Ionolaima Schreibersi
Ionolaima Schreibersi
Schribers’ Humming-bird
- 学名
- Ionolaima Schreibersi
- 合集
- 古尔德蜂鸟图谱
- 绘者
- John Gould(约翰·古尔德)
- 年代
- 1850
- 图版号
- Pl. 93, Vol. II
- 原书页码
- p.93
- 授权
- CC0 1.0 Universal (Public domain)
十观
- 纵幅 1.57∶1
第一眼
竖划三寸,当千仞之高;横墨数尺,体百里之迥。
—— 南朝宋·宗炳《画山水序》
三寸的竖线可当千仞高山,几尺横墨能容百里之远。尺幅从来不是障碍,取舍才是本事。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 Ionolaima schreibersi: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。此幅尚无通行中文名,姑以学名相称;在没有本地名字的地方,学名就是它唯一的身份证。
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”。试着用拇指遮住空白处——画面立刻变闷;放开,它才重新“喘上气”。留白,是给主体让出的气口。
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。先判断它是“印”的还是“画”的,再谈好不好看——这是看老版画最实用的一条规矩。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。花语是给人与人的关系用的;植物自己只关心有没有传粉的虫。这两套语言,可以并行不悖。
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 1850 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。从画稿到成图要过好几双手:转刻的人求准,上色的人求快——快与准之间,就是各幅之间深浅不一的来历。
带走一双眼睛
下次看鸟,别急着认名:先看它停的姿态,再看羽色在哪一段最深,最后才翻图鉴——顺序一换,看鸟就从“对答案”变成了“看画”。1850 年的那只鸟早已化作尘土,它留在纸上的样子,却比任何一只活着的同类都长寿。
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。图中描绘的是 Ionolaima Schreibersi,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. 93, Vol. II,见第 93 页,版式为纵幅。图为公有领域原件的修复扫描,构图与设色未经改动。
原书文字(英文 / 法文)
The forests bordering the Upper Rio Negro and the Napo
The Ionolaima Schreibersi is a native of the central and very remote parts of South America; hence it is a species of considerable rarity, and but seldom seen in collections.
It was for a long time a unique bird in England, the only specimen known being the single one contributed to the Loddigesian Collection by the late Mr. John Natterer of Vienna, who collected it on the upper part of the Rio Negro: the specimens of both sexes in my own collection were procured on the Napo, and these are the only countries from which I have yet seen examples. It certainly does not occur at Quito or at Bogota, but that it ranges rather widely over the countries skirting the eastern dip of the Andes of Ecuador in Peru, is more than probable; still, strange to say, it was not one of the birds sent by Mr. Hauxwell from the Ucayali. Had not my good friend Natterer been so suddenly called from among us, after his return from his eighteen years’ explorations in South America, something would doubtless have been recorded respecting the habits and manners of this fine bird, which was dedicated by his desire to his friend Schreibers, the Director of the Imperial Museum of Natural History at Vienna.
The male has the crown of the head, all the upper surface, wing- and tail-coverts and flanks green; wings purplish-brown; central tail-feathers greenish-blue, remainder dark steel-blue; from the angle of the bill on each side a buff moustache; chin deep black, at the base of which is a patch of lovely purple, succeeded by a band of shining metallic green; centre of the abdomen very dark brown, glossed with green; bill black; feet dark brown.
The female has the upper surface bronzy-green; two outer feathers of the tail on each side dull steel-blue tipped with .grey, the remainder bronze; all the under surface grey, with a crescent of glittering green at the tip of each feather; on the side of the face an indistinct greyish-white moustache.
The Plate represents the sexes of the natural size.
References
- Trochilus Schreibersii, Lodd. MSS., Boure. in Proe. of Zool. Soc., part xv. p. 43.—Ib. Rey. de Zool. 1847, p. 255.
- Calothorax? Schreibersii, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 110, Calothorax, sp. 4.
- Thalurania Schrebersi, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., p. 77, Thalurania, sp. 9.
- Ionolaima Schreibersii, Reich. Aufz. der Col., p. 9.
- Campylopterus schreibersi, Bonap. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 250.