My first understanding of antiques [Lao Zhai said collection]

"Antique" is an elegant play of ancient literati, which was called "Gudong" before the Qing Dynasty and "Antique" in the Song Dynasty. Dong Qichang, a great painter and calligrapher in the Ming Dynasty, explained the meaning of Gu Dong in Thirteen Treatises on Gu Dong: "Those who are also called' bones' have the essence of the past, such as rotten bones; Dong's person is hearty, while' antique' person is the essence left by the ancients. In the records of various factions in the Ming Dynasty, some people wrote "antiques" as "antiques". Some people think that this may be because the pronunciation of "ancient" and "ancient" is similar and confusing, while "antique" refers to antiques and has the same meaning, so it is popular. This is similar to cloisonne, also known as cloisonne.

The word' play' in antiques can be used as both a noun and a verb in ancient times. As a noun, it has the meaning of "rewarding", such as Lu Ji's "Yong Huai": "If the husband wears white cloth, the first king will play with it. As a verb, it not only means "teasing" and "teasing", but also can be interpreted as "appreciating", "appreciating", "studying" and "delving into", such as Yi? On the copula: "Therefore, if a gentleman lives, he will observe his image, play with his words, and watch his changes and play with his career. "Chong Wang, in general? Case book: "Liu Zi is playing Zuo Zhi. (refers to the Spring and Autumn Period? Therefore, the correct explanation of "playing with antiques" should refer to appreciating and studying antiques.

On many occasions, the names of "antiques" and "cultural relics" are often used interchangeably. So, are antiques and cultural relics the same concept? What is the relationship between the two? Experts and scholars in the field of cultural relics define cultural relics as: "Cultural relics are the general name of all valuable material remains left over from the historical development of human society, created by human beings or related to human activities." (See China Encyclopedia? Here, the concept of cultural relics includes all movable and immovable historical and cultural remains. From the age point of view, it is not limited to ancient remains, but also includes modern and even contemporary; In form, there are not only ancient small handicrafts that can be used in several cases, but also ancient magnificent buildings and giant sculptures. From the content, there are historical relics, minority cultural relics, scientific and technological cultural relics and revolutionary documents. Antiques are ancient works of art and arts and crafts, belonging to the category of cultural relics, but only part of them. The concept of cultural relics covers antiques, but antiques cannot cover cultural relics.

Although there are records about ancient emperors' collection of antiquities in the literature for a long time, it should be said that the real collection, appreciation and research of antiquities began in the Song Dynasty. The collection and research of Ding Yi wares, calligraphy and painting inscriptions, ancient coins, ancient jade and other artifacts by literati in Song Dynasty opened the prelude to the popularity of literati's elegant play in society.

The types of literati's elegant play have gradually enriched. In the Song Dynasty, liking the past and expressing feelings for literary dramas were still confined to the scope of scholars. There are ten kinds of performances by literati, including Guqin, Gu Yan, Zhong Ding, stone carving, ancient calligraphy and Gu Shuhua. Scholars in Song Dynasty tend to appreciate the natural simplicity of antiques and attach importance to the depth and breadth of association that antiques can give people. This taste is manifested in antiques and is characterized by elegance. By the Ming Dynasty, the sentimental trend of literary play had spread to the people, and the scope of literati's elegant play had also expanded. In the early Ming Dynasty, the elegant operas listed in Cao Zhao's On the Essentials of Ge Gu included ancient bronzes, ancient paintings, Gu Mo, ancient tablet calligraphy, guqin, Gu Yan, ancient kiln ware, ancient lacquerware, brocade, gold and iron, rare play, exotic wood and strange stones 13. Rich businessmen and tycoons have invested a lot of money in the antique market. The categories and contents of their collections not only affect the market price, but also have a certain impact on the aesthetics of antiques and change people's appreciation of antiques. In the Ming Dynasty, people's appreciation of antiques no longer followed the natural beauty of "natural carving" advocated by Song people, but tended to advocate round and smooth appearance and exquisite ornamentation, which stimulated the development of antique manufacturing technology to some extent. In the Qing Dynasty, the appreciation tastes of the Ming people were basically followed, and the craftsmanship of some categories was also developed to the extreme. While people appreciate the intricate patterns and exquisite craftsmanship of handicrafts in the Qing Dynasty, they will also deeply feel the popular aesthetics in the Qing Dynasty under the influence of commodity economy.

From the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, the scope of antiques was further expanded. Jo Yeo-jeong's Antique Guide lists more than 40 kinds. Besides ancient bronzes, there are Gu Shuhua, ceramics, jade, lacquerware and inkstone. It also includes Xuande furnace, cloisonne, teapot, snuff bottle, woodcut, feeder, seal and other artifacts that appeared in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It's kind of an antique. Today, it is said that there are more than 700 kinds of objects included in the collection, such as philatelic products, magnetic cards, door shafts, clocks, cameras, newspapers, sparks, badges, Ming and Qing furniture, three-inch golden lotus, etc., and some of them are obviously beyond the scope of antiques.

The ancients said, "Gold is hidden in troubled times, and ancient times are played in prosperous times." Since the reform and opening up, with the rapid development of China's economy, people's material living conditions have improved day by day, and the wind of playing with antiques has quietly formed, and soon rose to a craze, sweeping across the land of China. Nowadays, the ranks of antique collectors have become a spectacular scenery, and the antique market is also very hot. More people like antiques than ever before, which is inseparable from the fact that China has entered a well-off life stage.

Among the people who play antiques, besides intellectuals, business owners and antique vendors with certain economic strength, there are quite a few young people who are new to antiques. Most of them are students at school or young people who have just set foot on their jobs. They have little savings and limited economic conditions, but this does not prevent them from playing with antiques and becoming connoisseurs with rich spiritual culture. Antiques are not the patent of the rich. You can play antiques without money. I quite agree with the view that you don't have to have money to play gracefully.

Playing with antiques is an elegant thing. Dong Qichang said in Thirteen Notes on Gu Dong: "Gu Dong is a plaything today, and a virtuous person can be kind without embarrassment. . . . . "

Dong Qichang's view of "being virtuous and not embarrassed" is not desirable today, but the view of "those who can enter are countless" is correct. Antique is a part of the cultural and artistic heritage of the motherland, which embodies the wisdom of the ancients and shines with the brilliance of creative thinking. We can not only increase our historical and cultural knowledge by exploring the mysteries of antiques, appreciate the artistic style and charm of the ancients, but also feel the diligence, wisdom and greatness of the Chinese nation, enhance national pride and self-confidence, and thus sublimate our personal spirit.

It is naturally good to have money as an antique collector and connoisseur, but it is impossible for everyone to have such superior conditions; Lack of money does not prevent us from understanding the cultural and artistic essence left over from ancient times, cultivating our interest in antiques and satisfying our aesthetic needs.

Material wealth is not equal to spiritual wealth. An antique connoisseur is not necessarily rich, but he must have rich spiritual culture and aesthetic ability. For young friends who have just entered or are about to enter the ranks of antique collection and appreciation, it may be more meaningful to be a spiritual and cultural rich first than to be a material rich. If some articles shared by Lao Zhai can help them in this respect, Lao Zhai will be satisfied.

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Introduction to Antiques-Ceramics (1)