In the blink of an eye, more than an hour has passed.
During this period of time, Xiao Ran successively displayed and appraised four or five pieces of antique art.
After identification, these antique works of art are all authentic, and each piece is valuable.
Among them are national treasures such as "Pictures of Emperors of All Dynasties" by Yan Liben and "Pictures of Pinglin Jise" by Dong Yuan of the Five Dynasties.
The appearance and return of these babies made everyone excited.
Especially the old men who were far away in Beijing, all of them had excited eyes shining brightly.
While talking, Xiao Ran picked up a portable safe and placed it gently on the conference table.
At this time, he was already familiar with the road and had opened the portable safe in a blink of an eye.
Matthew, standing aside, made the introduction with great pain.
"What is in this safe is "Nine Dragons" by Chen Rong of the Southern Song Dynasty."
"The "Nine Dragons" is one of the most important Chinese artworks in our art museum. It is a pity that it will no longer belong to us in the future!"
Xiao Ran turned to look at this old friend, and then said jokingly:
"Actually, you don't have to be depressed, Matthew. Once you see it, you own it. You must also understand this."
"If you want to see Chen Rong's "Kowloon Picture" in the future, you can go to Beijing and visit my private museum."
"Yes! I can indeed see this painting when I go to Beijing, but it has nothing to do with me anymore."
Matthew said angrily.
While talking, Xiao Ran had taken out the brocade box containing the "Kowloon Picture" and gently placed it on the table.
Then, he carefully opened the exquisite brocade box.
Following this action, the scroll contained in the brocade box immediately appeared in front of everyone.
This is an apricot-yellow paper scroll, about 50 centimeters in length and 11 meters in width. It can be regarded as a masterpiece.
This ancient painting was rolled up and placed in a brocade box. The thickness of the scroll was amazing.
The moment he saw this scroll, Xiao Ran's eyes suddenly brightened and shone brightly.
The old men far away in Beijing were even more amazed.
Every Chinese person who knows about this painting has a special emotion and pays more attention to it.
There is no other reason, because everyone is the descendant of the dragon!
After some exclamation, Mr. Jin immediately began to introduce the "Nine Dragons Picture"
"Xiao Ran, Chen Rong's "Nine Dragons" is his most important masterpiece and is priceless."
"In the history of Chinese painting, Chen Rong is the most outstanding painter of dragons, with no equal."
"Chen Rong's dragon, also known as Wenglong, has long become a model for later generations of artists to paint dragons."
"Even Japanese dragon paintings are deeply influenced by it. Even in modern times, the shadow of Chen Rong can still be seen in the image of Japanese dragons."
"The Nine Dragons Picture also represents the transitional period from court painting to literati painting, and is of great significance in the history of ancient Chinese painting."
While Mr. Jin was introducing it, Xiao Ran had taken out the "Nine Dragon Pictures" from the brocade box and was about to open it.
It was still Elaine who assisted him in displaying this painting.
At this moment, Matthew suddenly interrupted reluctantly and said:
"Sean, personally, I really don't want to exchange this "Kowloon Picture" with you."
"The painting "Six Dragons" sold in New York three years ago was a work by Chen Rong. It fetched nearly 50 million US dollars at that time."
"This "Kowloon Picture" is far more precious and important than that painting. If this painting is auctioned, it should be able to fetch a sky-high price of more than 80 million US dollars."
"It's a pity that this painting was targeted by a greedy guy like you, and you took the opportunity to get it into your own hands. It's really a huge loss for us."
Before he finished speaking, there was an exclamation of exclamation at the scene.
"Wow! This painting is actually worth more than $80 million. It's amazing!"
"This ancient painting alone is worth 80 million U.S. dollars. The sum of all these antique works of art must be an astonishing astronomical figure."
While exclaiming, the appraisal experts and senior officials of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston all showed expressions of pain.
Elaine and David, who were also at the scene, were all beaming with excitement.
Xiao Ran and Shan Lao had no objections to the valuation given by Matthew.
They know that the value of Chen Rong's "Kowloon Picture" is definitely not more than 80 million US dollars, it can only be higher!
They understood this and didn't say much.
Don't irritate these guys at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston too much and cause trouble!
As long as there is no transaction contract signed, there may be variables in this heavyweight art transaction.
Even if the contract is signed and the transaction is completed.
As long as these treasures are not transported back to Beijing, accidents may occur.
In view of this, extra caution must be taken to prevent any accidents from happening as much as possible.
Just like appraising other antique works of art before, Xiao Ran pretended to carefully examine the appearance of this scroll.
After making sure there was no problem, he pulled away the ribbon holding the scroll.
Then with the assistance of Elaine, the scroll was slowly unfolded.
This is a painting on paper with ink and light colors. Although it has gone through nearly 800 years, it is very well preserved without any damage.
In the past eight hundred years, "Nine Dragons" was either collected in the imperial palace or in the hands of famous literati, with a clear and orderly inheritance line.
Every collector who obtains the "Kowloon Picture" cherishes this painting very much and protects it very well.
During the Qianlong period, Qianlong fell in love with the "Nine Dragons" to the extreme.
In his excitement, he left many seals and inscriptions on this "Nine Dragons Picture".
Not only that, he also asked many of his ministers to write inscriptions and postscripts on the "Nine Dragons Picture" to add color to the painting.
It is precisely because of this that the length of the "Nine Dragons" is so amazing.
While speaking, Xiao Ran gently unfolded the first volume of "Nine Dragon Pictures".
With his movements, this magnificent and fairy-like picture gradually appeared in front of everyone.
The first thing to appear are the several red seals printed on the front of the volume, including Qianlong's Sanxitang Jingjian Seal, which is very eye-catching.
Then there is a self-titled title about dragons and phoenixes. The first three words are "Nine Dragons Picture".
As the painting gradually unfolds, a majestic dragon with fangs and claws appears on the paper.
This giant dragon just jumped out of the cave, with its majestic head and horns, its claws tightly grasping the rocks, and it was waiting eagerly.
It is located in a mountainous area, surrounded by rugged rocks, shrouded in clouds and mist, and extremely steep.
Xiao Ran didn't stop what he was doing until the first dragon appeared completely.
Afterwards, everyone, including him, began to admire this masterpiece in ecstasy.
Especially those who saw this painting for the first time were shocked by the domineering dragon in the painting.
Those old men far away in Beijing looked at the enlarged high-definition picture, admiring it and making appraisals at the same time.
After a while, they had reached a positive identification conclusion.
After some low-spirited discussions, Mr. Shan said excitedly:
"Xiao Ran, there is no doubt that this is the famous "Nine Dragons", an authentic work by Chen Rong of the Southern Song Dynasty."
"We looked at the self-title at the beginning of the volume, and it is indeed Chen Rong's calligraphy, which is consistent with Chen Rong's "Self-written Poems in Running Script" collected by the Forbidden City."
"Secondly, let's look at the seals at the beginning of the volume. We compared the seals one by one. There is no problem. Every seal is correct and the source is correct."
"Especially Emperor Qianlong's Sanxitang Jingxi, which is a very famous seal. Both the seal and the position are very accurate."
"The more important basis for identification is that the giant dragon that just jumped out of the cave in the painting conforms to all the characteristics of the dragon in Chen Rong's paintings."
Although he had expected this result, Xiao Ran was still excited when he heard it with his own ears.
"That's great. As long as it's Chen Rong's original work, I'm completely relieved. Sorry to bother you all."
"To be honest, I am already thinking about how to display this "Kowloon Picture" after it is sent back to China."
"This "Kowloon Picture" is 11 meters long. If it were completely displayed in a bulletproof glass display case, it would be very spectacular!"
"People who go to the museum will be stunned when they walk along the bulletproof glass display case displaying the "Kowloon Map"
Hearing this, Mr. Shan and the others were stunned for a moment, and then they all laughed.
"Hahaha, it's really like this. As long as this "Kowloon Picture" can be fully displayed, it will be very shocking!"
"After your boy said that, we also want to see this scene. It must be very spectacular."
Elaine and the others, who were in the hotel conference room, were also very excited at this time.
Only Matthew and the guys at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston had expressions of pain on their faces.
After admiring it for a moment, Xiao Ran collected his emotions before continuing to display this masterpiece.
Then the second dragon appeared, flying in the clouds and mist, with only its head and tail exposed.
This giant dragon merged with the lingering mist, entangled together, and looked sideways, looking back at the first dragon.
Seeing the second dragon, everyone was shocked again.
The scene immediately fell silent, but everyone's eyes were filled with shock.
Then the third dragon, the fourth dragon, until the ninth dragon appears.
In the two conference rooms in Boston and Beijing, the same scene repeated itself, and exclamations came one after another.
The giant dragons that appear in this "Nine Dragons Picture" have different postures.
They are either clinging to the rocks with their eyes wide open, or they are walking among the clouds and mist, hidden by thunder and lightning.
Or the dragon absorbs the water droplets and the waves are turbulent; or the male and female are chasing each other; or they are fighting in postures, etc.
Chen Rong uses his wonderful brushwork and superb painting skills to depict the dragon's various expressions and forms very vividly and lifelike.
After only seeing the third dragon, no one has any doubts about the authenticity of the "Nine Dragons Picture".
There is no doubt that this is the authentic work of Chen Rong of the Southern Song Dynasty, the famous "Nine Dragons"
In today's antique art market, the valuation of this painting is as high as about 500 million yuan.
If placed domestically, its value must be higher.
After seeing it, everyone forgot about the appraisal and just admired the painting.
After displaying the "Kowloon Picture" and admiring it intoxicatedly for a moment, Xiao Ran reluctantly put away this priceless treasure.
He then picked up a portable safe and continued to display and identify it.
What appears in front of everyone this time is a jade carving from the early Western Han Dynasty.
What it carves is a war horse with extraordinary steed.
The shape is simple and elegant, but full of dynamics. It is one of the most typical works of Han Badao.
Soon, the time came to around ten o'clock in the evening.
After more than five hours of marathon appraisal and display, Xiao Ran finally appraised all 50 pieces of antique art.
No need to ask about the result!
These 50 pieces of antique art from China are all genuine and authentic. Each one is valuable and unique!
Xiao Ran was naturally extremely satisfied with this result.
Shan Lao and others who were far away in Beijing were even more excited and beaming.
Although they had been busy for more than five hours, and although Shan Lao and the others were old, there was no trace of fatigue on their faces.
Of course, the old men had to take a good rest afterwards to truly regain their energy.
In the blink of an eye, Xiao Ran had put away the last painting.
Then, he looked up at Matthew, smiled and said:
"Matthew, the appraisal work has been completed. There are no problems with these 50 pieces of Chinese antique art. I am very satisfied with the result."
“We can sign the contract, and then you can take away Titian’s Bathing Venus and Rodin’s Undead Sculpture.”
"It's getting late outside. For safety reasons, I suggest you take the helicopter on the roof back to the museum. It's safer that way."
After the words fell, Matthew immediately nodded and responded:
"Okay, Sean, let's sign the contract!"
Upon hearing this, David immediately handed over the prepared contract.
