淘寶三記

一、補蓋記

朋友從蘭溪鄉下回來，從老家帶來了一些舊瓷器。知道我喜歡古瓷，他就將其中的一個同治粉彩的直桶形小罐送給了我。這個小罐的立面上用粉彩畫了三個小童在嬉戲，人物畫風系典型的同治筆法，釉面包漿明顯，此物系同治年代無疑。缺點是這種當年閨閣小姐放脂粉用的小罐，本來還應該有一個蓋。現在，罐雖留下來了，但蓋卻不知去了何方。因此，我拿了這個同治之物，欣喜之余，總感到還有著一絲遺憾。朋友說，你常跑收藏品市場，想法去給它配一個吧。

我知道，這句話說說容易，做起來卻很難。不要說找到一模一樣的，就是配一個相似的也像大海撈針，全靠碰運氣。記得十年前我曾在安昌買到過一個嘉慶朝的青花梅花紋的竹節罐，罐子完好也就是缺了個蓋，為了配這個蓋，我在市場里足足找了一年多，但仍然沒有找到合式的。一天，我在一個攤位上看到了一個大小正合式的梅花紋青花竹節罐蓋，可是它是一套，有蓋也有罐，而且蓋頂的紐還有修補痕跡。我配蓋心切，就問小販單買一個蓋行不行？小販看出我的心思，就說要拆開買價格就貴。我想此蓋來之不易，貴點就貴點吧。于是我花了比平時高兩倍的價格才把它買了下來。拿到家中一蓋，大小倒正好，但青花瓷色的深淺還是有點不一致，不過我只能將就著看了。此外家里還存有一個嘉慶朝雙喜紋的青花小罐，也是為給它配蓋煞費苦心。我先后找來幾個蓋，不是大了就是小了，最后沒有辦法，只得找了一個大小雖合適，卻是一個宋代影青釉的蓋。雖然年代不一，裝飾風格也不同，但蓋在上面倒也還算別致。補蓋不能求全，只能退而求其次了。

有了這些經歷，我深知為舊物配蓋之難，如今我欲為同治年代的脂粉小罐配蓋，其難度更加可想面知！不過我還是決定試試。我記下了尺寸，到各個市場暗訪。但每次都無獲而歸，不是尺寸不對就是器型、紋飾不合。不過就在我將要放棄之時，卻在一次去市場時看到了一個小罐，它的年代、紋飾和器型都對，就是比我的那個要小一些，但它上面蓋的蓋卻正與我的那個吻合。我就與攤主商量。能否把那個蓋讓給我？我說，你那個罐和蓋反正不是一套，有蓋無蓋也無妨，而且，我可以給你一個好價錢。攤主終于被我說動，我總算了卻一個心愿。

蓋子拿回家中一蓋，無論大小、器型、紋飾都還算匹配，我慶幸總算配到了一個合式的蓋。朋友來家看到了，也連稱不易。

二、覓石記

我喜歡古物，也喜歡搜集石頭，但以往只限于雨花石之類，因此興致雖高藏品卻不多，根本就談不上檔次。后來碰到一位藏石朋友，令我大開眼界，他的藏石不僅數量多、品種豐富，而且極具檔次，其中有風礪石、瑪瑙石、靈璧石，還有各種我叫不上名字的怪石。

在他的影響下，我也開始注意起集石的品種和檔次。為了找雞血石，我專門去了臨安玉山，還到過江山去找紫金石。每次出差，特別是到山鄉或產石聞名之地，完成工作之余的第一件大事就是找石頭。那次和朋友一起去青海、甘肅，十多天時間除了參觀考察，就是到處撿石頭。從昆侖山口到戈壁灘，從河西走廊到黃河灘頭，所到之處無不留下我撿石的蹤影。一次汽車在戈壁灘上拋了錨，修車之時讓我正好有了撿石之機。這次青海、甘肅之行，足足帶回了20多公斤的石頭。但是，經行家一看，卻被貶得一無是處，只有其中的一二塊還有保留價值。不過雖然撿石水平不高，但撿石過程中所得到的快樂卻是別人所無法享受到的。

后來，我撿石走捷徑，到花鳥市場去買。那天市場上到了一批西北來的風礪石，這種石頭是億萬年前地殼運動的恩賜，經過千百萬年的風沙吹打，才成了現在的剔透圓潤之狀，很值得收藏。有眼力的話，還能從中挑到一些精品。到那里一看，我開始隨意挑選，花了我幾十元錢足足挑了好幾十塊。拿回家中，經過組合搭配，拼成了20多組。現在，我的書架上，已有了風礪石的小雞、母雞、鸚鵡、綿羊、幼虎、海貍、猛獅、靈龜等各種動物造型，還有粗看不像什么卻又似乎像點什么的耐人尋味的抽象造型。這些顏色各異晶瑩剔透瑪瑙質地的風礪石，確實給我的書房增色不少，給我在寫作之余，有一種欣賞陶然之樂。它們并非人工雕鑿，顯示出了大自然鬼斧神工的奇妙之力。每有朋友來小坐，我則可以以此來炫耀一番。

集石的樂趣是一種尋覓之樂，所以對于石頭的檔次我倒并不過分在意。只要是我覺得把它收集起來，就有一種自得其樂。

三、換瓷記

50年代末到“文革”十年所生產的帶有當時特殊政治歷史印記的瓷器，是當時政治變動的一種物化見證，50多年時間過去了，這種東西的存世量已經不多，它因此受到了當下古玩收藏界的青睞。現在市場上可見到的“文革瓷”不少，但絕大多數都是新仿的贗品，要尋覓一件真正的“文革”瓷也還真是不容易呢！

一次我在朋友家吃飯，偶然間看到了兩件真正的“文革”瓷，令我大喜過望。那天朋友請我到他家去玩，一走進他的家，我看到他用以盛煙灰之缸，居然是一只完好無損的嘉慶花草紋青花搗藥臼。后來吃飯時，我端起飯碗一看，竟然是一只光緒年間造的金紅釉胭脂水色的官窯瓷碗。他見我顯露吃驚之色，又端出兩只菜碗，我一看是一對真正的“文革”青花瓷碗。我顧不上吃菜，仔細地端詳這一對碗，見它是仿照晚清民窯青花碗的樣式燒造的。碗的外面是兩層青花圖案，上層是用豎線隔開的以轉圈寫法書寫了“人民公社萬歲”六個青花大字。有一條橫線將上下兩層分開，下層在一個碗上轉圈寫的是“年年豐收”四個字，另一個寫的則是“人民萬歲”四個字。字寫得極其潦草，但猛一看倒也很像用青花畫出的花草紋，碗里則有青花雙圈紋和底部的一抹青花裝飾，底款也是一抹青花。因此，初看極像晚清之物，細看才發現有鮮明的時代特征。兩個碗民國瓷的特征很明顯，再說它們系由朋友從老家帶出，是他母親在當時買下家用的，故毋須探究其真偽的問題。從所寫的字來看，它們應該是1958年“高舉三面紅旗”時期的產物，比“文革”要稍早幾年。這類瓷器其審美價值不是很高，但由于它們是產生于特定的歷史年代，還是有其獨特的收藏價值的。朋友見我捧著碗愛不釋手的樣子，就說：“今天請你來就是要送你幾件東西，這碗也在其中，既然你喜歡它們，吃過飯就把這幾個碗帶走吧！”我說我不好意思白拿你的寶貝，我也送你一個乾隆時期造的青花山水紋方形水洗吧，你如果同意，就讓我把那個被當成了煙灰缸的青花藥臼也帶走。朋友一口答應，但又說：“不過你的水洗就將成為我未來的煙灰缸了！”

Three Anecdotes about My Search of Antiques

Gao Songnian

Looking for Lid for My Jar

A friend came back from his home village and brought back some porcelain antiques. Well acquainted with my ardor for porcelain antiques， he gave me a gift. It was a small jar with a design drawn in powdered colors and made in the Tongzhi Period (1861-1875) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Painted on the external wall of the jar are three kids frolicking. The jar was originally designed as a container for makeup powder. After careful studies， I was sure that the piece was authentic. My only regret was that it did not have a lid. The friend advised me to search local antique markets for a matching lid.

It was easier said than done. Searching for a similar lid would be like looking for a needle in a haystack， let alone hunting for a lid that would fit the jar perfectly. I had had the experience of looking for matching lids for my jars. One lid， which was far from matching in color， took me more than a year to find and cost me a fortune. Another lid did not match the period and style though the size was okay. However， I decided to try my luck for this jar. With the size scribbled on a piece of paper tucked away in my pocket， I began hunting. I ran into a lot of lids， but none matched the jar I had. One day， I saw a jar with a lid at one market. The period， shape and style of the jar were all right， but the size was a little bit smaller. To my surprise， the lid， which was not the original one for that jar， was perfect in size for my jar. After a hard bargain， I bought the lid. The friend was amazed by the lid sitting comfortably with the jar.

Stone Hunting

My collection of stones is nothing to write home about， but I like stones. So at the beginning， I allowed my taste for mediocre stones to dominate. It was not until I met a collector of tones and viewed his collection that I yearned for collectable stones. The variety， quantity， quality of his collection opened my eyes. I began to hunt for good stones. I visited native places to hunt original stones. On business tours during that time， the first thing I did in leisure time was to hunt for stones. The most memorable trip was my visit to Qinghai and Gansu provinces in the country’s west. For more than 10 days， I traveled and searched. One day， our bus broke down on the highway and I took the advantage and got off to search roadsides for stones. I brought home a heap of stones which weighed more than 20 kilograms. Only one of the stones was good enough as a collectable and the rest was all evaluated as debris. I realized I was no good at hunting stones in nature， but the pleasure of hunting was gratifying.

Then I decided to give up fruitless hunts in nature and turned to antique markets for collectables. One day， I learned that a huge heap of stones had just arrived at a market from the country’s west. I rushed there to take a look. These translucent stones in lovely and smooth shapes had been shaped by sands and winds over millions of years. I spent a lot of time picking the ones that appealed to me. For less then 100 yuan， I bought dozens， all in pairs and all in zoomorphic shapes. These small stone wonders now stand on my bookshelves. When taking a break after a long session of writing， I take a look at them. Their magic shapes and colors give me a great deal of glowing pleasure.

Bartering with My Friend

Porcelain things made in the late 1950s and 1960s and early 1970s are unique: rare in quantity and with the unmistakable mark of the period， they serve as testimonies to the political winds of that period. Nearly half a century later， antique aficionados have begun to collect the remaining few. Antique markets abound with fakes， and a real one is hard to come by.

One day， I was visiting a friend at his house and I ran into two porcelain pieces made during the Cultural Revolution. I found the ashtray my friend used was actually a herb mortar with a design in blue made in the Jiaqing Years (1796-1820) of the Qing Dynasty. At the dinner， the rice bowl for me was a porcelain rarity in gold and red made in the reign (1875-1908) of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty. Seeing my surprise and curiosity， my friend brought out a pair of bowls made presumably during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). I examined them carefully and decided they were made in 1958 though they imitated the style of the late Qing Dynasty. The political slogans on the bowls testified to the era. The friend said that his real purpose for inviting me to dinner was to give me a few antique pieces as gifts. The pair of bowls had been meant for me. I gave him a brush-pen rinsing bowl manufactured during the reign (1736-1796) of Emperor Qianlong. To compensate for my more valuable antique， I asked for his ashtray. My friend agreed willingly but advised me not to be astounded if my bowl would be used as an ashtray.

(Translated by Tian Jinjiang)