▲大运河上的景色-《中国人的服饰和习俗图鉴》(1814年)
英文备注译文:
中国的大运河,或者更确切地说是通过一系列运河和河流连接中国南北两端的水路,无疑是世界上第一条内陆航行。各种大小和形状的船只数量都无法估计。
影像中的大号船只是英国大使及其随行人员乘坐北河号前往北京附近的一座桥,那里各方面都舒适宽敞;但许多桥梁都很高,可以让较小的驳船在桅杆竖立的情况下从下面通过。这些桥梁的形状和结构几乎与驳船一样多样,其中一些并不缺乏品味。
英文原文:
The grand canal of China , or rather the water communication between the northern and southern extremities of the empire by a succession of canals and rivers , is certainly the first inland navigation in the world . The multitude of vessels , of every size and shape , is not to be estimated.
The large one in the print is one of those which carried the British ambassador and his suite up the Pei-ho to the neighbourhood of Pekin , which were in every respect comfortable and commodious . On passing bridges ,which are very frequent in the neighbourhood of all towns and villages , the masts are usually lowered down ; but many of the bridges are lofty enough to admit the smaller kind of barges to pass underneath with their masts standing . The bridges are almost as various in their shape and construction as the barges , and some of them by no means destitute of taste.
威廉·亚历山大(William Alexander,1767~1816)英国画家。
生于英国肯特郡,父亲是英国坎特美斯顿城马车画匠。
自小受到父亲的熏陶,对绘画产生浓厚兴趣。
15岁时随父亲到伦敦,他于1784年入皇家学院学画,一直学到1792年。易卜逊对其才能倍加赞赏,把他推荐给马戛尔尼勋爵。
他在伦敦皇家艺术学会展览并出版画册和书刊,出版彩色的《中国服饰》及《中国衣冠举止图解》(Picturesque Representations of the Dress and Manners of the Chinese 1814)两书,介绍中国风光,使英国和欧洲人民对中国有了形象的认识,促进西方对中国的了解。
在澳门期间,他画了一幅题为《从外海眺望澳门景色》的水彩画,描绘了18世纪澳门城市风貌。同时也显示了英国对于澳门的觊觎,成为澳门历史和中英关系的重要佐证。
1808年,转任大英博物馆的印刷画及素描画管理员,直至去世。
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