71 Dispute
Seeing that George had taken the bait, Vivian smiled at him and said, “Mr. George, what if I say this is the real deal?”
George looked at the serious look in Vivian’s eyes and actually believed her judgment. Then why do you think the lines in the painting are so unfamiliar? ”
The two of them were not talking loudly, but the two masters beside George could hear them.
Grace looked at the young Vivian and said in disdain, “Young lass, it’s better to be more mature when you speak and do things. Don’t be so full of yourself. There are many people here who can be your seniors.”
Grace spoke loudly on purpose, successfully attracting everyone’s attention again.
Vivian looked at grace and said, “This junior is only speaking of her own conclusion. It can not be considered to be boasting.”
Grace felt that Vivian was talking back to embarrass her in public, so she sneered. “Some people are really willing to do anything to become famous. A vase has no intrinsic value, so no matter how much you try, you can only be an ordinary vase. You can’t be a high-value piece of art. Don’t think that you can be famous in this circle by spending more than a million to please the public.”
Vivian thought that grace was delusional! “Then I’ll have to trouble Ms. Grace to see how I can prove it.”
Grace rolled her eyes at Vivian. Trying to steal her limelight? All three of them had come to the same conclusion. She would like to see how the clown would turn the situation around!
Vivian ignored grace and turned to George. She asked respectfully, “Mr. George, I’d like to ask you to take this painting.”
George was a little puzzled by Vivian’s request, but he was more curious about how Vivian would prove it, so he did as she said. Soon, he also found the problem with the weight.
Vivian saw the surprise on George’s face and asked, “Mr. George, is there any way to mount two paintings into one?”
When George heard the question, he suddenly realized. “There is indeed one. Are you suspecting that it’s a painting within a painting?”
Vivian nodded, looked at George, and sincerely asked, “I would like to ask you to recommend a skilled master of calligraphy and painting to help me take a look at this painting.”
George agreed readily, and Grace looked at the painting suspiciously. None of them had thought of picking it up to look at it before, and they didn’t expect it to be taken advantage of like this. However, thinking this was only her personal guess, she suppressed her temper and continued to listen.
There was a master at the scene who had ancestral framing skills. With George as the middleman, Vivian successfully got the master to help her dismantle the painting.
Half an hour later, the layer of paper on the surface was lifted. What was seen was not the yellow silk bottom but the second painting that had been hidden for hundreds of years.
“Heavens! It’s really a painting within a painting!”
“One look and I can tell this is Xu Hu’s work. This technique is very much in his style! The brush is wild and flamboyant but hides a faint willfulness.”
“I’ve really learned a lot this time. I’ve participated in a few activities, but this is the most exciting one!”
“Do you know this woman? Even grandmaster couldn’t tell, but she actually discovered this secret.”
:I don’t know her. She’s a new face. I think she just entered the circle.”
…
There were many people sighing with emotion, but the one who felt the most regret was the seller. However, the deal had been settled, and there was no medicine for regret in this world. All that was left for him was regret.
Another artifact dealer comforted him, “Alright, let’s get over it. This money should be earned by others. With so many experts here, she’s the only one who can see the problem. If you don’t sell it, you might not find out the secret even if you keep it for another ten years.”
The seller laughed when he heard this. “It did make sense.”
With the appearance of the second painting, everyone finally saw Xu Hu’s genuine ‘Waterfall View by the River’.
Everyone began to speculate whether the first painting was deliberately concealed by the Emperor to protect the authentic work, or if Xu Hu had done it on purpose.
If it was the former, the Emperor would have the power to get his hands on ink and paper from the 15th century, and the seal would not be in his hands. But if it was the latter, what was Xu Hu’s purpose in doing this? Was the person who copied it on the surface him or someone else?