After Rubens' "Adoration of the Virgin", Xiao Ran opened four or five picture frames tightly wrapped in moisture-proof tarpaulin, as well as several heavy crates.
What then appeared in front of everyone were oil paintings and prints from before the late eighteenth century, as well as exquisite sculptures.
Among them, there are mainly Baroque and Rococo style works, as well as several antique works of classicism style.
Without exception, these antique works of art are all made by famous artists, and each piece is valuable.
Their discovery has constantly caused waves of exclamations at the exploration site and in front of countless live broadcasts, making everyone excited.
Of course, it also made countless people’s eyes turn red with envy.
Especially those guys who coveted Napoleon's treasure were so jealous that they almost bled.
But they could do nothing but watch and covet.
Exploring the heavily armed and highly alert security personnel and military police in and around the site was enough to dispel all their dreams.
The gangsters from Eastern Europe who were just rounded up by the police are a bloody lesson.
The fate of those guys reminds everyone with ulterior motives that if they dare to act rashly, they will only die.
While talking, Xiao Ran used a crowbar to pry open a heavy crate.
Then what appeared in front of everyone's eyes was an exquisite bronze statue.
There is a layer of green patina on the surface of this bronze statue, which fortunately does not obscure the shape and beauty of the statue.
The moment they saw this bronze statue, everyone was stunned.
Immediately afterwards, Pierre and Henry suddenly said in unison:
"Wow! This is a statue of Julius Caesar, and the carving is very vivid and lifelike. It looks like a masterpiece at first glance."
Xiao Ran smiled and nodded, then continued:
"Yes, this is indeed the bronze statue of Julius Caesar, the founder of the Roman Empire."
"Judging from the artistic style, this bronze statue is Baroque and clearly from the 17th century."
While he was explaining his situation, everyone was admiring the bronze statue.
The Caesar depicted in this statue is a standing figure wearing armor and a cloak, holding a dagger in his hand, and staring ahead, deliberately highlighting Caesar's image as an outstanding military commander.
Although this statue of Julius Caesar doesn't move much, it just stands and stares into the distance.
But the cloak fluttering in the wind behind him, the sharp-edged and explosive muscle lines, the resolute eyes and expressions give people a strong sense of movement.
This makes the whole sculpture full of drama and extremely vivid, as if it is really alive.
In addition, you can also see some classicism in this bronze sculpture.
Facing this bronze statue, everyone at the scene was quickly attracted and began to admire it intoxicatedly.
Many people on the ground and on the live broadcast were also attracted by this dynamic and exquisite sculpture.
After a moment, Henry suddenly asked curiously:
"Sean, Pierre, which sculptor do you think this bronze statue of Julius Caesar is the work of?"
"In the Western world, there are countless bronze statues of Julius Caesar. For a moment, I really can't remember any information about this statue."
The reason why he asked Xiao Ran and Pierre was simple.
Xiao Ran has the highest level of appraisal and the sharpest vision here. He has never missed a piece of antique art or gold and silver treasures.
As for Pierre, he originally came from the Louvre and is one of France's leading sculpture art appraisal experts.
Upon hearing the inquiry, Xiao Ran and Pierre immediately looked at each other, smiled and nodded in unison.
The next moment, they said in unison:
"This bronze statue of Julius Caesar should be made by Bernini, the greatest art master of the seventeenth century, the most outstanding representative of Baroque art, and the famous Italian sculptor."
After the words fell, Xiao Ran and Pierre immediately looked at each other and smiled.
Seeing this scene, Elaine and Caroline, who were staying in the lobby on the first floor, also chuckled.
As for the others, they were all shocked by the identification conclusion and extremely excited.
In the history of Western art, from the Renaissance to modern times
In terms of sculpture art alone, Bernini is the top sculpture master after Michelangelo. He is as famous as Rodin in modern times, and his artistic status is even higher than Rodin.
The artistic value and market value of the bronze sculpture of Julius Caesar created by Bernini can be imagined.
That's why everyone is so excited to know that this is a sculpture by Bernini.
The next moment, Lawrence suddenly asked curiously:
"Sean, Pierre, before you see the signature left by the author, how do you judge that this bronze statue of Julius Caesar is the work of the Baroque sculptor Bernini? Can you introduce it to everyone?"
Upon hearing this, Pierre immediately looked towards Xiao Ran and raised his hand to make a sign of invitation.
"As for how to confirm that this bronze statue of Julius Caesar is the work of Bernini, let Sean introduce the situation to you."
Xiao Ran did not refuse, then nodded with a smile and said:
"Then let me tell you the basis for my judgment that this is the work of Bernini, the master of Baroque sculpture art."
"First of all, it is the strong dramatic color and ubiquitous, lifelike movement expressed in this bronze sculpture."
"In the seventeenth century when Baroque art was prevalent, looking at the entire Western art world, no one did these two things better than Bernini."
"There is also the classicism shown in this bronze statue. This is not a classicism style born in France, but a classicism color from the Hellenistic period, which is more idealistic..."
Next, Xiao Ran pointed out several unique artistic features of Bernini's sculptures.
It was these distinctive characteristics of personal style that allowed them to make an accurate judgment and determine that this was a sculpture by Bernini.
While Xiao Ran was introducing, Pierre standing aside nodded frequently, his eyes filled with admiration, a bit of shock, and even jealousy.
He studied Western sculpture art for decades before he could see that this was Bernini's outstanding work.
How old is Xiao Ran? How long have you been involved in collecting antique art?
He sees more and more clearly than he does, how can he not be jealous of it?
With Xiao Ran's introduction, everyone learned more and more about this bronze statue of Caesar, and there was no longer any doubt about the origin of this sculpture.
After Xiao Ran finished his introduction, Lawrence said with emotion:
"Sean, you are so scary. Now I completely believe it. There is really no antique artwork in this world that you don't recognize!"
“There is no doubt that this bronze statue of Julius Caesar, created by Bernini, is definitely a top-notch antique artwork of astonishing value.”
"Here, I also want to gossip. If you valued this bronze sculpture, what kind of valuation would you give? I believe everyone wants to know."
Xiao Ran looked at the bronze statue of Caesar, thought for a moment, and then said with a smile:
"Every sculpture by Bernini is priceless, and this bronze statue of Julius Caesar is also a top antique work of art."
"If such a priceless treasure appears on the auction market, it will definitely attract countless collectors to pursue it, and it will easily fetch a sky-high price."
"Based on my understanding of the current art market, if this bronze statue appears on the market, the auction price will never be less than 160 million US dollars."
With the release of this astonishing valuation, there was an uproar in countless places on the scene and on the live broadcast side.
Everyone, including Lawrence and the others, were stunned by this valuation.
Xiao Ran remained calm and continued to admire the astonishingly valuable bronze statue of Caesar.
After everyone calmed down a little, with the cooperation of Pierre and the others, Xiao Ran took the bronze statue out of the box and placed it on the ground aside.
Afterwards, everyone gathered around the bronze statue of Caesar to admire it again.
In a moment, Pierre discovered Bernini's author's signature and the coat of arms of the Habsburg-Lorraine family on the back of this bronze statue of Julius Caesar.
At this point, there is no doubt about the origin of this bronze statue of Julius Caesar.
Julius Caesar
