The entire antiques room fell deathly silent.
Huo Sanjian stared fixedly at the newly revealed figure jar on the display stand. He stepped forward to examine it repeatedly, even testing it with instruments. Once he confirmed that it truly was the Yuan-dynasty blue-and-white figure jar, Guigu Descending the Mountain, his eyes held nothing but shock.
The large Yuan Blue-and-White Porcelain jar was one of only eight surviving Yuan-dynasty narrative porcelain pieces in the world, created during an era when emperors pursued great achievements. If Yuan Blue-and-White Porcelain was a milestone in the history of Chinese ceramics, then the Guigu Descending the Mountain jar was an unparalleled treasure—a vessel of imperial ambition and accomplishment, reserved for emperors and nobles, a symbol of status and taste!
Huo Feixing's eyes widened as well, and he could not help swallowing.
Yuan Blue-and-White Porcelain narrative pieces were priceless treasures that collectors both at home and abroad dreamed of possessing. Over the centuries, countless people had tried to reproduce them, but their attempts could not compare with the originals in shape, painting style, spirit, or any other respect.
Its craftsmanship demanded extraordinary precision in everything from the porcelain clay and imported cobalt pigment to the smoothness of the glaze, accuracy of the shape, painting style, and even the finished piece's dimensions, thickness, and weight.
The firing process was even more difficult. Each piece was shaped and painted by hand, then fired in a wood-burning kiln, passing through hundreds of complicated procedures. The requirements for every step were almost unforgiving. A problem at any stage could ruin an entire kiln's worth of porcelain, leaving a success rate of less than five percent!
The Yuan-dynasty blue-and-white figure jar, Guigu Descending the Mountain, was painted with the imported cobalt pigment Sumali Blue. Its blue-and-white decoration consisted of four layers.