The myth of the leakage in the cultural relics world, the antiques bought for 100 million yuan, are

Mondo Finance Updated on 2024-02-17

In the fall of 2009, a Song people's book titled "Bureau Post" was written with 1The ** auction of 0.8 billion yuan shocked the entire cultural and museum circle. However, seven years later, the "Bureau Post" ended with 2The ** of 0.7 billion yuan was bought by the capital predator Wang Zhongjun, which caused a sensation again.

These two transactions of more than 100 million yuan have made the "Bureau Post" a rare auction work of 100 million yuan in the calligraphy industry, which fully shows the great importance that the collection community attaches to it. Why did this seemingly ordinary work fetch such a sky-high price?

In fact, its author Zeng Gong is not an ordinary character, he is also one of the eight masters of the Tang and Song dynasties. Although his popularity and popularity are relatively low compared with Ouyang Xiu, Liu Zongyuan, Han Yu, Wang Anshi, "Sansu" and others, it is precisely because of the scarcity of his hand-me-down works that this "Bureau Post" is eagerly sought after by collectors.

In 1996, Zhang Wenkui, a Shanghainese billionaire, sold a collection of "Bureau Notes" at Christie's in New York for 50$850,000 ** bought it, which attracted the attention and research of the industry.

The Bureau Post is Zeng Gong's only surviving masterpiece in the world, and there is no direct reference, so it can only be studied from the aspects of paper, pen and ink, style, and collection bibliographies. Yin Guanghua's "Preliminary Examination of Zeng Gong's "Bureau Post" pointed out that according to the content of the letter, the letter should have been written on September 27 in the third year of Yuanfeng.

The seal on the bureau post shows that the letter has been circulated in multiple collections. At the 2009 Beijing Poly Autumn Auction, "Bureau Post" reappeared and ended with 1The sky-high price of 0.9 billion yuan was bought by a collector in Shanghai, breaking the auction record of calligraphy works.

Seven years later, at the China Guardian auction, at the "Night of Chinese Calligraphy and Painting Treasures", Wang Zhongjun, chairman of Huayi Brothers, bought the "Bureau Post" for 207 million yuan.

These **auctions** make people sigh at the charm and value of art investment.

Bureau Post": The myth of "picking up leaks" in the cultural relics industry has earned nearly 100 million yuan in 7 years! It is no accident that calligraphy works can be sold at such a sky-high price! In addition to Zeng Gong's unique identity as one of the "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties", the celebrity collection seal on Mobao also contributed to it.

He Liangjun, 1506-1573, studied hard behind closed doors for twenty years"Two continents"One of them, Jiajing served as the Confucius of the Hanlin Academy, although the career was not smooth, after the seclusion of the works such as "He Yulin", "Siyou Zhai Cong Said", etc., Tibetan seal"Qingsen Pavilion calligraphy and painting seal"It is the proof of its collection.

The road to inheritance is clear, the value is precious, and it is breathtaking!

Ho Liangjun was a keen collector of famous paintings and calligraphy, he built a library and had a great love for different works, even when he was hungry, he would buy them.

His collection includes 40,000 volumes and more than 100 paintings, which are now in the collections of several museums. The "Bureau Post" was later collected by Xiang Yuanbian, a collector and connoisseur of the Ming Dynasty, known for his wealth of knowledge and elegant associations.

When Emperor Wanli heard his name, he specially invited him to be an official, but he refused. Xiang Yuanbian likes to collect calligraphy and paintings and gold and stone relics, and there are more than 1,000 pieces in his collection, most of which are masterpieces, he is particularly interested in the works of the Song and Yuan dynasties, and is also good at distinguishing the authenticity of calligraphy and paintings.

Although Xiang Yuanbian is a rich second generation, he can have so many collections, but also thanks to his talent and hard work. However, when the Qing army attacked Jiaxing, his collection was looted, and most of the surviving works are now in the collection of the Forbidden City.

The "Bureau Post" is printed with Xiang Yuanbian's "7 seals", such as "Xiang Yuanbian's seal", "Return", etc., which shows that he likes this work very much.

"Bureau Post" is a precious cultural relic in the early Qing Dynasty of our country, it has been through the hands of several collectors, each generation of collectors with its unique collection concept and profound appreciation ability, so that this cultural relics can be handed down to this day.

An Qi was a salt merchant and a well-known collector of paintings and calligraphy, who worked tirelessly to collect a large number of works from the Three Kingdoms period to the end of the Ming Dynasty, many of which are fine, and he is also recognized as one of the two great connoisseurs of the Qing Dynasty.

Wang Qiansun is a famous literary scholar in the Qing Dynasty, his articles are famous, good at writing poems, his calligraphy is beautiful and handsome, and he is known as a talent that has not been encountered in 300 years. He also loved to collect books, which numbered 10,000 volumes.

Zeng Yi has been known as a prodigy since he was a child, he has a smooth official career, and has served as the minister of the Qincha, the envoy of the two Huai salt transports, the political envoy of Guangdong, and the governor of Guizhou. He is also one of the eight great masters of the Qing Dynasty, he loves to collect books, and there is his "Xujiang Zeng's Collection of Calligraphy and Painting Seals" on the "Bureau Post".

The cherishing and protection of the "Bureau Post" by these collectors has enabled this cultural relic to be passed down to this day and become a part of our country's cultural heritage.

The historical journey of the Bureau is full of legends. Originally, it was in the collection of Fei Nianci, a jinshi and editor of the Hanlin Academy, but was removed from his post for arguing about the government.

After he returned to his hometown, he devoted himself to writing poems, paintings, and collecting books, and was an excellent goldsmith, and his seal of "Xili Approval" appeared on the "Bureau Post".

Later, the brothers Xu Jichuan and Xu Yuanlai collected this work in the "Tianquan Pavilion", showing their deep love for the "Bureau Post". In the end, Zhang Heng, a connoisseur wizard, pocketed it.

He grew up in the family environment of a famous collector since he was a child, has a wealth of experience in connoisseurship and profound attainments, and has saved more than 100,000 pieces of calligraphy and painting works that have been circulated among the people.

The Bureau Post is one of the famous calligraphy works in ancient China, known as "a thousand words of gold". This work was once collected by Zhang Heng, but due to poverty, Zhang Heng was forced to sell all the paintings and calligraphy in his collection.

Eventually, the work was acquired by Zhang Wenkui, a wealthy businessman in Shanghai. Zhang Wenkui is not only a successful businessman, but also a well-known collector. He printed seals such as "Hanlu Collection" and "Zhang's Hanlu Collection" on the "Bureau Post", which also made the "Bureau Post" more precious.

Although the size of this work is only less than one square foot, the 124 characters in it are very well written, and the average ** of each word is as high as 1.67 million yuan, which truly reaches the saying of "one word is a thousand gold".

The preciousness and value of the Bureau Post is well known, and it has been treasured by many celebrities.

Wang Zhongjun's special identity has not only attracted the attention of calligraphers, painters and collectors in the circle, but also aroused the interest of the majority of netizens. He once "spilled" the works of many famous painters with $10,000, but now he has a lot of money.

The "Bureau Post" he bought for 200 million yuan could only rank third in Wang Zhongjun's bidding auction. At Sotheby's in 2014, he won with 3The 7.7 billion yuan ** auctioned Van Gogh's still life oil painting "Daisies and Poppies", setting the highest record for Chinese art auctions overseas, and also ranking third among the most expensive paintings in the world.

At Sotheby's in 2015, he won another 1$85.5 billion for Picasso's famous painting "Seated Woman with Hairpins", which has been in the collection of the Godwin family for the past 70 years, whose Samuel, the founder of MGM, bought it in 1956, but after his death, the heirs of the family auctioned off 25 pieces from his collection, including the painting.

Some have questioned Wang Zhongjun as a "speculator", but he insists that he is the ultimate collector and has been collecting since 1992. He believed that art had an inflation-resistant effect, so he bought it heavily.

But later, he came to appreciate the historical, cultural and artistic value of the artefacts. About Zeng Gong, how powerful is he? It is worth mentioning that another collector, Liu Yiqian, also likes "Bureau Post" very much, and regrets that he was unable to bid for it.

He said: "Tang and Song Dynasty eight families, I only have one collection, Zeng Gong's unique second auction, I tried my best, or missed it." As Zeng Gong's only heirloom ink, if it enters the market again, it will definitely create a sky-high price! ”

Therefore, the reason why "Bureau Post" was able to shoot ** has a lot to do with Zeng Gong's reputation as one of the "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties". At the same time, it is also the only one-of-a-kind product, which is why "Bureau Post" can exceed 100 million yuan in two auctions.

However, Zeng Gong is very low-key, compared with the other "Seven Masters", he has fewer hand-me-down articles, his works are not in Chinese textbooks, and his pen and ink are not in history books.

Therefore, because his name cannot be found in literary and historical textbooks, Zeng Gong is considered to be a great writer with the lowest sense of existence, and some people even think that he wrote it to make up the number of words.

Zeng Gong, a king who was highly praised by Ouyang Xiu, the "Ancient Bole". He once recommended outstanding talents such as "Sansu", Wang Anshi, and Sima Guang, but his favorite protégé was still Zeng Gong.

Zeng Gong was born in 1019 A.D. in Nanfeng official family, and since he was a child, he has shown extraordinary intelligence and strong memory, and has been famous all over the world since the age of twelve. His father valued his education, and when he was thirteen years old, he took him on a wide range of travels to broaden his horizons.

However, his father was framed for offending others and lost his official position, leaving the Zeng family in ruins. At the age of 18, Su Shi was still unknown, but Zeng Gong was already famous and befriended Ouyang Xiu, Wang Anshi, Fan Zhongyan and others.

This year, Zeng Gong participated in the scientific examination, but because he was not familiar with the scientific examination routine of "Xikun Style", he failed to win. After falling off the list, Zeng Gong was drinking in a tavern, when a young son came over, and the two hit it off at first sight.

This young son is Wang Anshi, and they have become lifelong friends ever since.

Zeng Gong failed in the imperial examination continuously, but his literary literacy was not lost. Wang Anshi was a high school jinshi, Zeng Gong was depressed, and wrote a 10,000-word long letter to Ouyang Xiu, the official of the Ming Dynasty, which was appreciated by the other party.

Ouyang Xiu admired Zeng Gong's strategy and advocated the "New Ancient Literature Movement" at that time, which allowed Zeng Gong to adapt to the style of scientific research. However, Zeng Gong suffered the death of his father before the scientific expedition, so he had to choose to give up his fame and go home to take care of his stepmother and younger siblings.

While farming, he took care of the whole family, and at the same time insisted on studying hard. In the difficult and difficult life, Zeng Gong accumulated rich creative inspiration and wrote excellent articles such as "The Story of Nanxuan" and "The Story of the School".

After years of hard work and persistence, in the second year of Jiayou, Zeng Gong was admitted to the Jinshi at the age of 39, and his family created a good story of "one door and six jinshi", including well-known figures such as Su Zhe, Su Zhe and Cheng Yi.

Zeng Gong's career is not as beautiful as Wang Anshi's, but he has not experienced debasement like Su Shi and Han Yu. In 1069, Zeng Gong was appointed as the general judge of Yuezhou, but when he took office, there was a famine and the people were displaced.

Faced with such a predicament, Zeng Gong immediately set out to solve the problem of famine after taking office, he asked wealthy businessmen to open warehouses for disaster relief, and formulated a series of economic measures to ensure the basic livelihood of the people.

His "Yuezhou Zhao Gong Disaster Relief Record" during this period is a real disaster relief method, which has been highly praised by the local people.

When Zeng Gong was in Qizhou, he implemented a series of policies to benefit the people. He relieved the burden of labor on the common people, allowing everyone to devote themselves to agricultural production, and at the same time abolished the "river crossing money" and built bridges to make it easier for people to travel.

He also presided over the reduction of six post stations, saving a lot of financial and manpower resources. At that time, when banditry was rampant, he took decisive action to vigorously crack down on the bullies and send them to the frontier.

He also innovated the implementation of the "Baowu" system, which enabled Qizhou to restore harmony and stability in just a few years. After ten years in Xining, Zeng Gong was transferred to Fuzhou. There are many temples in Fuzhou, which wastes a lot of money and people's property.

Zeng Gong took various measures to curb the temple's greed and bribery, weaken its influence, and return the lives of the people to normal. The viewpoint he put forward that "officials cannot compete with the people for profit" is still very advanced even today.

Zeng Gong is"The New Ancient Literature Movement"He is one of the representatives of the country, and he has written more than 400 essays. its articles"The text carries the Tao", the structure is rigorous, the argument is clear, and it is a model for people to learn from in that era.

This style of his is closely related to his suave and upright character. Many years later, Zhu Xi, a master of science in the Song and Ming dynasties, greatly appreciated Zeng Gong's article and called it"Mellow"and revered it as an idol for life.

Zeng Gong's article was also integrated into the Song and Ming Dynasty by physicists, and evolved into the Ming and Qing dynasties"Eight strands"。In"Tang and Song Dynasty eight families"Zeng Gong is one of the most popular, and his works are included in Zhang Boxing's "Eight Great Literary Notes of the Tang and Song Dynasties", which is the most numerous.

In the Qing Dynasty, students regarded Zeng Gong's article as a model, and in **, Qian Zhongshu evaluated him as"Tang and Song Dynasty eight families"A leader in both Chinese poetry and literature.

Some people question, why is Zeng Gong, such an excellent writer, not famous now? In fact, the lack of attention to his work is due to the influence of the imperial examination system. After the abolition of the Baguwen, Zeng Gong's article was suppressed and ostracized, resulting in it being ignored to this day.

However, we cannot deny that his literary achievements are extremely high. In the Song Dynasty, he was highly praised by celebrities such as Ouyang Xiu, Wang Anshi, and Zhu Xi, and in the Ming and Qing dynasties, his works were highly regarded.

Even if we read his work again today, we can still identify him as a giant in the literary world. Therefore, Zeng Gong's "Bureau Post" can be a thousand words, and the value of a single word is as high as 1.67 million yuan.

The authenticity of the "Bureau Affairs Post" is doubtful, and experts believe that the letter was written by Zeng Gong when he was 62 years old when he received a letter from a friend who served as a "Fengyi", "Wu Dang", which conveyed good news and made him feel very happy.

The content of the letter expressed that Zeng Gong was in a remote place, busy with official business all day, and had no happiness at all, but he still hoped that he could get help from his friends before the end of his term of office so that he could leave this remote place.

In the letter, he said that when the summer and autumn came, he would come to the house to thank him in person, and hoped that his friends could be promoted as soon as possible.

According to scholars, the letter should have begun with a title for the person to whom the letter was addressed, but it could not be recovered because it was missing. The time of its creation is inferred to be 1080 AD, that is, the third year of Song Yuanfeng.

Wang Anshi had already been canonized as the Duke of Jing at that time, five years before the end of the new law reform. At this time, the Northern Song Dynasty was in a period of reform, and the "Yuanfeng reform" had also entered the substantive stage.

In September, Song Shenzong established the "Detailed Official Table" to promote a concrete reform plan. At the same time, the official name of "Bongyilang", which had been deactivated in 976 AD, was also restored.

All of this shows that Song Shenzong had a strong desire to continue the fame of his ancestors, build a strong state, and become a "holy monarch". However, due to the lack of awareness of the reform within the imperial court, fierce party contention, and serious threats from outside, the reform of the new law was not successful, although Zeng Gong sent some positive messages in this letter.

However, the good news is that in September, Zeng Gong, who was still holding an official position in the local government, replied to the letter, and was soon transferred to Cangzhou, and was summoned by Song Shenzong when he passed through Kaifeng, and stayed in the imperial court as an official, ending a 12-year career as a local official.

In November, Zeng Gong sent a letter to the emperor to express his views on the country's financial issues. He pointed out that if excessive spending continues, it will bring about a fiscal crisis. He advised Song Shenzong to cut unnecessary expenses and propose a strategy to enrich the country.

However, the authenticity of the "Bureau Post" has been questioned. Scholar Zhao Jianke believes that the letter was written on the back of the Song version of the book fragment, which shows the "Three Kingdoms Wei Zhi Xu Yi Biography", and its earliest engraving appeared in the Shaoxing period of the Southern Song Dynasty (1131-1162).

Therefore, it is possible that the author tore off a page from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and then wrote it on the back. In this way, the content of the letter must have been written after Shaoxing in the Southern Song Dynasty.

Zeng Gong was a native of the Northern Song Dynasty and died of illness in 1082, how could he appear in the Southern Song Dynasty? At the same time, who is the "non-party" mentioned in the letter? Archaeological research suggests that the "Wudang" may be Xu Wudang, a student of Ouyang Xiu.

Because they were teachers of the same sect, Zeng Gong had a relationship with him, but there is no record in the history books that Xu Wudang held the official position of "Fengyi". In addition, Xu Wudang is a native of Yongkang, why is he called a "village sage"?

Whether Zeng Gong is the author of "Bureau Post" has always been a hot topic in academic circles. According to analysis, the author of the post is not Zeng Gong, but a person named "Gong", who may be an eight-grade petty official, who has received the attention of the letter recipient, hoping to help him get out of trouble.

Zeng Gong has never held an official position below the eighth rank, and his political achievements when he was a local official are not consistent with the description in the letter. Therefore, it is very likely that the "Bureau Post" was not written by Zeng Gong, but was supplemented by later generations, and the seal may also be honey.

Zhao Jianke's doubts have been accepted by the academic and cultural circles, and even though the work was not made by Zeng Gong, it contains the seals of many celebrities and is a treasure of the Song Dynasty, so it is still highly collectible.

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