Chapter 3198 The Flashing Mosaic (6)

In ancient Greek mythology, the goddesses of fate are three people. They are collectively called Moira, which means "part", because the destined part includes death, which is not under their control.

 Fortuna is the goddess of fate in ancient Roman mythology. The word "fortune" in English for luck and treasure comes from her.

This is an original Roman god, although she may correspond to the ancient Greek Tyche.

The word Tyche appears frequently in the history of the Peloponnesian War, and Fortuna appears frequently in Machiavelli's books.

 The difference between the two will be discussed later. When they returned to the auction site from the backstage, Bougainville looked around for a while.

 “Strange.” Bougainville looked around and said, “Where are the people?”

"Maybe there is something else. He will definitely come back. Let's wait first." Denon said.

Then they found a place to sit down by the auction site. After the laughter just now, the atmosphere of the auction was no longer so serious, and some people were even drinking red wine.

　　When mentioning Leonardo da Vinci, she remembered that Vitruvius wrote about a wall material in "Ten Books on Architecture". Maybe she could use wine as wall paint to paint the wall.

 Then she saw her former guardian Edgeworth, who was talking to a fat middle-aged man. He seemed to have mentioned a special wall-painting technique in Ireland.

“That is Count Cobenzl, the Austrian ambassador to France,” Denon said in her ear.

 “Where was that young man from last time?” asked Georgiana.

 “What young man?” Denon asked inexplicably.

Georgiana shrugged. Denon had never been to Mechelen, and he certainly had not met Metternich.

“What does Count Cobenzl remind you of?” asked Denon.

“I remember that a saucepan was smashed against me.” Georgiana looked at Lucien not far away, who was talking to Chateaubriand.

 “That’s what you remembered?” Denon asked.

At this time, another painting was put on the stage, and Georgiana's mood suddenly reached the bottom.

“Why did you bring this painting here?” Georgiana asked in a bad temper.

 “It’s all about clearing out inventory anyway.” Denon said casually, “Let’s see how much we can sell it for.”

“This painting isn’t even worth selling. Throw it away or burn it!” Georgiana yelled.

Denon glanced at her, waved his hand, and asked the employees on the stage to retreat with the paintings.

“It’s unbelievable that you still have such a painting,” Georgiana said sarcastically.

“When the Louvre is expanded, there will be room for it.” Denon said anxiously.

She didn’t want to repeat what she just said, and he didn’t listen anyway.

That painting was painted by Greuze, the court painter during the Louis XV period, but the key thing is that the owner of this painting is Madame Du Barry.

The person painted in the painting is not Madame Du Barry. Although Mademoiselle Georgina is underage, no one would think that she is only a teenager unless she says it. The little girl in the painting is obviously still in childhood, but she looks like a teenager. Like an adult woman, she took off her clothes.

Georgiana felt nauseous, a purely physical discomfort. Relatively speaking, when Giulio Romano's paintings were brought up, she found it less unacceptable, at least these were two adults.

 The auctioneer took the manuscript given by Chateaubriand and began to read.

"I think you have all been to the Louvre and seen the sculptures "Dying Slave" and "Struggled Slave" that Michelangelo gave to our country. When we look up at the pure sky, look at Greece, Corinth and Ioni If you look at the elegant scenery of Asia, you will understand why the Parthenon is so harmonious. Ancient Greek sculptures are serene and simple, rarely showing expressions of pain. In this country where the Muses live, not only is there no distance between nature and people, On the contrary, it attracts people to love all things that are well-proportioned and harmonious. When Michelangelo was sculpting the tomb of the Pope, he was just like those two sculptures struggling desperately, trapped by unattainable ideals and suffering. The ropes on their bodies symbolized Imprisonment is like the soul of a sculptor. What a deep pain this is, what a heavy blow fate has given them. And the two people in this painting are about to give birth to the powerful Heracles, who will go on adventures Later, he went to Mount Olympus, accepted gifts from the gods, and became a member of the Star Sequence. However, the goddess of fate wanted his glorious glory, and he had to continue to fight against fate. Someone once said, if you don't want to be humiliated, don't be humiliated. People make fun of them, even if the joke is made by the goddess of fate, they must retaliate and rush towards her. If one day others ask, who is Heracles, where did he come from, and where is he going, this painting That’s the answer.”

 The audience in the audience whispered.

 Georgiana frowned.

 “What do you think?” Denon asked.

 “Why do you ask me this?” asked Georgiana.

Denon looked in the direction of Chateaubriand and Lucien.

 “Young man, I’m not convinced.” Denon said with emotion.

 The auction started as soon as the manuscript was read. The starting price was 20,000 francs. People raised their hands one after another, and soon it exceeded 40,000 francs.

“It seems we shouldn’t sell this painting, curator.” A staff member said behind them.

“There are always surprises at auctions,” Denon said calmly.

  In the end, this Romano painting was sold for 52,000 francs.

“If you were to write an introduction, how would you write it, ma’am?” another staff member asked Georgiana.

Someone had already written it anyway, and she didn’t want to think about it, but everyone was looking at her.

“The union between a man and a woman is a lifelong union, a combination of human law and divine law.” Georgiana said confidently, “Success is a kind of getting what you want, and happiness is a kind of enjoying everything.”

As soon as she finished speaking, someone left the crowd and ran to Chateaubriand.

They talked for a while, and then Lucien and Chateaubriand looked directly at her.

 She immediately hid behind her guardian.

Denon and Bougainville laughed.

 At this time, a middle-aged man dressed as a monk came towards them.

“Let me introduce you, this is Father Piazzi, the discoverer of Ceres.” Bougainville said to Georgiana.

“It is an honor to meet you, madam, your beauty is as bright as the stars.” Father Piazzi said in French with an accent.

 “You’re flattered,” Georgiana said quickly.

 “Weren’t you stargazing in Palermo?” said Bougainville.

“I just came back from England, see.” Father Piazzi raised his hand. “I fell off the ladder of the big reflecting telescope and broke an arm.”

 “You went to England?” asked Georgiana.

"I went to visit Herschel. He had just published the third catalog of newly discovered nebulae and star clusters. The war was finally over." Father Piazzi said happily.

"I really didn't expect this. You brought the watch he issued?" Georgiana asked.

“Well, that’s not why I came here,” said Father Piazzi dryly.

 “Then what are you doing here?” Denon asked.

 Father Piazzi looked even more nervous.

Georgiana has seen this look on children's faces, like being picked in class but unable to answer a question. "My friend Oriani, he is busy with the work of popularizing new weights and measures." Father Piazzi continued dryly. "He asked me to say hello to the First Consul. The tasks he assigned will be completed. Thank him for giving Salvation brought by Milan and all scholars.”

"Then you should tell him, oh, do you want me to introduce him?" Georgiana asked.

“Thanks to him, there is no Inquisition in Italy and we don’t have to hide,” Father Piazzi said seriously.

“How could I remember that there is no place called Palermo in Milan?” Denon said.

"It's in Sicily, and this one." Father Piazzi took a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Georgiana.

 She opened it and found it was written in Italian.

“This is a letter Oriani wrote to me. It says there will be famine next year,” Father Piazzi said.

 Georgiana was speechless.

 “Don’t worry, it’s not France this time.” Father Piazzi said quickly.

Denon sent away all those who followed him.

 “If it’s not France, then where is it?” said Bougainville.

 Father Piazzi shook his head.

“The stars and destiny have not indicated it, but I think you should be prepared.”

 “Are you astrologers?” asked Georgiana.

"No, we are astronomers, but the stars occasionally give us some news." Father Piazzi said quickly, "Don't be superstitious, kid."

 Bougainville went away with the priest, leaving Denon and Georgiana behind.

“Do you still need to prepare the Christmas dinner that Grégoire prepared for the poor?” Denon asked.

 “Of course,” said Georgiana.

“What about your decoration? Byzantine style costs a lot of money,” said Denon.

“I’ve changed my mind,” said Georgiana, telling Denon what she had read in the Ten Books on Architecture.

“It’s just the dregs of wine anyway, treat it as waste,” she said helplessly.

 “How about decorating it into a Bacchae?” Denon said on a whim.

 Georgiana's mind was not on the decoration at all.

 There was no Inquisition in the 20th century, and everyone had become accustomed to it, even to the point of ignoring it.

 But how did it disappear?

 Shakespeare has a sonnet:

Farewell! You are too precious and I don’t deserve it,

 Obviously you also know your own worth.

Your dignity gives you the right to repay,

 This is the end of my relationship with you.

How can I possess you without your permission?

How am I lucky enough to enjoy such a treasure?

Since there is no reason to accept this gift,

Then I had to return my patent privileges.

You once underestimated yourself and allowed me to be affectionate,

Perhaps you misunderstood me and took me as the person you love;

 Hence, for your generous gift that was born of misunderstanding,

 It is a rational decision for me to return it to you now.

 I once had you, as beautiful as a dream,

 I was king in my dream, but when I woke up I was in vain.

 Just at this moment, another painting was carried out.

That is just a simple landscape painting, painted by Claude Laurent, the court painter during the Louis XIV period. There is nothing wrong with the content of the painting or the artist himself.

It tells the first volume of Homer's epic "Iliad", in which the daughter of Apollo's sacrifice was ransomed. She and her father were waiting for the ship to return home at the seaside, but there were no two figures in the painting.

“Twenty-five thousand francs, this person offered 28,000 francs…”

The auctioneer never knocked down the gavel, but the price of the painting continued to rise.

 There was no real landscape painting in France before Lorrain, but even so, the price of this painting rose too fast.

 “One hundred thousand.”

 Someone yelled at the door of the auction.

　　Everyone looked over involuntarily, and saw Napoleon, wearing a green marshal's uniform, standing casually at the door, his hands tucked into his chest, his whole body bathed in light.

"One hundred and ten thousand."

Someone at the auction said that everyone’s eyes were drawn to the auction, and the person seemed to be a banker.

 She doesn't believe it...

 “Two hundred thousand.”

 Bonaparte continued to shout at the door.

 “Twenty-one thousand,” said the banker.

 No one spoke, and you could hear a pin drop during the auction.

 “Three hundred thousand,” said Bonaparte.

The banker stopped shouting, and just as the auctioneer was about to drop the hammer, someone shouted again.

 “Three hundred and thirty thousand,” said Edgeworth.

The auctioneer looked at Napoleon, his face was gloomy, but he made no more bids.

“Three hundred and thirty thousand francs for the first time, three hundred and thirty thousand francs for the second time, the deal was done.” The auctioneer knocked the gavel, and the mediocre landscape painting was sold.

Compared with worrying about whether Edgeworth has so much money, Georgiana now feels that she has other things...

 She glanced at everyone, and then left the auction venue without looking back. Before leaving, she took Bonaparte's other hand that was not hidden, and left with him.

 (End of this chapter)