Chapter 3195 The Flashing Mosaic (3)

The United Kingdom is the "mother country" of the constitution. It pioneered the constitutional monarchy, responsible cabinet system, and bicameral system. At the same time, its constitutional development process is also long. It can be said that the United Kingdom is a museum of constitutional archeology.

However, Napoleon commented that the British constitution is like black cloth with a golden frame.

 When the black silk covering the painting was lifted, there was a portrait of a young woman behind the curtain. She wears a fur vest, pearl earrings and necklace, her hair is reddish brown, and she wears a huge hat.

This is a very regular portrait, but it is precisely because it is so regular that the audience did not react much, even though the woman in the painting is young and beautiful.

The staff of the Louvre held the scroll and introduced the portrait.

In fact, the original "opening" should have been "Venus and Adonis Hunting" painted by Titian, but that painting was removed by Talleyrand, and the woman in the painting was also a collector of paintings. It's Isabella d'Este of Ferrara. She was actually 60 years old when she painted this painting. Titian originally painted it according to her appearance at that age, which made her furious, and then Titian gave it to her. Change to look like a 20-year-old.

There is also a painting in the Louvre, a double portrait of Alfonso d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, and his third wife, who was his mistress at the time. The painting shows a young woman dressing up in front of a mirror, while her lover is holding the mirror to assist her in dressing up.

Titian was already working in Ferrara at that time, thanks to Isabella, because it was a popular trend at that time that people with a little status would sponsor artists, even if they were not collectors like Lorenzo, they would hire them. Top masters can reflect their personal resources and influence.

However, Isabella could not invite Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci. Despite her repeated requests, Raphael and Da Vinci only made a few sketches.

Michelangelo simply didn't reply at all. He was painting the Sistine ceiling at the time, and he was "fighting back and forth" with the Pope. Raphael also painted his depressed look in the "School of Athens" inside.

Later on, Isabella retreated to the next best thing and no longer commissioned original works. Instead, she acquired second-hand art to expand her presence. As a result, Ferrara even had a second-hand art trading market.

 Once she went to Rome to buy art and was almost taken hostage by deserters, and then she met Titian.

Titian was only in his 20s at the time. Although he had the Venus of Urbino, he was not yet very famous.

Isabella has been dealing with artists for so many years, and gradually understands why she can't hire those talented artists. She wants to be talented and obedient, while artists believe that in order to pursue art, they cannot blindly obey their employers. Arrangement, when she met Titian, she had already lost the sense of superiority of her aristocratic patron.

Titian's colors are beautiful, and the paints are "really expensive." However, the Duke of Ferrara does not participate in wars, nor does he pay mercenaries to fight. Machiavelli said that he is a hereditary ruler, as long as he is not too hateful, his subjects Just support him, he has plenty of spare money anyway.

The unfettered horse was the most popular symbol of unfettered passion during the Renaissance. The painting of Talleyrand's departure was inspired by The Golden Ass, which was written by a Roman and was filled with all kinds of different things. Lun's love.

 The women painted by Titian are different from other Renaissance painters in that they are all "alive". Giorgione's Venus looks dead, although beautiful and peaceful, while Titian's Venus is awake. She has just taken a bath, waiting for the servant to bring her clothes, or waiting for her clothes. lover.

 There were already mechanical clocks in that era, but most people could not afford this expensive ornament. It also appeared in Titian's paintings, replacing hourglasses and skulls, expressing the meaning of time and death.

Titian's paintings look like pastoral poems. One of the works, "Three Stages of Life", was also auctioned this time. It was originally part of the "Feast of the Gods" group of paintings in the Duke of Ferrara's study. It was purchased by a red-coated envoy as an envoy. The bishop took him away and was later taken to Rome.

The destructive power of time turns beauty and youth into something ugly and disgusting, and tenderness becomes cruel. The old women in his paintings are alive, but more terrifying than death and rotting corpses; she is alive, representing the remembered aging. .

Rose in Titanic, she can no longer even look at herself in the mirror, but the painting Jack painted for her is still when she was at her most beautiful.

 If a person has never had it, then losing it will not be so painful.

Where did the lover who used to help her dress up with a mirror go?

There is a French proverb: Love makes time pass, and time makes love pass.

 The Greek word temperance roughly means “soundness of mind”, “prudence”, and “moderate desires”.

 But Titian was not a philosopher-like painter, nor a scientist-like painter like Leonardo da Vinci. His paintings bear witness to his understanding of the basic issues of human existence: life and death, time, the nature of love and beauty.

  Neoplatonism was popular during that time, but so far, I have only seen one of his paintings of Cupid blindfolded. Neoplatonists believe that "blind love" is better than "visual love".

Suddenly, Georgiana felt a malicious look in her eyes. When she turned around, she found that it was the widow who had been "rejuvenated" because of the magic potion.

 It is certainly happy to become young and beautiful again, but...

Georgiana looked at the painting on the stage. Even though Titian painted Isabella young, she still lacked the feeling of a young girl, and the corners of her mouth were stern.

She leaned into Talleyrand's ear. Talleyrand called another young man over and said a few words to him. The young man looked at the rich widow and withdrew with a smile.

Georgiana took out her fan, which she was still fanning in the winter.

Actually, it wasn't hot in the hall, but there was an evil fire burning in her heart.

There was also a "Book of Inscriptions" at that time, written by a man named Arcati. He gave a reinterpretation of a classical myth. This myth had been forgotten in the Middle Ages. By the Renaissance, the story was rushed again. Artists looking for inspiration turned to it. Cupid sometimes represents Eros. He has a younger brother named Anteros, who represents the **** of "love" and is the opposite of Eros.

Because Eros never grew up, Venus asked Themis for advice. Themis told her that "there is no way to grow up if love is not reciprocated." Titian also painted a painting "Educating Cupid", which talks about That's the story.

The power of Anteros is to awaken the loved one to "repay love". For example, the fairy named "Echo" calls out to the beautiful boy who falls in love with his reflection. If he is awakened by the power of Anteros and stops looking at his reflection, he will Or Daphne being chased by Apollo. If the magic of the lead arrow in Daphne disappears, she does not have to turn into a laurel tree.

Neither the echo's call nor Apollo's pursuit are in vain efforts anymore. However, when Virgil was annotating this story, he turned Antrous into the "death of love", that is, to destroy the love of feeling, or in Platonic terms, to kill "love on earth" and fulfill "love in heaven". Love".

Venus had a bad reputation and she had many lovers, so Antrous had a new task, which was to punish those who disrespected Venus.

Virgil’s hypothesis is that Anthoros will definitely defeat Cupid, but what if Cupid defeats Anthoros?

Shakespeare also wrote a poem about Venus and Adonis:

The sun has just risen in the east, the weeping dawn has just left, and Adonis, with crimson cheeks, is already running away.

His hobbies are hunting, and what he likes is talking about love. Venus prefers to be lovesick and follows her in a hurry.

 There was a "pop" sound, and the gavel fell.

“Third sale for 20,000 francs,” the auctioneer said.

"What? Only twenty thousand!" Georgiana was so excited that she almost stood up, but Talleyrand held her back.

 “This is just the beginning,” said Talleyrand.

 “That’s Titian!” Georgiana said excitedly.

“If you thought the price was low, why didn’t you bid just now?” Talleyrand asked.

Georgiana looked back at the portrait that had been covered with cloth again and remained silent.

At this time, she saw the young man from the corner of her eye. He sat down next to the widow and started chatting with her.

 “What did you want him to say to her?” Georgiana asked Talleyrand.

"Do you know Madame Du Barry?" Talleyrand imitated her tone and said, "She is a generous patron. Would you like to sponsor a few artists as well?"

 “How did you come up with this?” she asked.

As soon as she finished speaking, there was already a smile on the corner of the widow's mouth, and the eyes she looked at Georgiana were no longer malicious.

 At this time, the staff carried the next piece of work onto the stage.

Georgiana's head was buzzing, and she seemed to have suddenly lost consciousness.

 The auctioneer then continued to read the information about the work as before.

This time the auction is for the Three Graces by Rubens. He once served as the court painter of the Austrian Governor-General, and Georgiana also lived in her castle.

In his later years, Rubens was obsessed with his wives, so he painted his deceased wife and his second wife, Helena, as models in this painting. But after Ruben's death, 26-year-old Helena almost burned it out of jealousy. Fortunately, it was bought by French Cardinal Richelieu in time.

This painting is now in Spain, and the one being auctioned is another painting of the Three Graces by Rubens, probably painted when he was 40 years old. The goddesses in the painting are in a forest full of fruits, surrounding a statue. The sculpture dances.

 In line with the principle of "moderate desire", she did not intend to keep this painting. Raphael's three goddesses are completely symmetrical and harmonious. In this painting, one goddess is higher than the other two because she steps on a person.

 She didn’t like this painting at first sight, it was worse than the picture of her ex-wife and current wife “coexisting harmoniously”.

 “What price do you think is appropriate for the transaction?” Talleyrand asked loudly.

 She looked at Talleyrand.

“Lest you stand up next time and say the price is low.” Talleyrand said with a hypocritical smile.

 She looked around. Everyone was looking at her, as if waiting for her to tell a number.

This made her even more unhappy, so she simply stood up and went backstage to see what other paintings Denon had brought.

　　《Young Woman Dressing》

　　

　　

 (End of this chapter)