Chapter 660

The two boys looked at each other, then said this with a very certain tone.

They began to dig in the spot Fang Yang had circled, and stopped abruptly at thirty or forty centimeters.

"We need to be careful now, the item breaks easily."

As the two boys said this, they slowed down their movements and lightened their touch.

This was actually very time-consuming.

Fang Yang stood with his hands in his pockets, watching them quietly without urging them.

Finally, they saw one of the corners.

It was that dark gray color buried in the soil, but one could still tell that this wooden box was from a very long time ago.

"Could this be the very precious item Fang Yang mentioned earlier? I wonder what could be inside."

The two boys said this while full of anticipation; they even threw their hoes and shovels aside.

Just like that, they knelt on the ground and began to dig.

The box was soon in their hands.

They examined the box carefully, looking at the carvings on it.

"Quick, quick, quick, let me see."

Their teacher, the man surnamed Li, urged his two students with almost no patience.

The two students were originally a bit reluctant, wanting to hold it in their hands a bit longer to look at it, but seeing their teacher urging them so much, they felt a bit embarrassed.

Sigh.

What a pity.

They had originally wanted to open the box themselves to take a look.

Although they felt they had to politely ask Fang Yang.

After all, if it weren't for Fang Yang, they wouldn't have been able to excavate such an item at all.

That is what they thought in their hearts, yet they only thought about it for a moment before focusing their gaze more on their teacher's hands.

"Teacher, hurry up and see what's inside; when we were holding it just now, we felt it had a bit of weight to it."

When they were holding the item just now, their movements were very careful.

They were afraid of accidentally dropping the item.

The teacher being called was now in a state of mental chaos; he only knew he had to open this item directly, and didn't think too much about anything else.

Fang Yang still had his hands in his pockets, just watching them like that, without any displeasure.

He had opened many, many relic boxes before; missing out on one time didn't affect him at all.

Moreover, the fact that this item could be excavated was originally due to his greatest contribution.

No one would deny that.

……

Finally.

The box was finally opened, yet the contents left them somewhat confused.

Because the item looked very strange, with many colors like yellow, red, and blue on it.

It was as if a giant hand had grown, leaving behind the traces of a thumb pressed directly onto it.

704. Dreamy and hazy aesthetic! The Peach Blossom Cave glaze firing method! (Seeking full subscription)

【Qing Dynasty Qianlong Period Peach Blossom Copper Glaze Lantern Vase】

【……】

"It's impossible to tell which period this relic is from."

"It looks a bit too modern, like a modern craft."

"The colors and shapes of these color blocks are very irregular, with no traces to follow; I don't know how they were created."

"But the colors are vivid, the contrast is very sharp, and it has a strong smudging effect."

"Yes, it gives people a very dreamy and hazy aesthetic."

"……"

"We need to study it a little to see what kind of material is used on it, and from that, infer which dynasty it came from."

Just as they were discussing it heatedly, Fang Yang, who was on the side, spoke slowly.

"This is Peach Blossom Cave glaze, which is also a firing method created during the Qianlong period."

"Only their era had this, so it is unique; from this aspect, one can actually see its age, and there is no need to judge it through materials or the like."

"This Peach Blossom Cave glaze was made by using bamboo tubes to hold glazes of different colors, and then using a blow-glazing technique to apply the glaze onto a fired white porcelain body."

"That is why the shape of each color block becomes different, and the variations are infinite."

While Fang Yang was explaining this, the man who had been very excited just a moment ago finally remembered.

He suddenly slapped his head with his free hand.

"That's right, this is indeed Cave glaze, and it only existed in the Qianlong period; it is unique. How could I have forgotten such an important thing?"

Although he remembered after the excitement, the man still couldn't forgive himself.

Fang Yang let the man surnamed Li be annoyed on the side, and he continued to explain the relic.

"Glazes of different colors have different firing temperatures, so it must undergo multiple glaze applications and firings to form the colorful Peach Blossom Cave glaze, which is why it is extremely precious."

"The quantity of Peach Blossom Cave glaze in this world is very small; once you obtain one piece, it can simply be said to be worth a fortune."

【Popularity】 +1+1+1+1.

……

——【You all keep saying that Qianlong's aesthetic was very poor, but look now, Qianlong's aesthetic is actually quite good; how beautiful this Peach Blossom Cave glaze is.】

——【I'm laughing to tears at the person above; this wasn't fired by Qianlong, it was fired by craftsmen of the Qianlong period, representing the craftsmen's aesthetic. You have to know that the ugly-looking Great Porcelain Mother was fired under Qianlong's guidance; that is what can represent Qianlong's personal aesthetic.】

——【That was a work to show off skills, not for aesthetics. Every single piece on the Porcelain Mother is a king-tier work, okay?】

——【I went to look; it's not ugly at all, it's simply ingenious. Every area is different, the connections are perfect, the glaze is dazzling; wow, how is it not beautiful?】

——【This only represents the aesthetic of a portion of people, it cannot represent the majority.】

——【Maybe only people in the industry would think it's beautiful; I don't think so.】

——【Someone actually thinks the Great Porcelain Mother is very beautiful? Is it really that beautiful?】

——【It's like some people wearing a dozen expensive jewelry rings on one hand; each ring is beautiful, but put together, it's simply indescribable.】

——【There's really nothing to argue about here. In our ceramics major's required reading, the first chapter uses the Porcelain Mother as a counter-example; it has no aesthetic value to speak of. The standard is the celadon of the Song Dynasty; that is the true restrained beauty.】

705. Qianlong's aesthetic? The work of craftsmen! (Seeking full subscription)

——【I didn't expect so many people to praise Qianlong's aesthetic as very good; doesn't anyone praise the craftsman's skill? As expected, they are all nameless people in the torrent of history.】

——【For a craftsman, the work is the best praise.】

——【The current praise is only temporary, so what will happen in later generations?】

——【This thing was, after all, approved by Qianlong, which is why it was kept, so that means Qianlong also thought this was good-looking.】

——【Actually, no one said Qianlong's aesthetic was bad; he just liked styles with bright colors, that is his personal aesthetic.】

——【Yes, he liked the "farmhouse" style because it was festive enough.】

——【A flower of worldly wealth.】

——【In terms of aesthetics, he really can't compare to his father.】

——【That's because he and his father didn't have the same personality at all. His father was mostly a cold, elegant person who liked minimalism and elegance; Qianlong must have been a person with a rich personality, and he was also sentimental, so he liked flashy things.】

——【This shows his mindset was quite good; a person of long life.】

——【Actually, Qianlong's aesthetic was very diverse; I feel like he liked everything. His aesthetic had already departed from normal people.】

——【In that era, the brighter the color, the higher the cost. Just like how our grandparents liked bright red cloth when they were young, the ancient working masses really liked bright colors. Unlike now, where everyone pursues simplicity, Qianlong liking bright colors is really understandable; it really was the popular aesthetic of that era.】

——【It's not that Qianlong didn't have an aesthetic, it's just that compared to aesthetics, he loved showing off skills more. For those complaining about the Porcelain Mother, you can learn about the production process.】

——【Isn't the production process the craftsman's work? The poor aesthetic is because Qianlong guided it.】

——【What do you mean by the aesthetic you're talking about? Can you be specific and say exactly where it is ugly?】

——【The Great Porcelain Mother, generally speaking, is like a menu; listed separately, they are all exquisite works of art. It's just that these ingenious, beautiful-beyond-compare works of art were gathered onto one vase. So, in summary, I think your statement that Qianlong's aesthetic is bad is simply nonsense.】

——【Even if I'm talking nonsense, Qianlong's aesthetic is still bad.】

——【What does having no aesthetic have to do with showing off skills?】

——【And what does showing off skills have to do with aesthetics?】

——【Actually, it's just that the designer failed; the fabric made by the people who made it was clearly very good.】

——【What is there to compare between ceramics and fabric? The Porcelain Mother is just a bunch of crafts mixed together, mainly to show off skills and for aesthetics. Secondly, the goal of showing off skills has been achieved.】