The surrounding crowd was stunned at first, then burst into raucous laughter.
"Where did this greenhorn come from, daring to show off in front of Master Ji? Aren't you afraid of the wind blowing your tongue off!"
"Do you know what kind of place Tao Ran Pavilion is? With Shopkeeper Jiang's status, would he sell fakes?"
"Another one who doesn't know his own limits. How could something authenticated by Master Ji be a fake? Kid, what's Master Ji's standing in Jiangcheng's antique circles? Is it your place to comment..."
"It's like biting the hand that feeds you. If Master Ji hadn't saved you, you would have passed out cold outside by now. Shopkeeper Jiang, have your people throw him out! He's bringing bad luck!"
The curses rained down like a fierce storm, instantly turning Ye Fan into a target of public criticism.
Master Ji frowned, and his young apprentice jumped out, shouting at Ye Fan, "Stop spouting nonsense here! My master's reputation in Jiangcheng's antique world is known to everyone..."
"Could it be that his discerning eye is worse than yours?"
Laughter erupted again from the surroundings. This time, Jiang Xiaobo's expression showed displeasure. As the proprietor of Tao Ran Pavilion, he naturally would not allow anyone to damage his establishment's reputation...
So, with a wave of his hand, more than ten shop assistants stepped forward, encircling Ye Fan.
In an instant, Ye Fan's single sentence made him the object of a thousand accusations...
Instead, Master Ji raised his hand to stop everyone, then looked at Ye Fan and said seriously, "Young friend, you know about 'hou gua cai' (后挂彩). Do you also understand appraisal? However, you only watched from the crowd just now, not being able to handle it for close examination..."
"I'm afraid you've misjudged. This is indeed a genuine piece."
As Ji Nanshan spoke, his young apprentice immediately crossed his arms and mocked Ye Fan, "You learned a few terms and are eager to show off. Do you even know what 'hou gua cai' is? What a disgrace!"
However, Ye Fan remained unfazed, and instead spoke on his own, " 'Hou gua cai' is also called 'hou gua you' (后挂釉), which means adding a layer of more valuable glaze onto the surface of ordinary porcelain!"
"For instance, the famille rose porcelain of the Yongzheng period is highly prized, while the white-glazed porcelain of the same period performed poorly in the market. Therefore, counterfeit masters would use the Yongzheng white glaze and add a layer of low-temperature famille rose glaze to enhance its value!"
"This method of aging is called 'hou gua cai'!"
"And because the porcelain body and glaze of such imitations have no issues, they are relatively more deceptive. Even when using bubble analysis, porcelain treated with 'hou gua cai' will show tiny bubbles, making it easy to pass off as genuine..."
As these words fell, the disdain in the eyes of the surrounding crowd lessened. Ji Nanshan couldn't help but look sideways in surprise, though most people remained skeptical.
In the antique trade, what good is extensive theoretical knowledge?
It still requires hands-on examination. Only by seeing enough fakes can one find treasures in the antique market where fakes abound and genuine pieces are rare...
Just now, Ye Fan was two steps away from the Yongzheng famille rose porcelain, and Master Ji had to use a magnifying glass to examine the details. Did he possess the eyes of a hawk?
Or was his appraisal skill superior to Master Ji's?
What a joke!
Ji Nanshan was one of the few Level 2 appraisers in Jiangcheng, having been immersed in the antique trade for decades...
How could he be inferior to a greenhorn!
As expected, before Master Ji could speak, the shopkeeper Jiang, standing nearby, couldn't help but exclaim angrily, "Kid, you can go peddle your wares elsewhere, but the reputation of my Tao Ran Pavilion is not something anyone can tarnish!"
It was evident that Fatty Jiang was somewhat annoyed, and everyone couldn't help but cast sympathetic glances at Ye Fan...
The antique trade most dreaded the buying and selling of fakes, especially for a prestigious shop like Tao Ran Pavilion. Jiang Xiaobo was also someone who valued his reputation greatly...
How could he let Ye Fan off easily?
Fortunately, Master Ji remained calm at this moment, once again stopping Jiang Xiaobo. He then stepped forward and mused to Ye Fan, "Young friend, although I don't know which school you come from, I admit your theoretical knowledge is not bad!"
"But I have already appraised it, and it is not 'hou gua cai'! Porcelain with 'hou gua cai' has a thick glaze and a muffled sound when tapped. I tapped this famille rose porcelain vase just now, and it had a crisp and pleasant sound..."
"The most crucial part is the base mark. I was fortunate enough to examine a genuine Yongzheng famille rose porcelain at an antique exchange meeting in Suzhou and Hangzhou, and the base mark of this piece is exactly the same!"
"Therefore, there is no mistake!"
Buzz~
In an instant, the entire venue erupted in an uproar. Everyone present knew that for porcelain appraisal, the base was the most important. Sometimes, by looking at the base, one could determine the firing year of the piece...
Experts see the intricacies, and those who truly understand porcelain appraisal naturally regard the base mark as the most important criterion for distinguishing genuine from fake. More importantly, Master Ji had actually appraised a genuine Yongzheng famille rose porcelain...
Now, Ye Fan was showing off in front of him, wasn't that like a clown performing for Emperor Guan?
Hahahaha~
Laughter continued to ripple through the crowd. Many were watching with the mentality of enjoying a spectacle, waiting to see Ye Fan's embarrassed and mortified expression...
However.
Ye Fan maintained his composure from beginning to end, instead narrowing his eyes and speaking, "That's right. Throughout the dynasties, porcelain pieces have their own era characteristics."
"For example, Southern Song vases have circular spinning marks at the foot, Yuan porcelain often has spinning marks and chicken heart dots, and Ming porcelain has radiating skip-knife marks with fewer spinning marks..."
"By the Qing Dynasty, except for folk kilns where spinning marks could still be seen, official kilns hardly showed any marks!"
"Appraisal experts use the exposed clay marks to date porcelain and identify fakes, which is indeed a clever method. But everything has its yin and yang sides..."
"By the Republic of China era, many counterfeit masters had already learned to splice the bases of antique porcelain pieces with inscribed marks, especially those from official kilns, onto newly made bodies to deceive your so-called expert eyes!"
"The reason you can't see the problem with the base mark is that its base is indeed an old base of Yongzheng famille rose porcelain! But the body of the vase is 'hou gua cai'..."
Ye Fan's words escalated, hitting the assembled crowd like eight crashing waves, leaving them speechless. He then strode forward, delivering his final statement...
The entire venue fell into dead silence!
"This Yongzheng famille rose porcelain celestial vase has a genuine porcelain base combined with a 'hou gua cai' fake body. Genuine and fake are mixed to deceive, so... you can't tell!"
At this moment, countless people's mouths hung open. The shopkeeper Jiang's expression was exceptionally complex!
And Ji Nanshan's eyes were filled with a multitude of emotions. He now looked at Ye Fan with less skepticism and more utter disbelief!
"Young friend, you speak with such certainty. I want to know what the fundamental basis of your deduction is, how exactly!"
Ji Nanshan's repeated expressions were akin to a student thirsting for knowledge. Even though Jiang Xiaobo was beside him, almost exploding with anger...
He still asked Ye Fan this question.
Ye Fan simply scanned the faces with varied expressions around him and slowly uttered a sentence, "It's because earlier, when you flicked it with your finger, I discerned from the echo... that this is a spliced fake!"
Wow~
The entire venue was in an uproar once again.
These words were too bizarre!
The surrounding crowd exchanged glances. Did this kid not only have eyes of a hawk but also ears of a god?
But that wasn't the end of it. After speaking, Ye Fan pointed at the famille rose porcelain, adding fuel to the fire, "If you don't believe me, cut it open!"
"Once it's cut, the truth will be revealed!"