"Hey! Why is it a piece of white linen? I thought it was an oil painting."
David said in surprise.
The others were also surprised.
Hidden under "Ballet Studio" is not another oil painting, but a slightly yellowed white linen covering the bottom canvas.
The appearance of this white linen cloth was obviously beyond everyone's expectations.
Xiao Ran looked at the white linen cloth and continued to scroll "Ballet Classroom" without further explanation.
However, Elaine was quick to offer an explanation.
"The person who hid these paintings probably put this white linen sheet in the middle to protect the oil painting on the bottom layer."
"If the oil painting at the bottom is too old, it is cracked, or there is something wrong with the oil paint used."
"For the purpose of protecting the painting, it is best to protect it with colorless linen and separate it from the "Ballet Studio""
After hearing her explanation, everyone suddenly understood the purpose of this white linen cloth.
Xiao Ran nodded slightly and continued his movements.
In a moment, he had rolled up Degas' "Ballet Studio" and put it into a telescopic painting tube.
Then he handed the painting tube to Fang Yufei and asked her to carry it.
At this moment, Sam opened the door and walked into the antique store, and went straight to Fang Yufei, protecting her and this Impressionist masterpiece that had been brought to light.
This guy was called in by David, naturally for safety reasons.
Xiao Ran nodded to Sam first, and then looked at the white linen cloth.
He looked at the situation, then nodded and said:
"Elaine is right. The purpose of this white linen is to protect the bottom canvas."
"I don't know what kind of painting it is or which art master it is? It actually needs such serious protection."
"Is it the work of Leonardo da Vinci or Raphael? I hope so, I am full of expectations!"
As he spoke, he prepared to uncover the white linen cloth.
The other customers at the scene all rolled their eyes angrily, and they all secretly complained.
You lucky guy is still not satisfied after discovering a piece of "Ballet Studio" by the art master Degas, which is worth 50 million US dollars!
To dare to hope to discover another painting by Leonardo da Vinci or Raphael is simply greed to the extreme!
Unlike others, both Elaine and Fang Yufei giggled.
Meanwhile, everyone was staring expectantly at the white linen.
In the blink of an eye, Xiao Ran pulled out several nails that were fastened to the linen cloth.
Then he pinched the two corners of the linen and carefully peeled it off the drawing board.
As he moved, the paintings hidden under the linen emerged bit by bit.
as expected!
This is another oil painting, and it is a realistic landscape oil painting with beautiful scenery that directly touches the heart of every viewer.
The painting depicts a French rural landscape bathed in the sunset.
As the sun sets, a couple who have finished their hard work are walking along the field path towards the village shrouded in twilight in the distance.
In that smoke-filled village, there was a small church, with its spire looming.
From the small church, there seemed to be a burst of bells calling the peasant couple to go home early.
The man walking in front was struggling to push a cart.
There was an iron fork on the cart and a few small bags of potatoes. That was their harvest from a hard day's work!
The woman following behind had a basket in her arm, which seemed to also contain some potatoes.
The weight of the basket seemed heavy, and the woman had to turn sideways to lift it.
Under the afterglow of the setting sun, two long shadows were left on the fields they walked through, carrying the burden of life.
It was already autumn, and the earth was withered and yellow.
The setting sun in the west casts a bleak atmosphere on the earth, giving people a sense of sadness.
The poor and simple couple in the painting makes people unable to help but feel pity and sympathy.
The tone of the entire painting is dark and gloomy, but it has a shocking effect.
The moment they saw this painting, everyone was shocked and froze in place with their mouths open.
Even Xiao Ran, who had seen the oil painting through perspective more than once, couldn't help but pause, and the movements of his hands stopped.
After a moment, he exclaimed in ecstasy.
"Noble simplicity, quiet greatness!"
"I'll go! This is the work of peasant painter François Millet. It's incredible!"
Although he was performing, he also showed his true feelings naturally without any flaws.
Following his exclamation, everyone else suddenly woke up.
The next moment, Elaine jumped three feet high in excitement, danced and cheered.
"Yes, dear, this is the work of Francois Millet, the Barbizon painter and master of realist art."
"Miller is the most beloved painter in the history of modern French painting, a French national painter, and the art master I respect most."
"This is "Late Return" created by Miller around 1859. It is a sister painting to his representative work "Evening Bell"!"
"In the history of Western art, these two sister paintings are immortal masterpieces, epics and monuments of realist painting!"
While cheering, she and Fang Yufei immediately came to the painting "Returning Late" and admired it fascinatedly.
The eyes of other people present at the scene were all shining with excitement, and their eyeballs were frighteningly red!
Look at Brian again, leaning on the sofa, mumbling to himself in despair.
"Unexpectedly, Miller's "Late Home", this immortal painting, is in my antique shop!"
"God! What did I miss? What did I do wrong?"
"Why are you punishing me like this, why are you being so cruel to me?"
Xiao Ran turned his head and looked at this guy, feeling some sympathy and pity in his heart, but that was all.
Then, he turned back and continued to peel off the white linen cloth, and said with a smile:
"I know the purpose of this white linen cloth, which is to protect Miller's "Late Return"
"Unlike Degas, who was a banker, Miller lived in poverty all his life and often had too much to eat."
"In this case, he could only use the cheapest canvas and paint when painting, and even burned charcoal strips himself to paint."
"As a result of using poor quality materials, his paintings are fragile and easily fade and crack. They need to be protected with extra care!"
"The person who hid the painting obviously knew this, so he separated the two oil paintings with white linen to avoid damaging the painting."
Before she finished speaking, Elaine nodded slightly.
"Yes, dear, Miller was poor all his life and could only use the cheapest paints and canvases, but he painted the most beautiful works in the world!"
"Because of this, he is loved by the French people and his status in art history is so high!"
After hearing what they said, everyone else nodded and had no objection.
Anyone who has received a little education in Western art and has some understanding of Western art history will know Miller's position in art history!
Everyone understands that what Xiao Ran and Yi Lian said is absolutely right.
As he spoke, the white linen covering the oil painting was completely uncovered.
Miller's "Late Return" is finally presented to everyone in its entirety.
Fortunately, the painting is in very good condition, with no major damage other than some fading.
More importantly, there are not many cracks on the surface of the painting, so it can be rolled up and put into a painting tube to take away.
Seeing this situation, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and felt completely relieved.
Next, Xiao Ran immediately came to the oil painting to appreciate and appraise Miller's "Late Return" with Elaine.
Of course, he was just acting to make everything seem reasonable.
He already knew the authenticity and value of this painting "Late Return"!
There is no doubt that this is the authentic work of Barbizon master Miller, a well-deserved top-notch work of art!
"Dear, look at the dark red shirt on this farmer. It is Miller's favorite ocher color, which is also the cheapest oil paint!"
"This ocher-colored pigment comes from near Fontainebleau and Barbizon, and it is easy to identify."
"What's more important is this deep, far-reaching, tragic poetic realm, this spiritual magic that directly points to the human heart!"
"Among all the Barbizon painters, and even all the critical realist painters, only the peasant painter Millet could do it!"
"Only Miller has such a deep understanding of French farmers in the 19th century and has such deep feelings!"
When she said these words, Elaine's eyes were a little moist, and she was so excited that she almost flew up!
Xiao Ran reached out and patted her back gently, then nodded and said:
"Yes, dear, this is Miller, this is the immortal masterpiece of critical realism!"
After saying that, he suddenly turned to look at Sam.
"Sam, send two groups of security personnel over immediately to strengthen security!"
"This painting of Miller's "Late Home" is too important to make any mistakes."
After the words fell, Sam immediately nodded and responded:
"Okay, Sean, leave the security to us."
"Don't worry, nothing will go wrong."
After saying that, he picked up his phone and started shaking people.
Seeing this scene, the other customers in the antique store took a breath.
As for that guy Brian, he was so heartbroken that he almost died!
Now he is like a zombie.
He collapsed on the sofa, staring straight at the ceiling, mumbling to himself, as if he was crazy.
After a while, Xiao Ran and Yi Lian had completed the appraisal.
No need to ask about the result!
Just after they finished the appraisal and announced the conclusion, a guy suddenly asked curiously:
"Sean, can you give us an estimate for Miller's "Late Home"? It would also open our eyes."
"To be honest, it is really our honor to see Degas' "Ballet Studio" and Miller's "Late Return" today!"
"This is simply a miracle. I still can't believe it. It's like a dream!"
"Yes, we are the same, we all feel like we are in a dream!"
The other people nodded in agreement.
Xiao Ran glanced at these guys, thought for a moment, and then responded.
"Unlike Degas' "Ballet Studio", Miller's "Late Return" has a very special and lofty status in the history of Western art."
"Even Van Gogh and Dali were crazy about Miller's "Late Return" and "Evening Bell" and were deeply impressed!"
"As early as more than a hundred years ago, the value of this painting was as high as 800,000 francs."
"More than a hundred years have passed, and today, you can imagine how many times its value will have doubled!"
"If I had to give a valuation for "Returning Late", I think it should be between 300 and 400 million US dollars..."
Before he finished speaking, there was an almost crazy exclamation at the scene.
"What? Three to four hundred million dollars, did I hear that right?"
