Bind to the collection system, I became a national treasure

Chapter 249 The Nine Cauldrons of the Emperor

Inside the villa, the lights are on.

Bai Xi led Dong Wenhui and others towards home. The housekeeping team in the villa was already ready and came to greet them directly.

"Director Dong, you guys take a rest in the living room. I'll go upstairs to change clothes."

"Xiao Rui, come with me up there and get the tripod-shaped bronze vessel. In the meantime, if you need anything, just tell the housekeeper and the others."

Bai Xi led Dong Wenhui and others to the living room, and then said this to Dong Wenhui.

"Ok."

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

Dong Wenhui responded with a smile.

After hearing this, Bai Xi didn't say anything more and turned back to his room.

About fifteen minutes later, Bai Xi changed into casual clothes, and Xiao Rui followed closely behind, walking down the stairs with his arms around the bronze tripod.

Dong Wenhui and others were originally sitting in the living room, drinking tea and chatting, but once their eyes fell on the bronze tripod in Xiao Rui's hand, they could no longer look away.

Xiao Rui slowly walked to the middle of the living room and slowly placed the bronze tripod on the open space in the living room. Bai Xi looked at Dong Wenhui and others and said with a smile: "Director Dong, this is the bronze tripod I spent a huge amount of money to buy. Come and take a look?"

Dong Wenhui and others were just waiting for Bai Xi to say this. Now that they got Bai Xi's permission, they all stood up from the sofa immediately and surrounded the bronze tripod in a blink of an eye. Because of their excessive enthusiasm, Bai Xi was even pushed to the edge by the crowd.

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 National Museum experts that Dong Wenhui brought on this trip are either top experts in bronzes or top experts in cultural relics restoration. All of them have extremely deep research in these two fields.

Now, a brand new national treasure is placed in front of them. They immediately turned into workaholics, their attention completely attracted by the bronze tripod in front of them.

Bai Xi listened to their discussion from behind, feeling a little puzzled. Coincidentally, Zhou Huahai was right beside him, so she whispered, "Mr. Zhou, is there anything special about the bronze artifacts from the Spring and Autumn Period? Why are the ritual and everyday bronze artifacts from before the Spring and Autumn Period easily recognizable at a glance, while the ritual and everyday artifacts from the Spring and Autumn Period require such careful study?"

In response to Bai Xi's question, Zhou Huahai smiled and said, "Miss Bai, archaeological evidence shows that the Xia Dynasty was the first civilization in the world to master bronze smelting. Its history can be traced back to around 6700 years ago. Starting from the Xia Dynasty, the Xia Dynasty fully entered the Bronze Age. Bronze ware reached its peak during the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, and reached its peak during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, before finally disappearing 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. In response to Bai Xi's questions, he first explained to Bai Xi the status of bronze ware in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and then explained to Bai Xi the status of bronze ware in the Spring and Autumn Period.

"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, Bai Xi couldn't help but sigh with emotion, "Mr. Zhou is indeed an expert in bronzeware. This really opened my eyes!"

"Miss Bai, you are too kind."

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. .”

Bai Xi exchanged a few pleasantries with Zhou Huahai, then poked Dong Wenhui in front of him and said with a smile, "Director Dong, let's stop just standing there and watch. You should get started and use the equipment when necessary."

"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?"

The organization's mysterious orders, first-class flights, high-end hotels, luxurious dinners, and the national treasure-level bronze tripod, so many buffs superimposed on each other caused the team members led by Dong Wenhui to be extremely excited, and they all responded positively to Dong Wenhui's inquiries.

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