纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 064大卫对瓶（2）

 

The programmes this week look at high-status objects from all over the world around seven hundred years ago, objects which tell us about the taste and the ambitions - political and social, religious and intellectual - of the people who owned them. Thanks to the long Chinese habit of writing on objects, we know exactly who made the two blue-and-white porcelain¹ vases in this programme, which gods they were offered to, and indeed the very day on which they were dedicated².

The importance of Chinese porcelain is hard to over-estimate. Admired and imitated for over a thousand years, it's influenced virtually every ceramic³ tradition in the world, and it's played a star role in cross-cultural exchanges. In Europe, blue-and-white porcelain is practically synonymous with China. And we've always associated it with the Ming Dynasty. But it was the David Vases, now in the British Museum, that made us re-think this history, for they predate the Ming and were in fact made under Qubilai Khan's Mongol Dynasty, known as the Yuan, who controlled all of China until the middle of the fourteenth century.

国人有在物品上题字的传统，我们得以获知是谁委托制造了这两件青花瓷瓶，用来献给哪位神，以及敬献的精确日期。

中国瓷器的地位毋庸赘言。在逾一千年的时间内，它广受赞誉，不断被模仿，深刻地影响了世界上几乎所有的陶瓷制造传统，在跨文化交流中发挥了关键作用。

在欧洲，青花瓷几乎是中国的代名词，若提及中国明朝，总免不了提它。但大英博物馆收藏的这对大卫对瓶让我们去重审这段历史，因为它烧制于明朝以前，忽必烈汗的蒙古王朝，即统治中国直至十四世纪中期的元朝。

 

1 porcelain   

n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的

参考例句：

• These porcelain plates have rather original designs on them.这些瓷盘的花纹很别致。
• The porcelain vase is enveloped in cotton.瓷花瓶用棉花裹着。

2 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

3 ceramic   

n.制陶业，陶器，陶瓷工艺

参考例句：

• The order for ceramic tiles has been booked in.瓷砖的订单已登记下来了。
• Some ceramic works of art are shown in this exhibition.这次展览会上展出了一些陶瓷艺术品。