After walking around the table, Li Mo first picked up the most inconspicuous snuff bottle on the table, first played with it carefully and looked at the patina, then looked at the workmanship with a magnifying glass, and finally opened the lid and looked at the joints and inner walls.

There is a saying in the antique world that the smaller and more exquisite things are, the more difficult it is to fake them. In ancient times, some craftsmen may have made one or two items passed down in their lives, so they will spend a lot of effort and strive for excellence. Therefore, these exquisite and delicate things are well-deserved works of art and are things that future generations cannot use modern technology to fake them.

Li Mo picked up a snuff bottle with a palm-sized palm. It is made of agate material. The outside is carved with arabes-like patterns, which are non-slip and exquisite. Under the reflection of the magnifying glass, you can see the patterns on the vine leaves, exquisite carving, and the careful layout is full of ingenuity. The inner wall is also rounded, and the bottle cap and the bottle body are integrated. The most commendable thing is that the bottle cap and the bottle body are the same piece of agate.

Touching the patina on the snuff bottle, Li Mo was amazed and turned to ask Xuan Qi: "Where did you find such a thing? It feels real when you touch it in your hands, but from the perspective of the carving, it is not the style of the mid-Qing Dynasty. Look at this vine and this leaf. If I hadn't looked at the mouth of the bottle, I would have almost regarded it as a questionable fabrication."

Xuan Qi shrugged his shoulders and did not express any comments on the snuff bottle. He stretched his palm forward and signaled Li Mo to continue talking.

Li Mo lifted the snuff bottle and said, "This is a snuff bottle made by craftsmen in the late Ming Dynasty who used a sense of smell beyond the times and used good agate. It was hundreds of years earlier than the snuff bottles in the Qing Dynasty. This is a real thing

The snuff bottle was indeed introduced to China from the late Ming Dynasty, and then developed and flourished during the Qing Dynasty. It was not until the Daoguang period that the prototype of the snuff bottle was formed and then mass-produced. Smart and intelligent craftsmen could not have imagined that a simple small pot was used to hold snuff, so this agate snuff bottle appeared under special circumstances, similar to the concept car that transcends the times today. Without mass production, it is just a feasible attempt.

If it were another person, it would be easy to regard this as a fake, but after careful verification by a real antique expert, he would find that this snuff bottle is real because there are traces of use over time at the mouth of the bottle. This cannot be faked. Perhaps the owner of this snuff bottle just wanted to show his wealth and did not expect that he would inadvertently surpass the times.

When Li Mo gave the answer, the five-member group opened their envelope first and looked at the envelope that read: "A genuine snuff bottle from the late Ming Dynasty." Then they opened the envelope written by Xuan Qi, which was indeed: "A genuine snuff bottle from the late Ming Dynasty."

Li Mo, who was winning, had a trace of pride on his face. Only experienced veteran players could tell the authenticity of this object from the subtle points.

Old Master Li is much happier than Li Mo. A man must have a lifelong life. Li Mo's extensive antique knowledge can become a skill to make a living and even form new topics of conversation in the upper social circle. So Old Master Li is very happy for Li Mo.

Li Mo, who won the first battle, put the snuff bottle back on the table and then looked at the second collection. Perhaps this collection was not a broad antique, but a clock, a large clock about half a meter high, mixed with Western style and oriental charm.

Watches are a rather strange business in the antique industry. You should know that the reason why clocks are valued is because of their accuracy. They walk at good times every day and convey the right information to people at the right time. Generally, antique clocks are mechanically constructed by clockwork and gears. Over time, they will inevitably suffer normal wear and tear, and they will not be as accurate as they were before.

Of course, it does not mean that clocks and watches are of no value in the antique world. On the contrary, clocks and watches, as products of an era, represent the degree of development of science and technology, culture and art in a specific environment within a certain period. They record the traces of the times to a certain extent and have a profound cultural connotation.

As early as the Ming Dynasty, Western bells were brought into the palace by Italian missionaries as the most precious tribute. Emperor Qianlong became the most important Western bell collector in Chinese history. These all show the profound cultural accumulation and historical and cultural connotation displayed by clocks.

However, the antique clock that Xuan Qi took was obviously different from ordinary antique clocks. Compared with other Western clocks with significant or even magnificent craftsmanship, the clock that Xuan Qi took out seemed too shabby, without the decoration of gold, powder, silver foil, and the rich and prominent style of the West.

The wooden base is like a green mountain, with a small hollowing in the gap. A huge pendulum is penetrated from above, and the prototype clock is on the top of the mountain. It is not traditional Arabic numerals or Roman numerals, but the unique branch of heaven and earth in China.

After wandering around this twice, Li Mo wanted to say that it was fake, but he felt that the clock was real and could not help but look back at Xuan Qi and said, "Mr. Xuan, you are such a good method. Where did you get these things?" As he said that, he couldn't help but pat his head: "It's so troublesome."

Xuan Qi shrugged his shoulders and said lightly: "This is all my friends who love you. I know I like antiques, so I send everything to me. At first I didn't care. I don't care about it. There are so many people who gave it to me, so there are really a few fun things."

Li Mo approached the front of the clock, reached out to open the cover, and the structure inside was clear at a glance. Whether it was a clockwork or other gears, they looked very historical, which made Li Mo whisper involuntarily: "This is true, but why does such a thing exist?"

Li Mo, who couldn't understand, held the base of the big clock in both hands and wanted to move it up. At the beginning, he used less strength. He didn't pick up the heavy big clock. A strange color flashed in Li Mo's eyes: "Is it so heavy a gloomy wood?" As he said that, he couldn't help but get back together, and picked up a magnifying glass to observe the wood texture of the base. After a closer look, he found out from the texture that it was indeed gloomy wood.

After confirming the wood, Li Mo was 80% sure of the big bell, and he picked it up with both hands again. Li Mo looked at the base of the big bell, and a line of slender Manchu appeared in Li Mo's pupils. Li Mo's eyes were filled with joy: "The Office of the Internal Affairs, it is indeed the Office of the Internal Affairs." Li Mo had already made a conclusion about this big bell.

The Office of the Internal Affairs was a unique institution in the Qing Dynasty. It had as many as 3,000 officials, more than ten times more than the most complex Ministry of Revenue. It can be said that it was the largest agency in the Qing Dynasty. The Office of the Internal Affairs was the management of royal affairs, such as royal daily meals, clothing, warehouse storage, etiquette, engineering, farms, animal husbandry, guards, mountain and lake fishing, etc. It also controlled the salt administration, collected customs and received tributes. The Office of the Internal Affairs was the main organization of the Office of the Internal Affairs was the seven departments and three courts, and the most important was the Guangchu Department, which specialized in the royal family's gold, silver, jewelry, fur, porcelain, silk, satin, clothes, tea and other special supplies.

After carefully observing the details, Li Mo said loudly: "This is a clock imitated by the craftsmen of the Interior Affairs Office in the early days, and it is undoubtedly the authentic one."

"The dynasties in the early Qing Dynasty are a bit general, please give the exact dynasty." The judges who have had a precise dynasty on this ancient bell were asked to give Li Mo a more precise dynasty.

"From the late Ming Dynasty to the Kangxi period, the people used clocks to make clocks and repair clocks to a certain scale. From the two hundred years from the Kangxi period to the late Qing Dynasty, the imperial clock, Suzhou clock, and Guangxi clock were gradually formed, and Guangxi clocks were particularly favored by the Qing emperors." Li Mo, who was talking, talked about the knowledge he had never forgotten, and then pointed to the wooden clock and said: "The seal carving of the Internal Affairs Office under this clock is an imperial clock. It is a imperial clock. Judging from the craftsmen's craftsmanship and smelting technology, the manufacturing is not exquisite enough, so the era can be taken forward. If I read it correctly, this is an imperial clock from the Kangxi period."

In order to increase persuasion, Li Mo also said loudly: "I have also dabbled in antique clocks. I have also seen antique clocks imitated in China. The craftsmanship of the Qianlong period has reached its peak and is much more exquisite than this one. So I dare to conclude that this is not from the Qianlong period, and these strange and lewd tricks are not recommended during the Yongzheng period, so it can only be an antique clock made in the Kangxi period."

Seeing that Li Mo had confirmed, the five-member group also opened their envelope, which read: "Antique Bell made in the Kangxi Year." When they opened Xuanqi's envelope, they saw that it read: "Antique Bell made in the Ninth Year of the Kangxi Year."

It is rare to see that the nine-year period can be accurate to the year. The five-member group, including Li Mo, looked at Xuan Qi. Lu Guangyan first did not suppress his curiosity and asked Xuan Qi: "How do you know that this clock was made in the ninth year of Kangxi?"

Xuan Qi pointed at the clock face and said, "Look carefully, are the words in the nine o'clock direction heavier than other words? It seems that they have written them twice?"

Lu Guangyan rubbed his faint old eyes and looked carefully, but he couldn't see any clues. He looked at them with the people around him. As a result, no one could see where the words were heavy.

Xuan Qi had no choice but to take out a strong flashlight and give everyone a high-power magnifying glass. Lu Guangyan came up and looked carefully at the clock face at the nine o'clock position. Not to mention that he really gained something. Under the irradiation of the strong light and the magnifying glass, there was a line of micro-carvings on the clock face, which was the ninth year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty.

People around him also made this discovery, and they couldn't help but be amazed at Xuan Qi and praised Xuan Qi's good eyesight. Li Mo was a little disappointed. He actually forgot to use a strong light flashlight and a magnifying glass to look at the clock face, otherwise he could have cut off the age in the ninth year of Kangxi.

Seeing the loss of grandson, Old Master Li walked over and patted Li Mo on the shoulder and said, "Child, don't you think too much. Those five highly respected connoisseurs can only break the age of the same as you?" He looked at Xuan Qi, who was as deep as water: "You can't compare with Mr. Xuan. He is a monster and has an unaware that he cannot catch up with."

Li Mo nodded slowly, calmed down, and looked at the third collection that Xuan Qi brought.
Chapter completed!