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Audio Stop 222

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This free-standing, painted, terracotta portrait sculpture shows the head, shoulders, and chest of a man with dark hair and a prominent nose. His face and body are angled slightly to our right in this photograph, and he looks down his crooked nose. He has peach-colored skin, which is lightly shadowed around his chin. His thin lips are set in a line, and his brow is furrowed low above his eyes. Chin-length brown hair hangs straight down the sides of his face. His garment has scarlet-red sleeves under a navy-blue tunic, and he wears a red headdress that hangs down to his shoulder over his left ear, on our right. A red scarf drapes across his chest, and the end hangs on his chest on our left. Paint losses on the surface of the sculpture allow the brown terracotta to show through in some areas.

Florentine 16th Century, probably after a model by Andrea del Verrocchio and Orsino Benintendi

Lorenzo de' Medici, possibly 1513/1520

West Building, Main Floor — Gallery 7

高级文物保护员和文物保护主管Shelley Sturman深入探讨对这一富有感染力的16世纪半身像的材料进行仔细研究所揭示的细节。

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讲解员:
通过这座半身像,我们得以一窥意大利城邦佛罗伦萨的统治者洛伦佐·德·美第奇的样貌。他是1400年代后期欧洲最有权势的男人之一。

谢利·斯特曼:
大家好,我叫谢利·斯特曼,在美国国家美术馆的文物保护部担任高级修复师兼负责人。

洛伦佐·德·美第奇的许多画像里都显示出他非常鲜明的特征:阴郁的眉毛、地包天和极具存在感的鼻子。这些特征在这座半身像里全都得到了体现。他目光向下打量着我们。没有紧皱眉头,但显然也丝毫不带笑意。这是他的权威架势。我们能感受到他的权力。我们会觉得他对正在发生的一切了如指掌。他在为自己做打算。  

讲解员:
这座半身像是在赤陶或黏土的基础上加以彩绘,色彩原本更深。文物保护团队探测了如今被包裹在清漆之下的玄机。

谢利·斯特曼:
我们开始看到,有几层污垢直接覆在色彩鲜艳的原始涂层上。我们看到两颊与下巴部位的胡茬。眼部能看到星星点点的颜料。目前的暗色上衣原来其实是浓郁的深紫红色。头巾原来是浓郁鲜艳的红色。

讲解员:
这些细节能够极其逼真地还原洛伦佐肖像。这座半身像甚至可能就是传说中的那座塑像:洛伦佐过世后,其子一见此像,竟然感动到流泪。  

谢利·斯特曼:
我们可以凝视他的双眼,感受他的存在。他看起来更像是一个活人,而不是陶土制品,让我们切实感受到古人的长相、衣着和行为。我们会忍不住想要坐下来,看得更仔细一点,努力想象那个年代的生活状况以及他鼎盛时期做过的事。

我觉得雕塑的重要之处在于,它能帮助我们观察过去,从历史人物身上看到自己的影子。
 

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