This article is from WeChat official account:one (ID: yitiaotv), author: Zhu Yuru, the original title:” Guangdong siblings in the 6-storey villa for one hundred statues: the day staring at them, naturally becomes the Buddha line “, the title figure comes from: respondents provide

In a villa called “Buddha Statue Hall” on Jinshazhou Island in Guangzhou, hundreds of Chinese “ancient gods” lived. The owner is a pair of Chaoshan siblings born in the 1980s-Zhan Wenjing and Zhan Huangtai. This is the space they use to display their collections. The 200 lacquered wood statues are displayed in a fresh and clear way. Many senior collectors came over and were reluctant to leave.

The ancient Chinese lacquered wood statues flowed out in a large amount at the end of Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, so that they are rarely seen in the market now, and related research is temporarily blank in the domestic cultural and cultural system.

The father of the siblings, Zhan Beijiang, was the first professional lacquered wood statue collector in China after the reform and opening up. The two have lived with these Buddha statues since they were young. In 2006, the siblings in their early 20s took over as their father.

Zhan Wenjing and Zhan Huangtai’s sister and brother accepted an interview

In the past 14 years, they have purchased a large number of wooden statues from overseas collectors, established a more comprehensive collection system of ancient Chinese lacquered wooden statues, and studied the history and culture behind the statues in an attempt to fill this gap in the cultural and cultural system.

In October, one went to Guangzhou to visit Zhan Wenjing and Zhan Huangtai, and talked about their 30 years of company with wooden statues.

30 years with lacquered wood statues

30 minutes’ drive west from downtown Guangzhou, we drove into a villa area surrounded by mountains and lakes on Jinshazhou Island. We met Zhan Wenjing and Zhanhuangtai in the Buddha Statue Hall.

The two brothers and sisters have beautiful features and elegant clothes. Although they are ancient, they are also very trendy. As soon as you enter the door, you will see an electric unicycle for walking. When chatting and explaining the Buddha statue, “meng pet” (sacred animal), “advanced equipment” Playful internet words such as “Man Yao” and “Miss Sister” popped up from the mouths of both brothers and sisters from time to time.

Zhan Wenjing and Zhan Huangtai are the Hakkas-a relatively unique group in Chaoshan. The older sister was born in 1983 and the younger brother was born in 1984. When the two graduated from college in their early 20s, they followed their father into the collection circle.

In the past 14 years, they have bought back a large number of boutiques from overseas collectors, including wooden statues of each region and dynasty.

The two did not have a clear division of labor, and together they searched for sources of collections at home and abroad. On weekdays, my sister is more involved in data retrieval and academic research, while my younger brother is better at displaying and presenting wooden sculptures.

Show antiques in a clear and clear way

Older generations of antique collectors are used to receiving statues in boxes or warehouses. The boutiques are not shown to others. Even if they are displayed, they tend to be outdated and depressing. Zhan Wenjing feels it is a pity.

The two brothers and sisters want to break the prejudice and let the statues in their collections be presented to the audience in a fresh and clear image, “Antiquities in their era were also very fashionable, just like our contemporary art. .”

The villa is seven to eight hundred square meters, with two floors underground and four floors above ground. The more than 200 Buddha statues on display are only part of the collection of the brothers and sisters.

Each layer, from wall color to lighting, was designed and debugged by Zhan Huangtai himself. The principle and goal are the same-“Create an environment that can contrast the beauty of wooden statues”. They want everyone to see how beautiful the ancient Chinese lacquered wood statues are.

Each layer has a different style. Going up layer by layer, you can see the evolution of ancient statues in different ages and different regions. “If you really want to talk carefully, one day is definitely not enough,” Zhan Wenjing said as he led us into the exhibition hall.

At the lowest level, the dark background and dim lighting set off the texture of the statue itself, which is closer to the atmosphere of a contemporary art museum. The collections displayed on this floor are mainly popular science.

Going up to the lower level, the wall turns into earthy gray, with the smell of rammed earth, reminiscent of Mogao Grottoes. And this layer is mostly large-scale statues, bringing out a religious atmosphere. On the wall of the small hall on the inner side, 14 small Buddha statues are displayed in a scattered pattern, and the lights are like lotus petals. There are three seats in the middle, “Sitting here to watch the Buddha statue, the view is the best.”

The first floor above the ground is a leisure area where you can drink tea and chat with friends, and there is also a small office area.

On the second floor above ground, the style has become a little fresh, with the curtains ajar, and the garden outside the window is looming, closer to nature.

Up to the third floor, the lights are darker, and the wall background is made of red and black to create a sense of mystery. You have to take off your shoes on this floor to enter, and you can appreciate the finest wooden statues more ceremonially.

The family with a lot of “dolls”

In 2012, at Christie’s in Paris, a large-scale wooden statue of the Northern Song Dynasty or gold was sold for more than 80 million yuan.

In fact, as early as 1947, this statue had a record price of 230,000 francs in Paris. Ancient Chinese wooden sculptures have attracted much attention in the European and American art markets.

The Northern Song Dynasty or gold lacquered wood Guanyin seat image of more than 80 million yuan was sold

“But wooden statues are rarely seen in the domestic market.” Zhan Huangtai explained to us, “Because at the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, a lot of literature was distributed overseas, especially the fine wooden statues, which were beautiful in shape and easy to carry. To a lot of loss.”

In the 1990s after the reform and opening up, Zhan Beijiang, a Chaoshan native living in Guangzhou, was the first group of Chinese who began to collect ancient wooden statues professionally.

When Father Zhan was young

Many people don’t know that in the early 1990s, Guangzhou had a very active collection of ancient art, which can be said to be the country’s leader.

At that time, there was a famous market in Guangzhou “Tianguangxu”. Many artworks would be distributed here and then radiated to the whole country. Collectors from all over the world come here in particular, and when it’s still dark, everyone is looking for used flashlights. “At that time, the probability of picking up a leak was very high. You are diligent. Sometimes you can buy an item and it can be 10 times or 20 times when you shoot.”

The two brothers and sisters were at home when they were young

Zhan Wenjing remembers that when she was young, her father often received a call and went to the countryside, and then a truckloadSculptures are transported home by truck, often hundreds of Buddha statues are piled up in the living room.

Some special treasures, the father even put them directly on the bedside of the siblings, “First, he thinks he can bless us, and second, it’s safest to put the room in the room and see every day.”

To bed together in the morning, most of the other children saw dolls and toys. The two brothers and sisters of the Zhan family looked at these “ancient gods” and were accustomed to them.

Zhan Huangtai talks about childhood

The size of the Buddha statue is very large, with some fierce expressions. When he was a child, Zhan Huangtai took his friends home to play games. The friend came in and was shocked, “Wow, is this a haunted house?” Zhan Huangtai turned on the light and explained to his friend seriously: “These are not ghosts, but gods!” Slowly, Zhan The fact that there are many “dolls” in the family spreads among the children’s circles.

The siblings also have doubts. The other children’s homes are clean and bright. Why does father like these dirty old things so much? In Zhan Beijiang’s eyes, the accumulation of dust on the statue was a kind of patina. He did not want to clean it up. He wanted to maintain the old and original flavor. Fortunately, his wife understood it well.

Zhan Beijiang is a person who loves to express and share. Every time a more satisfactory statue is invited back, the siblings will be called over, “Can you tell me about this statue, can you understand it? Is it old?”

Zhan Beijiang asked his siblings to rate and value the Buddha statue. Whenever relatives and friends came to the house, he would praise the brothers and sisters for their vision, talent and potential. “At that time, we were so young that we really couldn’t understand it. My father still showed off like this. Now that I think of it, he actually deliberately digged a hole and wanted to bring us into the pit of image collection.”

The siblings didn’t even want to pick up their father’s booth. Both of them studied economics in college and didn’t study art. “The historical heavyness of antiques is too strong. It’s like drinking coffee, which requires age to understand.”

Sisters and brothers and father

In 2004, before graduating from university, the siblings were called home to help by their father in the name of “need to translate to foreign friends”. They gradually contacted the business and gradually penetrated into the world of wooden sculptures. “When you are immersed in antiques and delve into it, you will find a lot of historical and artistic beauty and pleasure.”

As they did it, the two had confidence, “In the end, the collection of wooden statues has become our firm direction.”

Opening up—identifying high-quality wooden statues

Wood sculptures are considered to be representative of the true meaning of sculpture in European and American art and collection circles, because every carving of it is irreversible.

To create a lacquered wood statue, in the first step, the craftsman will find a good piece of wood and dry it; the second step is to carve, each knife must be accurate, the artist’s artistic level is very sophisticated, and the wood is warm The texture and the hard carved lines are integrated; the final step is to apply a large lacquer, the process is very complicated, each millimeter needs more than ten layers, and each layer has to wait two or three days to dry before the second layer.

The finished lacquered wood statue is resistant to high temperature, corrosion, and insects. In the natural state, it can maintain a good state after thousands of years.

There is no specific critical point for how to identify ancient wooden statues and the “openness” of the two brothers and sisters. Accurate intuition is based on the accumulation of a lot of reason.

During the days of being father’s assistants, the siblings watched various wooden statues, trained their eyes and thinking, sorted out pictures, sorted out numbers, and looked up statues on the Internet for more than ten hours a day. Gradually, it’s like accumulating a piece of “big data” in the brain, forming an instinctive reaction, knowing how to distinguish.

They think that sculpture is still based on truth, goodness and beauty, and the method of identifying fine wooden statues is a bit like looking at people.

It mainly depends on its contour shape, whether it is done with tension and whether the internal and external layers are rich enough. The look in your eyes is also very important, to see if it seems thoughtful, as if it can communicate with you, and whether the facial features are vivid.

“The surface layer of wood will change significantly over time, just like human skin, which can be seen at the age of 30, 40, and 50.”

For example, the supporters of different dynasties may perform painting, gilding, or glazing maintenance on the surface, and it becomes a little mottled after the years. Huangtai Zhan said that these mottled traces on the surface are signals, and there are many people’s temperatures. Inside, you can see the history behind them through them.

Two years ago, the two siblings had a majestic shrine that was more than two meters high. The lower level depicts human stories, and the upper level is the Taoist gods, the higher the level, the higher the level. People stand in the middle to watch, “It seems to come at you, very shocking.”

“This is actually an advanced piece of equipment that Taoist priests would bring when they went out to do things.” Zhan Wenjing explained, “Each piece can be disassembled, like a building block. When you arrive at a place, Taoists will assemble it.”

In the same year, they came from abroadThe collector bought a wooden statue from the Yongle period. After receiving it, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the lotus seat of the statue was divided into two upper and lower parts, hollowed out in the middle, and several volumes of Sanskrit cinnabar sutras were hidden inside.

Avalokitesvara and the corresponding paintings

The statue they recently received is the image of an old man. It is skinny, with a bulge in the middle of the head, and is of high artistic attainment. At first, the siblings thought that this was the image of Dharma and Arhat. Later, they came across a painting in a friend’s house. The image inside was exactly the same as the statue. After various researches, they knew that the original was in the bag. It’s a male figure Guanyin.

Research——Wooden statues blooming in a hundred flowers

In recent years, the siblings have spent more time studying the history and culture behind the wooden statues.

Stone statues of Buddha can be found in many grottoes; gold and bronze statues are well protected in Tibetan temples. Zhan Wenjing said that the biggest difficulty in the study of wooden sculptures lies in the lack of original materials that exist in the world. The original place of production has either been moved or destroyed, and there are no previous works for reference.

The two can only look for clues from limited information such as some overseas exchange records, the vows kept behind the statues, and old photos to support some of their conclusions based on experience. “this matterProgress is slow. No one has done it before. Because of this, it is very exciting. “

Zhan Wenjing access to data

“We have accumulated two generations of people for decades to do this. It’s time to do an academic research to fill this gap in the domestic cultural and cultural system.” During the research process, the sisters and brothers received many experts and scholars. Attention and support, “you will feel like a mission and responsibility.”

They were the first to put forward the key points for distinguishing the dynasty and region of wooden statues, which were recognized by the circle and applied.

From a geographical point of view, they found that due to the inconvenience of transportation in ancient times, there was little communication between regions, and the regional style of wooden statues was very obvious. Because it is easy to obtain materials, the people will carve from the palace to the folks, “the feeling of a hundred flowers blooming”. In the north, the prevailing wind is Beijing Gonghe Shanxi wind, while the south is the Jiangsu-Zhejiang wind, Fujian wind, and Sichuan and Hunan.

This Shuiyue Guanyin from the Yuan and Ming dynasties is a typical and exquisite work in Shanxi. “It’s sharp and sharp knife, full of power. The eyes look at the front with compassion, and the details of the body folds, jewelry and other details are very simple.”

Shanxi was once the region of Liao and Jin, like nomads, majestic.

This statue of Sakyamuni in the palace style of the Beijing area has a combination of Han and Tibetan style. The pleats are flipped up and down, no line is repeated, showing the dynamic feeling of the thin robes being blown by the wind, which is a major feature of the sculptures in Beijing. “The whole is very graceful and wealthy, it is royal temperament at first glance.”

Beijing workers include court style, strict rituals, and very high level.

This enchanting Buddha of the Qing Dynasty is a typical Jiangsu-Zhejiang style. The open face is round and kind, the pleats are carved into parallel lines, and the lacquered gold is beautiful, “a feeling of complexity and abundance.”

The area of ​​Jiangsu and Zhejiang is more gentle with open faces. Bodhisattvas feel like a woman next door. They have excellent temperament and are very popular among modern people.

This Guanyin Bodhisattva from Fujian in the Ming Dynasty has an oval face and a relatively thick outline, which perfectly combines the delicacy of the south with the atmosphere of the north. “Its flower curling grass adopts the craft of lacquer thread carving, which is also unique to Fujian. Now this highly difficult craft is still inherited in Fujian.”

Because of its proximity to coastal ports, the Fujian region has more exchanges with overseas countries and produced many highly creative statues. “For example, a Guanyin, it will be made like a local lady, wearing a large and graceful robe.” The lacquer is thick and does not cost money.

Zhao Gongming, the God of Wealth of Xiangzuo Wooden Tire in Qing Dynasty

The statues and sculptures in Hunan and Sichuan are not restricted by orthodox religions. Instead, they are more influenced by the facial makeup and characters of the local drama. They are a model of artistic life.

Left: Northern Song and Jin Dynasty Wooden Tire Painted Bodhisattva Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of America
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