领蜂鸟
Heliangelus strophianus
Heliangelus strophianus
Gorgeted Sun Angel
- 中文名
- 领蜂鸟
- 学名
- Heliangelus strophianus
- 合集
- 古尔德蜂鸟图谱
- 绘者
- John Gould(约翰·古尔德)
- 年代
- 1854
- 图版号
- Pl. 243, Vol. IV
- 原书页码
- p.243
- 授权
- CC0 1.0 Universal (Public domain)
十观
- 纵幅 1.38∶1
第一眼
论画以形似,见与儿童邻。
—— 宋·苏轼《书鄢陵王主簿所画折枝》
只求画得像,是小孩的眼光。苏轼不是不要形似,是说形似之后还有一层:神。这一幅是竖的:眼睛从下往上走,落点在中段那只鸟身上。先别急着看羽毛,让姿态先立起来。第二步凑近一寸:看线与色的交界,色有没有压住线,线有没有断。第三步,把视线放到最深的那一小块:整幅的用色秩序,都是从那里排开的。
名与实
学名 Heliangelus strophianus:前一词是属,管它归在哪一类;后一词是种加词,管它在这一类里凭什么与众不同。双名制的好处是唯一:全世界叫这个名字的,只能是这一种。中文名“领蜂鸟”是后人据学名回译的通行叫法,与古书里的旧名未必对得上——名与物之间,总隔着一层翻译。
形与色
蜂鸟为美洲最小之鸟,喙细长如针,舌分叉成管,可伸入花心吸蜜;翼小而振频极高,能悬停、能倒飞。此幅未作色相归档,只能就形制论。颜色不是平涂的:最浅处近乎纸色,最深处在花瓣重叠的缝里。把这两处找到,画面的呼吸就出来了。
构图与呼吸
画幅高而窄,鸟栖在枝的中段,上下留白多——十九世纪鸟谱的标准版式,留给它飞走的余地。全幅只画一只,不作解剖附图——这类图更近于“观赏”,而非“鉴定”。老图谱爱把主株摆在偏中线的位置,左右留得不一样多:这一点偏心,正是画面活起来的原因。
一刀一色
十九世纪后半叶,石版与彩色石印渐成主流:颜色可以直接印出,不再依赖手工,线条反倒退居其次。图像的“准确”提高了,手性却淡了。还有一种证据在纸背:铜版压进纸里的那道痕、上色处微微凸起的颜料、再版时磨浅的线。扫描件里也能看出七分。想动笔临它的人记住一句:先铺大块的形与色,干后再收细部;石印的柔和层次来自薄涂与网点,水彩分两三遍淡铺即可逼近。
诗境
夫列子御风而行,泠然善也,旬有五日而后反。
—— 《庄子·逍遥游》
蜂鸟悬停于空,不落不飞,最近于“御风”。庄子说的是一种自由的姿态,蜂鸟把它做成了生理事实。把这一句放回画面:画面就是诗句的落点——诗先写气,画后写形,两者在此处接上了。
花语
阿兹特克以蜂鸟为战神与太阳的化身;欧洲维多利亚时代则以蜂鸟为收藏与装饰的极致,百万只羽毛被做成胸饰。中国旧籍无此鸟,故无象征——这空白本身,就是一部博物学交流史。象征会随世道改口:同一只鸟,在一个世纪里可以说完全相反的话。
时与地
热带美洲几乎全年可见,花期即其季节。仅产美洲,自阿拉斯加南部至火地岛,以安第斯山最为繁盛。中土无蜂鸟,汉籍不载,晚清海外游记始见其名。图上所记的 1854 年是刊行之年,不是采到那只鸟的年份;真正的观察记录通常比出版早一两年。图上的产地常是“据说来自”,图上的花期常是“盛开那十日”——两处都要打个折扣读。
书与人
《古尔德蜂鸟图谱》只署了约翰·古尔德一个人的名字。图版今属公有领域,可以自由取用;但纸上那层手工上色,仍是两百年前某一个人的手。
带走一双眼睛
把这三件事带走:先整体后细节;先线后色;先看画再翻书。任何一张老图版,都可以用这三条读。图谱的用意是“以备查考”,看久了却会忘记查考:1854 年的一个人,为一只鸟花了整整一天。
关于本图版
这幅图版出自《古尔德蜂鸟图谱》(Gould's Hummingbirds),由约翰·古尔德绘制,1849—1887 年间出版。领蜂鸟(Heliangelus strophianus)是本图的主角,归入蜂鸟科(Trochilidae)。
全编共收录 421 幅图版,本图是其中一幅,原书将其列为 Pl. 243, Vol. IV,见第 243 页,版式为纵幅。扫描件取自公有领域原件,经高分辨率修复与色彩校正,可按原大放大查看线条与设色。
原书文字(英文 / 法文)
Ecuador
Although the Heliangelus strophianus presents the general appearance of H. Clarissæ, it nevertheless possesses several peculiarities by which it may be at once distinguished from that species: thus, it is a larger and more powerful bird; has a shorter bill; a more distinctly defined and whiter gorget; the tail entirely steel-black, with elongated outer feathers, giving that organ a forked form; the crown of the head green; the lower part of the back strongly tinged with brown; and the sides of the chest and lower part of the abdomen of a deeper grass-green.
The native country of this fine species is Ecuador and Northern Peru, to which it appears to be confined; for I have never seen an example from Bogota, its place there being supplied by H. Clarissæ, and in Bolivia by H. amethysticollis. Many specimens were brought to Europe by M. Bourcier, and some fine male examples have been transmitted to me by my friend Professor Jameson, who collected them in the neighbourhood of Quito, which I regard as the head-quarters of the species.
The male has a spot of luminous green on the forehead; the crown of the head, all the upper surface and abdomen dull green; behind the eye a small spot of white; chin black; throat rich violet-red or pucecolour, the blue or violet hue slightly increased on the upper and lateral margins; below this a clearly defined gorget of white; rump and upper tail-coverts greenish brown; centre of the back, wing-coverts and under surface green; lores and sides of the neck black; wings purplish black; tail steel- or bluish black; under tail-coverts white, streaked with dark brown; bill black; feet brown.
The female has a faint indication of the luminous mark on the forehead; head, upper surface and two central tail-feathers bronzy green, lateral tail-feathers black; throat dull mottled black and brown, and a slight indication of the white gorget.
The figures are of the natural size. The plant is the Plumieria Jamesoni.
References
- Trochilus (———?) strophianus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part xiv. p. 45.
- Mellisuga strophiana, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 112, Mellisuga, sp. 39.
- Heliangelus strophianus, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., p. 76, Heliangelus, sp. 5.—Ib. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 252.
- Anactoria Strophiana, Reichenb. Aufz. der Colibris, p. 12.