There was a time when various treasure programs sprang up, and in the early days, these programs were able to impart some useful knowledge to the audience. However, over time, a number of controversies and disputes over the authenticity of antiquities have turned the otherwise pure antiquities world into chaos. Some so-called "experts" use rhetoric, mistake the real thing for a fake, boast of a fake, and their professionalism is doubtful.
Back in 2011, the antique market caused an uproar, and a Han Dynasty green topaz dragon and phoenix pattern dressing table, known as a "priceless treasure", appeared at the "2011 Ancient Jade Special Auction" of Beijing Zhongjia International Auction Co., Ltd. The starting price of this dressing table was as high as 180 million yuan, and finally sold for a sky-high price of 220 million yuan, becoming the most expensive jade in the Chinese art auction market that year.
However, after this news spread, some people immediately questioned: there was no such furniture in the Han Dynasty, and this dresser must be a fake! Professor Shao Xiaofeng of Nanjing Forestry University said unequivocally: "Such dressers and stools could never have existed in the Han Dynasty. Professor Shao delved into ancient furniture and published academic papers on the origin of stools. He believes that in the Han Dynasty, people sat in a "low seat", that is, sitting on the ground, usually with a mat or low chair under the table. This form of stool belongs to the "high seat" and could not have existed in the Han Dynasty, and any similar furniture was used as a table. The earliest form of stool was derived from the "Hu bed" or traditional handicraft "maza" from the Western Regions, and only later gradually evolved into stools, which did not prevail until the Sui and Tang dynasties. In addition, the Hu bed is completely different from the form of this so-called "sky-high jade stool", which is more like an imitation of Qing Dynasty court furniture.
Professor Huang Minqing of the Department of History of Hubei University for Nationalities also supported Shao's view, pointing out that in the Han Dynasty, sitting with both knees bent and kneeling to express respect and humility, while the modern sitting posture with the soles of the feet on the ground was regarded as a faux pas, meaning arrogance and contempt in the Han Dynasty.
However, the incident intensified. Wang Rumian, president of the Pizhou Jade Association, came forward to testify that the jade stool was made by modern people and personally observed the process. Faced with pressure from many parties, Zhao Jun, the seller of the dresser and jade stool, finally stood up and clarified: This is not a cultural relic, but a work of art that I personally made. Zhao Jun said that he spent 7 months making dressers and 3 months making stools, with the participation of more than 20 craftsmen and a cost of more than 500,000 yuan. This was an imitation of a set of old Ming Dynasty furniture, even using glue, and after the production was completed, he sold it in 2010 under the name of "handicrafts" for 2.6 million yuan, never claiming to be a cultural relics.
The price of jade raw materials has soared in recent years, and it is not impossible that secondary sales have led to higher prices, but Zhao Jun said he knew nothing about the later identification and how experts determined it was a Han dynasty. The person in charge of the auction house pointed out that there is a lack of uniform price standards in the field of antiques, and the auction house cannot guarantee the authenticity of the auction items 100%, they only act as intermediaries. This incident is a wake-up call for people who are keen on antiques, there are too many so-called "experts" in the antique market, you must not blindly worship, otherwise you may only be unlucky.