The year signed on the scroll is December 6, 1911, Jiajing, which is the 30th year of Jiajing, that is, 1551. In this year, Wen Zhengming was exactly 81 years old, indicating that this work should have been created in his later years. . In addition, there is the seal of Wu Weiye in the lower left corner of this picture. This man was a famous poet in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. He was known as the "Three Great Masters of Jiangzuo" together with Qian Qianyi and Gong Dingzi. He was also the founder of the Loudong School of Poetry. He is good at seven-character singing. He first learned the "Changqing style" and later developed his own new chant, which later generations called "Meicun style". In addition, there are also bell seals of many Qing Dynasty literati. ?????????????????? Judging from the promotion of this painting, it should be a painting of Dualin. What is Dualin? It is to face other people's paintings or printed matter and draw them meticulously according to the pen, ink, coloring and composition of their works. Why would Chu Chen consider this work to be an antithesis? It was also because Wen Zhengming's promotion was Huang Gongwang's "Drunken Heaven" order inscribed on Li Song's "Skeleton Picture". In any case, the expressions of the characters in this picture are vivid and precise, the lines are elegant and smooth, and the colors are elegant. Especially the proportions of the large and small skulls are also very precise. It has the same purpose as the original painting. It should be said that it is a rare masterpiece of white rendering. do. But, as mentioned above, are the characters in this picture genuine by Wen Zhengming, or were they ghostwritten? Or was the picture made by someone else and Wen Zhengming wrote the inscription and postscript for it? If it were another eighty-year-old painter who could draw such exquisite line drawings of figures, he would definitely be questioned, but Wen Zhengming's calligraphy and painting "become more sophisticated as he gets older, and there are those who are meticulous and bold." , it is not surprising that this work exists. But as mentioned above, among Wen Zhengming¡¯s paintings throughout his life, he rarely copied the works of his predecessors, and most of them were his own creations. Only one of them, "Pictures of Ladies with Bananas" collected in the National Palace Museum in Baodao, has an inscription on the scroll: "It's spring in Jiajing, I occasionally read Zhao Songxue's Pictures of Ladies with Bananas, and the drama is over." This painting has an unnamed inscription. , with white inscription "Zheng Ming Seal". This painting was originally collected by the Qing Palace and was recorded in "The Third Collection of Shiqu Baoji: Yanxi Palace". Such a picture is an authentic work, which may indicate that the "Skeleton Fantasy World Picture" in front of you may be an authentic copy. So. Is this "Skeleton World Picture" a ghost-written work? Chu Chen thought for a moment and found out from the existing historical data that among Zhu Lang, Zhou Tianqiu and Lu Shidao who were ghostwriters for Wen Zhengming's paintings, it should be a fact that ghostwriters painted landscapes or flowers, but there was no historical record of ghostwriters painting figures in fine brushwork. And none of the above people are good at characters. Among Wen Zhengming¡¯s disciples and friends in his later years (around eighty years old). It seems that Qiu Ying is the only one who has the skills and attainments in the figure painting in front of him. Chu Chen learned from historical data that Wen and Qiu had known each other for more than 30 years. They were both teachers and friends, and they often collaborated on paintings. For example, in the 15th year of Zhengde's reign, Wen and Qiu collaborated on "Copying Li Gonglin's "Lotus Society Picture""; in the 12th year of Zhengde's reign (1517), Wen Zhengming painted "Hunan Jun Xiang's Lady" painted by Qiu Ying, etc. Wen and Qiu created more works in the form of a combination of calligraphy and painting. The famous ones include Qiu's paintings, the volume of "The Book of Filial Piety" and the scroll of "The Picture of Two Horses". There are also the volumes of "Shanglin Picture" and "Zigong". "Pictures" volume, "Hou Chibi Fu Tu" volume, etc. So. Was the painting in front of him written by Wen Zhengming himself, or was it a collaboration between Wen and Qiu? However, whether it is a work by Wen Zhengming or a collaboration between Wen and Qiu, as long as it is authentic, the value of this painting is very high. With this question, Chu Chen took out a magnifying glass and began to observe carefully. First, the handwriting and seal. Chu Chen's calligraphy can definitely be authentic, and it is very consistent with the characteristics of his calligraphy that is gentle, elegant, steady and mature, rigorous in law and vivid in mood. The characters in the painting appear to be well-shaped, powerful in generalization, lifelike, and the colors are exquisite but not gaudy. Judging from the brushwork and style of the painting, it is indeed of Qiu Ying's lineage. But this painting was created in the winter of 1551, and the date of Qiu Ying's birth and death is unclear. Some say it was 1551, and some say it was the autumn and winter of 1552. But even if he died in 1552, it was more than ten months ago. , Qiu Ying still has the strength to paint such a work. It's also an unknown number. Moreover, judging from the brushwork and style of this work, it is still different from Qiu Ying's previous works, and is not as sophisticated as Qiu Ying's work. Chu Chen observed carefully. I feel that the painting method and style are very similar to those of You Qiu. You Qiu is Qiu Ying's nephew. He is good at painting figures, ladies, Taoism and landscapes. As an important representative painter of the late Wumen School of Painting, You Qiu was good at depicting figures in white. His painting techniques were learned from Qiu Ying, and later traced back to Liu Songnian and Qian Shunju. His style is delicate and elegant, and he pursues the elegance of the literati. He is called the successor of Qiu Ying. And during the observation, Chu Chen also noticed a detail. The paper of this work was originally larger than it is now, and the missing part was probably cut out intentionally when it was unmounted. lost. With this discovery, Chu Chen immediately had a thought in his heart.A guess that is more consistent with the facts. He remembered seeing in his master¡¯s notes that there were countless imitations and copies made by famous Wu masters at that time, and the forgeries often had his own inscriptions on them. During the appraisal, it is often discovered that the works were actually ghostwritten by Qian Gu, Zhu Lang, You Qiu, Wen Jia and Wen Peng, but were signed by Wen Zhengming himself. From this point of view, Chu Chen speculated that the cut off part was probably You Qiu's inscription. As for the purpose of cutting out this part, it is easy to understand, because in the history of painting, Wen Zhengming's popularity has always been far greater than that of You Qiu. It is normal for Qiu Ying and You Qiu to cut off You Qiu's inscriptions for their own benefit. So Chu Chen felt that the painting in front of him should be a work written by You Qiu and inscribed by Wen Zhengming. However, when it comes to the appraisal of calligraphy and painting, Chu Chen is still a little behind compared to the appraisal of porcelain and jade, and the conclusion is mainly based on guesswork and not rigorous enough, so he immediately used his supernatural power. Although this power cannot directly say that this painting is authentic, it can already support Chu Chen's judgment in terms of age and value. Seeing Chu Chen put away the things in his hands, Xie Gong quickly asked: "Boss Chu, what do you think of this painting?" "This" Chu Chen hesitated for a while, and then said: "Mr. Xie, maybe you I¡¯m disappointed. I think this work is a ghostwritten work.¡± ¡°Ghostwritten?¡± "What do you mean, my work is not authentic?" "It's not entirely untrue!" Chu Chen shook his head and said, "I think the inscription and seal should be Wen Zhengming's original work. But in terms of the brushwork and style of painting, I think it is quite different from that of Wen Zhengming.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± How could something be wrong? And there are so many seals of famous artists on it, can¡¯t they see it? " Chu Chen said calmly: "Mr. "There is a reason. How about you listen patiently first?" "Although the result given by Chu Chen is something I never want to hear, considering that the price Chu Chen gave before is indeed quite kind, and he seems to be a good person. , Although Xie Gong was angry, he still said stiffly: "You say it!" "First of all, Wen Zhengming's figure painter inherited the ancient tradition from Li Gonglin, and his brushwork was meticulous and smooth. In his later years, he had two styles, thick and thin. The later he gets, the better he works. Judging from the inscription, this work was made when he was eighty-one years old" Chu Chen talked eloquently and explained every feature of this painting in detail. Finally, he concluded: "So, I think this should be a work written by You Qiu and inscribed by Wen Zhengming." After listening to Chu Chen's very detailed explanation, Xie Gong couldn't help but start to lean towards Chu Chen's judgment. However, It is definitely impossible for him to completely believe Chu Chen's judgment now. He thought for a while and said: "You also said that your conclusion is based on speculation. Does that mean that this work , or is it possible that it is Wen Zhengming's original work?" Chu Chen shook his head and said honestly: "I have said before, I am just not sure whether it is You Qiu's work. Judging from the style of the painting, this The possibility that this work was written by Wen Zhengming himself is extremely slim. Of course, I still have some deficiencies in the appraisal of calligraphy and painting, so I suggest that we give it to my master for another appraisal later. What do you think?" "Your master? Who is it?" Xie Gong asked. Chu Chen replied: "My master is Liu Zhihe, do you recognize him?" Xie Gong didn't remember who Chu Chen was talking about at first. He was silent for a while, and then said loudly with a surprised look on his face: "What? "Is your master Mr. Liu?" "It's true!" Chu Chen chuckled: "Mr. Chen gave him such an unexpected result. If he didn't figure it out, this matter would definitely be a stuck in his throat. Moreover, with the current situation of his family, this painting will have to be sold sooner or later. Regardless of its authenticity, it is undoubtedly better for him to sell it to Chu Chen, because he knows that Chu Chen will definitely not die like others. The price is lowered. Xie Gong thought so. Although he was suspected of taking advantage of Chu Chen's kindness, at this time, he couldn't think of any other way to get money, so he could only do this. However, he also made up his mind to repay Chu Chen well after this incident passed. After getting in the car, Chu Chen drove directly to Yuhuating. On the way, Xie Gong asked with some worry: "Boss Chu, if this painting is indeed what you said, how much is it worth?" Chu Chen replied Said: "Even if this painting is indeed a ghost-written work, the promotion and seal are genuine. Based on this alone, it can be worth more than 100,000 yuan. In addition, this painting is also very good. It can be considered genuine. I think the market price should be around 500,000 yuan.¡±