanship. So, not only wood carvings, but also architecture, painting, and music—anything that has survived—all exhibit a strong Ming Dynasty style…
Let's return to this Buddha statue: Explaining it in detail might be difficult to understand, so I'll just say this: Have you ever seen such a thin Shakyamuni Buddha statue in a Chinese temple?
Fang Jingxian was stunned: She had seen many wood carvings of similar style, such as ladies and scholars, which were all roughly the same style.
But a Buddha statue? It seems I've never seen one this thin before?
Buddhist sculptures from different dynasties: Han dynasty sculptures are full and plump, Tang dynasty sculptures are plump and voluptuous, Song dynasty sculptures are simple and unadorned, Yuan dynasty sculptures are rugged and bold, Ming dynasty sculptures are delicate and graceful, Qing dynasty sculptures are thick and stiff... But this one is thin and bony.
The more she thought about it, the more she realized Lin Sicheng's words made sense. She suddenly looked up and asked, "Is there any more?"
“Yes!” Lin Sicheng pointed to the scriptures. “Tibetan Buddhism was introduced in the 7th century by Princess Bhrikuti, the Indian queen of Songtsen Gampo. At that time, she brought paper scriptures in Gupta Sanskrit, which are clearly recorded in relevant documents.”
Therefore, it's impossible for Pali palm-leaf manuscripts to be carved on Tibetan Buddhist statues... And in the whole world, only the Theravada Buddhism in India and Thailand and Myanmar uses Pali and palm-leaf manuscripts... Let me add one more thing..."
Lin Sicheng mimicked the gesture of holding an object in one hand and letting the other hang down, as seen in the Buddha statue: "This posture originates from the alms-begging Buddha in Theravada Buddhism, who is one of the seven manifestations of Shakyamuni, symbolizing alms-giving..."
Only during the Wahan Dynasty of Burma was the practice of begging for alms changed to begging for scriptures, meaning the path to enlightenment... but this practice lasted only a very short time, about seventy years. After the Wahan Dynasty moved its capital to Pegu and became the Pegu Dynasty, the practice was changed back to begging for alms...
But no matter what it's changed to, it only has one name: Wednesday Buddha. ...To be precise, the Buddha worshipped by believers in Thailand and Myanmar is different each day of the week: this particular Buddha is only worshipped on Wednesdays...
Therefore, this is a Theravada Buddhist Buddha statue carved in the early Ming Dynasty, belonging to a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, namely the Wahan Dynasty of Burma… It has no relation to Han Buddhism or Tibetan Buddhism.”
The three siblings were completely bewildered and remained stunned for a long time.
Suddenly, Fang Jingxian realized: "Does Theravada Buddhism have any followers in China?"
"Yes!" Lin Sicheng nodded. "It's limited to Xishuangbanna in Yunnan and some surrounding counties and cities... But there's one thing: only Buddha, that is, Shakyamuni, is venerated. Other gods are not recognized, and it doesn't matter what day of the week it is!"
Fang Jingxian froze, her face turning from white to red, then from red to green: There aren't even any believers in the country, so if we buy this, who can we sell it to?
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