Thalurania? Wagleri
Thalurania? Wagleri
Wagler’s Wood-Nymph
- 学名
- Thalurania? Wagleri
- 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. 109, Vol. II
- 原书页码
- p.109
- 授权
- CC0 1.0 Universal (Public domain)
十观
- 纵幅 1.45∶1
第一眼
六法者何?一、气韵生动是也;二、骨法用笔是也;三、应物象形是也;四、随类赋彩是也;五、经营位置是也;六、传移模写是也。
—— 南齐·谢赫《古画品录》
一千五百年前的六条标准:气韵、用笔、形似、设色、构图、临摹。你在这幅图上一样样对过去,就是一次完整的读画。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
此幅未见可靠的学名,只能以原书题名相称——早期图谱里这种情形并不少见。此幅既无通行中文名,学名也不可靠,只能以原书题名相称——图谱里总有几幅这样的图,只能靠画面本身说话。
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。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
穿花蛱蝶深深见,点水蜻蜓款款飞。
—— 唐·杜甫《曲江二首》
中土无蜂鸟,然“穿花”之态,杜甫早已写过:贴着花心走,是采蜜者的共同姿态。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。同一株植物,春秋两季像两种东西;同一座山,一百年前与今天叫两个名字。图把这两样都冻结在了纸上。
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
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。二百年后,这只鸟的后代或许仍在某处活着;而纸上这一只,永远停在 1850 年的那个季节。
关于本图版
此图原刊于《古尔德蜂鸟图谱》(Gould's Hummingbirds),绘者为约翰·古尔德,成书于 1849—1887 年间。原书题作“Thalurania? Wagleri”,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. 109, Vol. II,见第 109 页,版式为纵幅。图像由公有领域原件扫描修复而来,细节在放大视图中仍清晰可辨。
原书文字(英文 / 法文)
Brazil
It has long been a question with me, as I am sure it must have been with every person who has made the Trochilidæ their study, to which genus of the family this species should be assigned: some Trochilidists may hereafter go so far as to separate it from all the genera at present proposed, and make it the type of a new one; but, after an examination of the female, which I have lately received through the kindness of M. Bourcier, I have little hesitation in associating it with the other Wood-Nymphs of the genus Thalurania, a genus comprising many species widely dispersed over the continent of America.
The present bird is the only one of them that has the throat and the crown of the head blue. Its native habitat is the northern part of Brazil, but it may perhaps visit Guiana. It is by no means a common bird, and unfortunately most of the specimens hitherto sent to Europe have been more or less defective.
The male has the crown of the head, face, chin and throat very rich deep blue; all the upper surface and wing-coverts shining bronzy-green; under surface shining dark grass-green; wings very dark purplishbrown; upper tail-coverts and tail very dark steel-blue; bill black; the basal portion of the under mandible fleshy.
The female has the crown of the head and greater wing-coverts green; upper surface and lesser wingcoverts bronzy-green; upper tail-coverts bluish-green; wings purplish-brown; tail steel-blue glossed with green, and the two outer feathers on each side tipped with white; lores and ear-coverts brown; under surface brownish-white, washed with bronze on the flanks; upper mandible dark brown; under mandible fleshy-brown.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size. The plant is the Burlingtonia decora.
References
- Ornismya Waglerii, Less. Hist. Nat. des Ois. Mou., p. 203. pl. 73.—Ib. Traité d’Orn., p. 274.— Ib. Ind. Gen. et Syn. des Ois. du gen. Trochilus, p. xxi.
- Le Saphir-émeraude, Aud. et Vieill. Ois. dor., tom. i. p: 79. pl. 36.
- Trochilus Waglerii, Sard. Nat. Lib. Humming Birds, vol. ii. p. 83. pl. 16.
- Cynanthus Waglerii, Jard. Nat. Lib. Humming Birds, vol. ii. p. 147.
- Hylocharis Wagleri, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 114, Hylocharis, sp. 14.
- Thalurania Wagleri, Bonap. Consp. Gen.sAv., p. 77, Thalurania, sp. 6.—Reichenb. Aufz. der Col., p. 7.—Bonap. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 254.