In the reception area.
Thomas and the others gathered around the easel, admiring and appraising Vermeer's "Woman with a Pearl Necklace".
Xiao Ran stood aside, introducing Vermeer and some of the things behind this oil painting to fans in the live broadcast room.
"Vermeer was a famous painting master in the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century. Together with Hals and Rembrandt, he was known as the three major Dutch painters."
"He is one of the greatest painters in the Netherlands, an outstanding genre painter in the Netherlands, and is regarded as a representative painter of the Dutch Minor School."
"In the history of Western art, Vermeer is recognized as the painter with the best handling of indoor light, unparalleled, and has a very high status in the history of art."
"His most famous representative work, "Girl with a Pearl Earring", is known as the "Mona Lisa" of the Netherlands and also known as the Mona Lisa of the North."
"The girl in the painting looks back sideways, hesitates to speak, and looks back with laughter and anger. Only the smile of "Mona Lisa" can compare with it..."
While he was explaining, Fang Yufei quickly found "Girl with a Pearl Earring" and sent the high-definition picture to the live broadcast room.
Seeing the high-definition picture of this immortal masterpiece, the live broadcast room immediately burst into admiration.
"This painting looks really beautiful, especially the girl's eyes and the vaguely sad expression in the painting. The painting is so vivid!"
"I personally like this painting "Girl with a Pearl Earring" better. I feel this painting is more outstanding than the "Mona Lisa""
Mu Jiangnan said with admiration.
"I also like this painting very much. The girl in the painting is indeed very touching."
"The mustache painting is nothing compared to this portrait."
"Xiao Ran, the "Woman Wearing a Pearl Necklace" you discovered, since the person in the painting is called the Mona Lisa of the North, must be very valuable!"
Coffee Puer asked curiously.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ran responded proudly:
"Vermeer lived a short life and died at the age of 43. There are very few paintings that have been handed down, only 35."
"And his paintings are basically collected in major museums, as well as some top family foundations, and they can't be seen on the market at all."
"This painting "Woman with a Pearl Necklace" is said to be one of Vermeer's last works, so its meaning is even more special."
“In 2004 alone, Sotheby’s auctioned a small oil painting by Vermeer that was suspected to be a fake, and the transaction price was US$30 million.”
"Because it has not yet been determined whether that oil painting is Vermeer's work, and it has been separated for more than ten years, it has no reference value!"
"Because there is no reference, this painting "Woman Wearing a Pearl Necklace" is difficult to evaluate."
"If we had to give an estimate, the valuation of this oil painting would be at least US$300 million to live up to the name of the Northern Mona Lisa."
As this valuation came out, the live broadcast room was instantly abuzz.
"I'll go! Such a small portrait is worth more than 300 million US dollars. It's too exaggerated!"
Idiot Wuhen exclaimed, obviously taken aback.
The rest of the fans were the same, they all couldn't believe their ears.
Xiao Ran smiled softly and then continued:
"This valuation is not high at all, and it is obviously low. Once I sell this oil painting, it will definitely be robbed by these super rich people on the scene!"
"Do you know how much the Mona Lisa is valued? The Louvre estimates the treasure of the museum at at least $5 billion!"
"With this shocking valuation, as long as the Louvre dares to release the Mona Lisa, it will definitely attract countless buyers to snap up it!"
"Compared with the Mona Lisa, the valuation I gave for this 'Mona Lisa of the North' is already very conscientious!"
No surprise!
Following his words, the live broadcast room became excited again.
Everyone was shocked by the valuation of "Mona Lisa" and exclaimed.
At this time, Thomas and the others had completed the preliminary identification of "Woman with a Pearl Necklace".
"There is no doubt that this painting "Woman with a Pearl Necklace" is indeed an authentic work by the master of art Vermeer"
"The woman in the painting is the Mona Lisa of the North, Vermeer's eldest daughter Maria"
"In this painting, the painter's handling of indoor light can be said to be unique in the world, unmatched by anyone! It is the camera obscura technique that Vermeer is best at"
"His use of color, depiction of fabrics, and the warmth and tranquility revealed in the paintings, as well as the small and exquisite brushstrokes, are all breathtaking."
Thomas said in admiration, with a mesmerized expression.
Several other top appraisal experts at the scene, as well as Pierre and the others in Paris, all behaved in the same way.
Steve and Griffin, who are slightly less appreciative, also have expressions of obsession, eyes full of possessiveness, and even greed!
Following Thomas, several other top identification experts also gave positive identification conclusions.
Immediately afterwards, Steve and Griffin turned to look at Xiao Ran.
"Sean, what are you going to do with this Vermeer painting? Are you going to sell it or collect it yourself?"
"If you are interested in selling, please make an offer. I will accept any amount. I like this painting very much."
Steve said expectantly, acting very generously.
This guy is worth tens of billions of dollars and certainly has generous capital.
Immediately afterwards, representatives of the Joshua and Rockefeller families, as well as representatives of the Morgan family, also made acquisition requests.
Seeing these super predators taking action one after another, several museum directors looked at each other and smiled bitterly, then stopped.
It’s not that they don’t want to acquire the painting “Woman with a Pearl Necklace”. Who doesn’t want this top-notch piece of art?
But they understand that in front of super predators like Joshua, their own museum’s small budget is simply not enough and there is no competitiveness.
Xiao Ran looked at Joshua and the others, thought for a moment, and then said with a smile:
"Gentlemen, I do not intend to sell this painting "Woman with a Pearl Necklace", but I want to collect it myself"
"Like you, I love this oil painting. It is one of the most outstanding paintings I have ever seen."
"So I can't give a quote. In fact, it's difficult for me to give a valuation for this painting."
"Why!"
There was a sigh, and everyone looked disappointed.
Obviously, the answer Xiao Ran gave was not what Joshua and the others wanted to hear.
However, they also understood Xiao Ran's approach very well. Who would be willing to give up such a rare top-notch work of art?
Yi Lian and Fang Yufei, who were also at the scene, almost cheered with excitement when they heard that Xiao Ran was planning to collect the painting himself.
At this moment, Charles suddenly said:
"Sean, we understand your desire to collect this painting, but I'm afraid you can't take this painting out of the United States."
"This painting will definitely be included in the list of art works restricted from leaving the country, which means that you can only collect it in the United States."
Before he finished speaking, everyone at the scene nodded.
Xiao Ran did the same, first smiled and nodded, and then shook his head.
"You're right, Charles, this painting will definitely be included in the FBI's list of art works restricted from leaving the country. It's impossible for the FBI guys to ignore such a top-notch piece of art."
"Under normal circumstances, I can only collect this oil painting in the United States. However, there are always exceptions to everything. I still want to try for it. Maybe there will be a miracle."
As he said that, he looked at Joshua and nodded slightly.
Joshua was stunned for a moment, and then he came to his senses.
He suddenly thought that there was a very inconspicuous clause in the agreement he just signed.
Once the deal for the batch of NZ gold in the underground secret room is concluded, the Federal Reserve needs to come forward to help Xiao Ran do something.
Help him communicate with relevant US agencies and law enforcement agencies so that he can transfer part of his legal property out of the United States.
When Joshua saw this clause before, he didn’t care.
He thought Xiao Ran's purpose was the gold transaction money and wanted to transfer the huge amount of money to China.
Only now did he realize that Xiao Ran's purpose was not only to successfully transfer the huge sum of money, but also to take away some top antiques, cultural relics and works of art.
With the Federal Reserve stepping up to communicate and coordinate, how could the FBI object?
Thinking of this, Joshua suddenly understood.
At the same time, a trace of fear quickly flashed in his eyes.
It's hard not to be afraid of Xiao Ran's exhaustive performance, and Joshua is no exception.
While he was talking, Mike and a lawyer from the Federal Reserve suddenly walked into the reception area together.
At this time, both guys were very excited and their eyes were a little red.
As they came in, everyone immediately looked over.
After entering the reception area, the two guys nodded to everyone and then began to report the situation.
"Sean, the batch of NZ gold hidden in the underground secret room has been counted."
"The weight of those gold ingots is basically the same, so we only need to count the number of gold ingots."
"According to statistics, there are 76 tons of NZ gold hidden in the secret room, nearly 2.5 million ounces."
"Based on the current market price of gold, the total value of this batch of NZ gold is about US$4.6 billion."
"Including the 25% premium acquisition, the total value of this batch of gold is US$5.8 billion."
Mike excitedly reported the statistical results.
At the end of the sentence, his voice was trembling slightly.
As soon as the words fell, the scene suddenly became quiet, and there was a dead silence!
The same was true in the live broadcast room. Everyone was completely shocked by this huge wealth!
