69 Interests and Hobbies
George turned around and was surprised to see Vivian. “Ms. Vivian, what a coincidence.”
Vivian said casually, “I was still hesitating whether I should gamble on stones here or here, but I didn’t expect you to make the same choice.”
Vivian meant that she, like George, was a person with choice and strength.
When George heard this, he no longer looked at Vivian as casually as before but with a hint of respect. “I didn’t expect Ms. Vivian to be so knowledgeable about antiques.”
“It’s just a hobby,” Vivian said with a smile. “I’m not as good as you real experts.”
Vivian raised her eyebrows at George and whispered, “Actually, it’s my first time participating in such a large-scale underground cultural relic event. I didn’t expect to encounter such a wonderful thing as soon as I arrived.”
Vivian’s honest and honest attitude made George quite fond of her.
He smiled at Vivian. “You’ll have plenty of opportunities to attend after you enter this circle. Do you prefer porcelain, calligraphy, paintings, or jewelry, Ms. Vivian?”
Vivian nodded in agreement and replied, “Actually, I’m interested in all of them, but I’m more interested in the calligraphy and painting of H Country.”
Appraising calligraphy and painting was more complicated than the other two types. Calligraphy and painting require a deep understanding of the author’s handwriting and painting style. Good artists had their own unique styles. In terms of the smoothness of the brush, some could tell the difference between real and fake at a glance.
In addition, the age, type, and ink color of the paper had to be identified. At the same time, the seal was also an important element in the identification of calligraphy and painting.
The seal itself was carving work. In order to prevent others from forging it, they would deal with the edges. Moreover, the seal was carved on stone, so it was inevitable that cracks would appear. In addition to the font and the carving style of the inscriber, these seals were unique. Even with modern high-tech technology, they could not be completely replicated.
Every artist liked to change different seals at different times. It was common to have dozens of seals, and it wasn’t unusual to have hundreds of seals. This raised the threshold imperceptibly.
In addition, the appraiser also had to understand the life story of the artist, the changes in style in each period, the background of the creation at that time, and the cultural background of that dynasty. All these had to be judged one by one before the final authenticity could be determined.
Hence, when George heard that Vivian liked calligraphy and paintings, his interest was piqued. “The appraisal of calligraphy and paintings is more complicated. I didn’t expect you to be so patient at such a young age.”
After that, George began to introduce the cause of the incident to Vivian. “This ‘Waterfall View by the River’ in front of us was drawn by Xu Hu from H Country. Everyone is now divided into two factions and arguing. The seller is from H Country. He said this painting was stolen from the 17th-century emperor’s tomb last month. He also said there was a personal note written by the tomb owner, which mentioned that this painting was drawn by Xu Hu.”
“However, a collector at the scene insisted that it was not authentic, so the two of them made a bet. Whoever lost would agree to let the other party choose any item from their collection.”
Vivian listened to the whole story quietly and looked at the painting again.
The events in the book were based on the real world, but as far as she knew, Xu Hu did not have such a work in the real world. However, the stage she was in right now was not a fragment of the novel’s description, so Vivian could only analyze the events in front of her independently.
Xu Hu was still following the trajectory of the real world, but this painting could only be considered as appearing out of thin air.
The people present also suggested that the two people who made the bet chose three authoritative figures to make the ruling.
Soon, three people were chosen. One of them was George, and the other two were also seniors who were good at painting appraisal in the cultural relics world, Grace and Jay.
The three of them wore gloves and began studying carefully with a magnifying glass. Vivian glanced at the already packed room and was glad she came early and took a good seat in the front row. Then, she turned her attention back to the painting.