Questions about appreciation of calligraphy and painting

Three Basic Skills and Seven Attentions Mr. Zhuang Peisen, a member of the China Collectors Association, a director of the Beijing Calligraphers Association, a member of the Beijing Poetry Society, and the director of the business department of Ronghuatang Art Mall in Liulichang, Beijing, learned from the knowledge of calligraphy and painting artworks and shopping The three aspects of matters that should be paid attention to in the antique market and the common sense of appraisal of calligraphy and painting are explained to readers about the basic knowledge that readers should have when getting started with collecting calligraphy and painting. When collecting paintings and calligraphy, the first thing you encounter is how to identify authenticity and how to appreciate the works. But we can't be in a hurry. We must start from the basics, familiarize, learn, explore, and accumulate step by step; then summarize our insights, summarize and organize our experiences, and gradually we can master the rules. No matter what industry you are in, you have to start from scratch. The same goes for appreciating calligraphy and painting. The first step in collecting paintings and calligraphy is to know how to appreciate paintings and calligraphy; the word appreciation includes two meanings: identification and appreciation. Let’s start with identification. To learn identification, you must first enrich your knowledge. Whether we like ancient calligraphy and painting or modern and contemporary calligraphy and painting, we cannot do without corresponding knowledge. Our country has a history of five thousand years of civilization and has produced countless paintings and calligraphy works. We might as well read some art history first. This knowledge is necessary, because identifying authenticity and appreciating the quality of works require cultivation in this area. When entering the world of collecting, you must first maintain a good attitude, which is what we often call a "normal mind." A peaceful mentality is not something you have at the beginning, but is gradually cultivated during the collection activities. When facing a collection, only with a calm mind can one slowly appreciate its mystery. This mystery includes both good and bad aspects. Only by being calm can you evaluate things properly and avoid being deceived. Three basic skills for getting started with collecting: First, understand some jargon. To engage in collecting, you should know some jargon. Every industry has its own jargon, especially industries with traditional Chinese characteristics. Such is the case in the collecting world. Open the door: It evolved from the idiom "open the door and get to the point." It generally describes those products that are unobjectionable and can be known to be genuine at a glance. Play: Insiders call collectors "play". When meeting someone for the first time, they ask "what are you playing for?" which means what do you collect. Tuition payment: refers to the wasted money spent on buying fake products. Fishing: a sales method used by some smart stall owners. The treasures of the store are deliberately left exposed and not for sale, just to attract buyers to buy other goods (exhibits). Picking up leaks: refers to buying the "open door" collection at a lower price with a discerning eye for treasures. High price: Insisting on a high price in the market, which can be understood literally. There are generally two reasons. One is to sell at a good price, and the other is to scare away customers. Cool items: Collections of good quality and low prices. When buying cool items, you have to rely on your own eyesight. New arrivals: No matter what the collection is, there are always good ones, and even fakes. At this time, people in the industry will say "this thing is a bit new" to save some face for the stall owner. Condition: As far as the product is concerned, the better the condition, the higher the price. Chong'er: In layman's terms, it is a collection at the bottom of a box, something that can make the viewer's eyes light up. Even a room full of collections cannot compare to this one. In other words, someone who is very familiar with an industry and can take advantage of various loopholes. Mistaking: Refers to buying an unworthy collection at a higher price or buying a fake. Eye of the palm: I am new to the field of collection and I don’t know how to get started. Ask a master for advice and he will “eye of the palm” for you. What kind of mentality should be maintained when collecting? What is "antiques"? To put it in a simple way, it is: a thing for old people. Since it is a toy, its meaning should be "playing". Since it's a game, it's inevitable that you'll get some tricks up your sleeve. It’s common to play until it’s hard to sleep, eat, or leave home. Su Dongpo said: "I am thin and precious but thicker than books; I despise death and life but value paintings." This is what he meant. Playing requires effort, and this expenditure of mind should be done calmly and calmly. A brief discussion of the names of each part of calligraphy and painting. When collecting, appraising, and operating calligraphy and painting, one must have a comprehensive understanding of the names and terms of each part of calligraphy and painting. 1. Life paper: It is the supporting paper for drawing the heart. No matter whether the drawing heart is made of paper or silk, there is a layer of supporting paper. If the paper support is removed, the center of the painting will lose color and life, hence the name "life paper". 2. Second layer: The supporting paper that is peeled off, sometimes evenly filled, can be called the real painter. It is called "second layer", also called "soul son", because it is the second layer of the heart of the painting and the soul of the life paper painting. . Also called "Hunt", which means confusing the real with the fake. 3. Allowance: There is a wide gap between the four sides of the painting center and the frame. It's called "giving over." 4. Back cover: The entire mounting paper behind the painting. 5. Separator: On the top and bottom of the banner or before and after the hand-rolled banner, the framer adds a strip of damask or silk of different colors, which is called "separation" or "water separation". 6． Poetry Hall: A piece of paper is hung directly above the center of the painting, which is called the "Poetry Hall". Firstly, because the instrument is short-minded, it is more appropriate after being set off; secondly, it is for the purpose of writing poems and praising paintings, so it is called "Poetry Hall", and some people also call it "Jade Pond". 7． Painting pole: It is a round wooden pole used for scroll painting. The upper end is called the "sky pole" and the lower end is called the "ground pole". 8. Trip: There are two damasks or silks on both sides of the ground pole behind the frame, such as gourd or cloud-shaped sides, which are called "trip". 9. Baosou: It is to add a piece of silk or damask to the back of the paper on the upper sleeve of the painting. 10． Painting sign: On the top of the bag, there is a piece of paper stuck next to the sky pole called "painting sign". It can be inscribed with the name of the author and the content of the painting, as well as the name, year and month of the collector. 11. Curved circle: It is the copper nose on the sky pole of the painting, which is used to fasten the thread for hanging.

12. Tie tie: It is the silk tie pushed in the middle of the scarf buckle, used to tie up the scroll. 13． Swallow belt: It is the upper end of the picture frame. There are two symmetrical straight belts called "swallow belt". Form of work: banner, nave, fan, round light, long scroll, horizontal draping. Calculation units: feet, meters.

Seven things to note when getting started with collecting. Be wary if things are too cheap. There are many antique markets in various cities, and they are also places frequented by collectors. However, because there are many replicas or imitations in the market, What should collectors who are new to the antique market pay attention to when buying collectibles?

Be wary if you encounter an absolute bargain. There are quite a few antiques on the market that are “second-hand”. If it is top quality, the price will generally not be too low. Cheap goods will always have some problems, either fake or damaged.

2. Do not buy poorly made utensils such as jade, bamboo, tooth ware, horn utensils, etc. The carvings are weak and not exquisite. They are generally made by shoddy craftsmen or apprentices and do not need to be collected. Some inferior jade or similar jade The stone does not have the characteristics of being hard and smooth, or there are many impurities and black spots in the jade, and it has no possibility of continuing to increase in value and cannot be purchased.

3. If you cannot tell whether it is genuine or fake, do not buy it. Although some antiques have been appraised by many parties, you still cannot be sure of their authenticity, so there is no need to buy them. For example, a famous calligraphy and painting will only reflect its value if it is recognized as authentic. If it is not, it will be worthless.

Four? You should read more and think more about antique collections. The so-called "see more, think more and speculate more" means paying special attention to the year of production and artistic style of antique collections. The age refers to the longer the antique collection has been around, the more valuable it is for collection; the artistic value of taste refers to whether the collection is elegant and exquisite, and whether it has high collection value.

Five? Don’t rush to conclusions. Don’t rush to purchase the antique collection you like. You must not only see whether the item is worth collecting, but also whether the price is moderate. Even if it is the best antique, if The price is way above its value and not worth buying.

Six? Don’t believe in “stories”. Sellers in the antique market usually tell “stories” about antique collections, and most “treasures” can always be told vividly. Collectors should read various collection books to understand the exact price trends of various types of antiques, especially the knowledge of identifying authentic and fake collections, so as not to be fooled by credulous "stories". It is important to know that most of the antiques with stories in the antique market are fakes.

Seven? Determine the collection goal. Collectors must clarify the direction of collection according to their own wishes. Once the goal is determined, they must work on it wholeheartedly, be willing to endure hardship, and be willing to spend a lot of money to discover rare treasures. Believe that you will eventually become a true antique collector.

Common knowledge about appraisals for getting started with collections. Be wary of all kinds of fraud. (1) Appraisal of calligraphy and painting is mainly based on the atmosphere of the times and the personal style of calligraphers and painters. We have talked about the above basic knowledge, and let’s briefly talk about the knowledge of appraisal of calligraphy and painting. Due to the development of the times, processes such as paper, printing colors, and mounting styles are also constantly changing. For example, the paper used for calligraphy and painting, such as clean leather cotton sheets, three-layer jade plates, etc., although they are still produced today, the quality has deteriorated. Very different. Another example is printing colors. Good printing colors are mostly made of mineral pigments, such as fine cinnabar, ruby ??powder, etc., which generally can last for hundreds of years without discoloration. Regarding printing colors, different calligraphers and painters prefer different colors, and there are still differences. Zhang Daqian's calligraphy and painting utensils are all specially customized by him and are very particular. For this reason, he was criticized by many colleagues before liberation. However, it is helpful to authenticate his paintings and calligraphy. The style, materials and craftsmanship of mounting also play a very important role in identifying the authenticity of calligraphy and paintings. These characteristics are the flavor of the times and the personal style of calligraphers and painters. (2) Seals The characteristics of seals in different eras are different. The atmosphere of the seal can be distinguished from the shape, seal text, texture and printing color of the seal. Most of the calligraphy and paintings of the Song Dynasty did not bear the seal of the author's name. The materials were mainly copper and jade, and the printing ink was different from that of other dynasties. Stone seals were only used in the Yuan Dynasty, and "seal oil" began to be used in the Ming Dynasty, and it is said that Shen Zhou was the representative. Some authors have fixed seals and inks, while others are more chaotic. (3) Paper and silk paper. Most of them were made of hemp in the Jin and Tang Dynasties (such as Lu Ji's "Ping Fu Tie"). Paper was very developed in the Song Dynasty. Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, Mi Fu, and Cai Xiang all used cooked paper to write, and they also needed Understand the classification of paper in various periods since the Ming Dynasty, such as when cloth-grained paper, gold-sprinkled paper, and Goryeo paper began to be used. (4) Inscriptions and postscripts on calligraphy and painting, labels and collection seals. Inscriptions and postscripts are divided into those by contemporaries and those by later generations. Most of them are words of praise or appreciation. (5) Bibliography of calligraphy and painting: Check whether there are records, descriptions, evaluations, etc. of a certain collection. (6) Mounting of calligraphy and painting, as well as the author’s name, place of birth, and date of birth and death. The oldest existing decoration is from the Northern Song Dynasty, and each era has its own distinctive style. (7) Various ways of cheating 1. Unintentional: like copying. 2. Check and fill in the blanks: dig, fill in, fill in, trace, etc. 3. Ask someone to write for you: such as Dong Qichang, Jin Nong, etc.

Identification of ancient calligraphy and painting

Identification of paper and silk

The materials silk and paper used in calligraphy and painting play a certain role in the dating of calligraphy and painting. The identification of silk and paper is another way to identify calligraphy and painting.

According to current research by Hanguo scholars, late Zhou silk paintings, Chu tomb silk paintings during the Warring States Period, and later Han tomb silk paintings at Mawangjiao were all woven with finer single silk. So far, no double silk silk has been seen. (That is, the warp is a double thread, and the weft is a single thread woven into silk). Silk from the Five Dynasties to the Southern Song Dynasty has developed and changed compared with the previous generations. On the surface, in addition to single-filament silk, there are also forms of double-filament silk. The warp threads of this kind of double-filament silk are composed of two threads in one group, with a gap of one thread between each two groups, and the weft threads are single threads. Generally speaking, the silk of the Yuan Dynasty is thicker than the silk of the Song Dynasty. It is not as fine and white as the silk of the Song Dynasty, and it is also loose. Silk from the Ming Dynasty generally seems to be relatively rough. In the early and mid-Ming Dynasty, there was a kind of lower quality and thinner silk. Because this kind of silk was too thin and difficult for ink to fall off, calligraphers and painters often put it on paper before creating calligraphy and painting. The quality of paper is another criterion for judging the age of calligraphy and painting. Paper from the Han and Jin Dynasties is mostly made of linen, mostly recycled from waste materials such as linen cloth, sacks, hemp shoes, and fishing nets. Raw hemp is also used - hemp is used in the north and ramie is used in the south. It is characterized by thick fibers, so it is difficult to make fine. It is matte, hairless, and the fibers are bundled into a round shape. Sometimes lignin is found. Most calligraphy and paintings of the Sui, Tang, and Five Dynasties used hemp paper. The Tang copy of "Lanting Preface" we see today, Du Mu's "Zhang Hao Hao Shi", and a large number of Tang Dynasty scriptures excavated from Dunhuang are all like this. After the Northern Song Dynasty, the number decreased sharply, but in the northern Liao and Jin Dynasties, linen was still used for scripture paper. In the future, there were almost no people who used hemp paper for calligraphy and painting. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, paper made from bark began to be seen, mostly made of mulberry or sandalwood bark. They were characterized by fine fibers, and at the same time, they were fine masterpieces produced with the development and progress of handicraft industry. This kind of material is also dark and dull, only slightly brighter than hemp paper. The fibers are bundled into flat sheets and have a slight paper fluff. There is also paper made from mulberry bark, which is characterized by finer and shiny fibers, easy lint on the paper surface, and flat fiber bundles. From the beginning of the Northern Song Dynasty, a large number of bark paper appeared in calligraphy and ink. Later, bark paper was produced throughout the country. The use of bamboo for calligraphy and painting began in the Northern Song Dynasty. Bamboo is hard and difficult to pulp. Previous people could not process it, so they did not use it. Bamboo paper has the finest fibers, which are bright and hairless, with fiber bundles or hard thorns, and edges and corners can also be seen outside the corners. After the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty, all the raw materials for making calligraphy and painting paper were available, so it was not easy to distinguish the earlier and later eras by paper.

Decoration identification

The decoration of calligraphy and painting in each era has its own characteristics, which can be used as an auxiliary basis for identification and dating. For example, the paintings and calligraphy collected by the court of the Southern Song Dynasty have a prescribed mounting format - Shaoxing Imperial Mansion Decoration Style. There are strict regulations on what materials should be used for mounting calligraphy and paintings of different grades, such as what kind of wrapping, what kind of silk and what kind of axis should be used for hand scrolls; The color, size, shaft head, etc. of the materials used for the vertical shaft have certain formats. Paintings from the Yuan Dynasty palace collection were framed by specially appointed people. In the fourth year of Dade's reign, "I ordered the framer Wuzhi to use ancient jade and ivory as the axis, Luan magpie wood and brocade green silk as the frame, and make a refined lacquer box and hide it in the secretary's library. There are planned to be 646 paintings." Ming Dynasty The decorative forms of calligraphy and painting have further developed. Calligraphy and painting scrolls have added headers, and some have written words. Some imitate propaganda and have narrow borders, and some use damask or silk to dig out the wide borders; vertical scrolls have wide borders and narrow borders. Some have a poetry hall as well. The mounting of paintings collected by the court of the Qing Dynasty had its own special style. During the Tang Xi and Qianlong periods, the materials, techniques, and forms of mounting were better in all aspects. The tiantou damask on the rolls and scrolls was mostly light cyan, the secondary water barriers were mostly tooth-colored damask, and the part near the center of the painting was mostly beige damask. (or silk), some vertical scrolls have poetry halls, some do not, but generally there are two ribbons. The rounded curves on the vertical shaft poles are custom-made and are significantly different from non-palace ones. After the Jiaqing period, the quality of palace decoration gradually declined, and the poles of the vertical shafts gradually became thicker (in the later period, they became square). Some shaft heads were no longer made of red sandalwood or mahogany, and they looked clumsy. The hand scrolls are also thicker than those during the Kangxi and Qian dynasties.

Seal identification

The characteristics and atmosphere of the seal are also evidence for the identification of calligraphy and painting. The atmosphere of the times of a seal can be seen in its shape, seal characters, engraving method, texture, printing color, etc. There are very few calligraphy and painting works in the Song Dynasty that bear the seal of the calligrapher and painter, and most calligraphers and painters do not bear their own seal on their works. The seals of the Song Dynasty were mostly made of copper and jade, with a small amount of other materials. Printing colors can be divided into honey prints and watermarks (a very small number of mimeographs appeared in the late Southern Song Dynasty). Honey prints are red and thick, while watermarks are light and thin. The seal characters and engraving methods of seals in the Yuan Dynasty changed, and the round vermilion seal appeared. The materials include wood, ivory, copper, jade, etc., and the printing colors are mostly oil prints and watermarks. Since Wang Mian of the Yuan Dynasty began to use stone for engraving, more and more people have used stone for engraving. In the early Ming Dynasty, seals made of various stones were quite common, and the seal carving method also underwent new changes. The stop of each character in the seal script was slightly thicker than the original stroke, but appeared lighter and slightly yellow. Same as in the Yuan Dynasty. The printing color is slightly different. Most of the seals in the middle and late Ming Dynasty were made of stone, with others such as crystal, agate, copper, jade, etc. Fonts range from ancient Chinese to seal script. During this period, most of the printing colors were made of oil, and the colors were different in shades. There were also a few painters who used watermarks. In the early Qing Dynasty, the seal script used by calligraphers and painters did not change much, but the seal shapes and fonts had a tendency to diversify. In the middle and late Qing Dynasty, seals and seal carvings had various specifications, such as Zhejiang School, Anhui School and other schools, most of which took "Shuowen Jiezi" as the main body. The printing color has never been oily, and the watermark is no longer used.

Identification of inscriptions and postscripts

Inscriptions and postscripts can be divided into three categories: those of the author, those of his contemporaries, and those of his descendants.

Although there are some inscriptions and postscripts of certain paintings and calligraphy that deny this work, these are only a few. At most, it is to explain the creation process of this work, the collection relationship, or to verify its authenticity and praise its beauty, so it is well-known to people. However, there are both forgeries in calligraphy and painting, and there are also various forgeries in inscriptions and postscripts. Therefore, the appraisal of calligraphy and painting must pay attention to its "variations". It is common for genuine ancient paintings to be paired with other people's fake postscripts, or forged ancient paintings to be paired with other people's authentic postscripts. If there is an inscription or postscript from a contemporary of the author on the painting, the relationship between him and the author should be made clear. This situation cannot necessarily be known from the calligraphy and painting itself, but must be explored from some inscriptions and postscripts. How much role the inscriptions and postscripts of later generations can play in the appraisal of calligraphy and paintings must be analyzed based on the specific circumstances. Forgery was very popular in the Song Dynasty. Mi Fu's "Book History" records that Wang Xianzhi's "Ge Qun Tie" and Yu Shinan's book he wrote beforehand were dyed antique by Wang Jinqing, and added with inscriptions and postscripts moved from elsewhere, and were put together. The ministers at that time came to inscribe these scrolls. If it is passed down to the present day, although the inscription and postscript written by the Song Dynasty are authentic, the post itself is actually written by Mi Fulin. Whether the appraisal of calligraphy and painting through inscriptions and postscripts is reliable depends on the level of the inscriptions and postscripts. Hongli had a rich collection and many inscriptions and postscripts, but his ability to identify them was poor and he often turned out fake works. He first obtained a fake copy of Huang Zijiu's "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains" and praised it as unparalleled. Later, he told the authentic copy that it was fake. Wen Zhengming's inscriptions and postscripts are more credible because he was good at calligraphy and painting and had high identification ability. In addition to having good or bad eyesight, the person who identifies the work must also look at his responsible attitude towards the work. Dong Qichang has seen many famous paintings and calligraphy, but he is extremely unserious in his appraisal of truth, so we cannot fully trust his inscriptions and postscripts. Generally speaking, the connoisseurs of previous generations traveled relatively recently, saw many things, and had some advantages over us. Although their inscriptions and postscripts cannot be fully trusted, they are still worthy of our study and consideration. Some other evidence

Special characters: Writing other characters has always been taken very seriously, and calligraphy and painting authors will not make such mistakes. For example, if this happens in calligraphy and painting or inscriptions and postscripts, especially inscriptions of calligraphy and painting, it is considered to be a flaw exposed by the forger. Avoidance of taboos: In the era of feudal emperors, writing should avoid taboos, that is, when writing a word that is the same as the name of the emperor of the current dynasty, one should write less than one stroke. This is called taboos, commonly known as missing pens. In calligraphy and painting, if you see missing characters, which emperor's taboo is the taboo, you can conclude that the creation period of the calligraphy and painting cannot be earlier than the emperor's taboo period, otherwise it will be a loophole for forgery. This issue has always been regarded as irrefutable evidence.

Year and month: The year and month mentioned on the calligraphy and painting or on the inscription or postscript, or the age, birth and death of the author, are inconsistent, or are inconsistent with the facts, which will also be considered to be a sign of forgery. For example, "Pictures of Wind and Rain in the Xiangjiang River" and volumes collected by Zhang Daqian were photocopied in the first volume of "Famous Traces of Dafengtang". Paper, long. Painting ink brush water stone wind rain bamboo. Self-awareness: Feng Lin has always wanted to go to Kunji. He has been begging me to write "Wind and Rain in Xiangjiang River" for three years, but I have been unable to repay him. This year I went to the capital, and I chased my friends with wine and said goodbye to the south of Lucheng. I took advantage of the excitement and passed away in a flash, but I was ashamed that I was not good at writing but my friendship was kind. It was the autumn and July of the orthodox year of Bingyin (11th year, 1446). One day later, Xia Changzhong of the Eastern Wu Dynasty met. Seals with inscribed inscriptions include "Xia Changzhongzhao Book Seal of the Eastern Wu Dynasty" and "Taichang Qing Book Seal". There is also a volume preserved by the Beijing Institute of Cultural Relics. The painting method, inscriptions and imprints are exactly the same as those collected by Zhang. The painting is on raw paper, and the color of the paper at the end of the inscription is pulpy and cooked. If you look closely at the two scrolls, the brushstrokes are not very calm, and the calligraphy is slightly literary and Mingfa style. It is completely a work of one hand. Then I took the inscriptions and seals in the authentic works of Xia's paintings and personally collated them, and found out that in Bingyin (1446), the eleventh year of Zhengtong, Xia was still taking examinations in the Ministry of Civil Affairs, while his official position as Taichangqing was not until five years after Tianshun to Chenghua. Chou (approximately 1457-1469), so it is impossible that the seal of "Taichangqing Book" has been used in the orthodox version. Therefore, it is certain that these two volumes are mostly forgeries made out of thin air by people in the mid-Ming Dynasty.