Chapter 188: Oak Spring Farm

In fact, since Henry drove into the grounds, every sight within Oak Spring Farm revealed its extraordinary nature.

Different from the style of Chinese courtyards or European royal gardens, this courtyard was like a botanical garden, with distinct personalities in different zones.

Yet within each personality zone, subtle ingenuity was visible everywhere, making the living plants and the lifeless sculptures, supports, and railings complement each other, harmoniously blending into one.

And all of this was personally directed and managed by Lady Rachel Lambert, truly living up to her reputation as a horticulturist.

Compared to this courtyard of a thousand postures, the farm buildings themselves were merely a few low houses with gray tiles and white walls, lacking even a second floor or an attic, extremely simple.

But upon entering, one would discover it was not so at all. Artworks were displayed everywhere inside, and the walls were covered with paintings.

Or rather, it could be described as using artworks as furniture, and treating those classic masterpieces as wallpaper.

Clearly, every scene and object was something one would see and use in an ordinary home: curtains, window frames, cabinets, chairs, candlesticks, vases, and so on. Even the cups, plates, and teapots displayed in the glass cabinets were all exquisite pieces radiating a sense of coordinated beauty.

One could say that except for the paintings on the walls, there were no true decorations inside the house; everything was usable. Yet everywhere it flaunted wealth that mortals could never reach.

And upon entering, one could see that entire wall covered with masterpieces from the Renaissance, including "The Smile of the Mona Lisa," "The Virgin of the Flowers," "The Virgin and Child with Saint John," "The Childhood of Bacchus," "The Sleeping Venus," and so on.

This probably gathered masterpieces by Giorgione, Da Vinci, Raphael, Bellini, Titian, and others in one sweep.

Most of Michelangelo's works were on church walls; the Mellon family members were not crazy enough to pry off church walls, otherwise it would have been complete.

Henry, stunned by such a wall, only after a long while realized that several people nearby were staring at him.

Henry quickly gathered his thoughts, adjusted his expression, and said, "Sorry, I lost my composure."

Givenchy laughed and said, "No problem. They always like to play a little prank on new guests. And your reaction was exactly the kind that satisfied their peculiar mindset the most."

Playing along, Henry smiled and asked, "Hmm, which kind?"

"Were you thinking that all the paintings on this wall are real?"

Henry smiled bitterly and said, "It's hard not to think so. Masterpieces from this same period, even art museums might not be able to display such a complete collection. If it were an ordinary family, it would be one thing, but this is the Mellon family's Oak Spring Farm."

Paul Mellon stepped forward and said proudly, "Over ninety percent of the artworks circulating on the market and visible in museums or art galleries are forgeries.

"Perhaps those museums or art galleries have a nicer term for it; what they display are mostly reproductions, rather than using the term forgeries.

"Of course, I do not deny that some forgeries are of such quality that even museum experts cannot tell. But do not misunderstand me as someone who would take genuine pieces home and display them casually.

"Items carrying the weight of history should belong to the wealth of all humanity. For proper preservation, they ought to be stored in a temperature- and humidity-controlled environment. Any slightest damage would be a disrespect to human history.

"Some wealthy people like to display genuine pieces, trampling our history at will. In fact, whether the genuine pieces they purchased at great cost are as authentic as the sellers claim is a question.

"I have not just once seen someone show off in front of me, claiming that what is in the museum is a forgery and the genuine piece is in their hands. But after I took a look, I only found it laughable.

"Such people simply lack even the most basic connoisseurship, or perhaps they do not care whether what they hold is real or fake; they just want to display the power they control.

"My wife and I are dedicated to building the National Gallery of Art and have donated many artworks. This kind of disrespect to history is something we strive to avoid.

"But if you see Impressionist or non-Impressionist works from the nineteenth or twentieth century elsewhere in the house, these were collected by my wife Rachel. These relatively modern and contemporary works will not be deliberately displayed as reproductions.

"However, I must say, often after guests hear my explanation, they still stubbornly believe the Mellons do not collect forgeries, thinking I am joking or dodging the issue. So." Paul Mellon shrugged.

"So that means—" Henry pointed to the wall facing him, belonging to Renaissance history, and asked, "Are all of these forgeries?"

Paul Mellon admitted openly, "Yes. However, most reproductions or imitations in museums or art galleries deliberately change the size or leave marks in conspicuous places.

"So what you see here are high-quality fake forgeries that I specially purchased or had made to greet some new friends.

"And most friends who know the inside story are also happy to play along with me, hiding it from others who do not know. So I hope you do not take offense."

The peculiar tastes of the rich; what else could Henry comment? This was just like the Sorting Ceremony in the Harry Potter novels. Everyone knew what was going on, but everyone would talk nonsense just to bluff the new students who did not yet know.

Henry today was that fresh, green recruit, played a trick on by a few old men and old women.

"But..." Henry said with an uncertain tone, "May I come closer to look?"

Paul Mellon waved his hand, while his wife, Lady Rachel Lambert, asked carefully, "Henry, do you think there is something wrong?"

Henry walked up to the painting wall, sniffed here and there, then turned and asked, "Do your appraisal results also consider this Da Vinci masterpiece, 'Lady with an Ermine,' to be a forgery?"

"Do you think there is something different about this 'Lady with an Ermine'?" Rachel asked in return.

Henry explained, "Aging oil paintings is different from other artworks; no chemical material can speed it up. But the aging technique is relatively simple, nothing more than baking in an oven, then ironing it flat.

"Finally, smoke it to make the painting smell like it has aged for a long time. And it is not using wood fire for smoke, but lighting commercially sold cigarettes. Yet the smoky smell and the actual scent after hundreds of years of settling still have subtle differences.

"Here I can smell Marlboro, West, Winston, Lucky Strike, and so on. But uniquely, this painting itself lacks those smells."

What Henry pointed to was the Da Vinci masterpiece he found questionable, "Lady with an Ermine."

"Are you sure?" Paul Mellon asked, frowning.

"Just consider me to have a dog's nose. It is quite accurate in most situations."

(End of this chapter)