How Art Made The World 说服的艺术 -10

He was surrounded by incredible riches, the riches of a king. They showed he was a man of exquisite¹ taste, these are really the most beautiful objects of their kind we have ever discovered.

These were rich trappings, but perhaps what it'd expect from a great dynasty, lots of gold, but what light did it shed upon the secrets of Alexander's success? Well, then amid the dust and debris² on the tomb floor, the archeologists picked up something which, at first sight, looked rather inconspicuous. It was a delicately crafted ivory carving³. As they dug deeper, they found more. They were tiny fragments, most less than an inch long. Pieced together, they formed a hunting scene. But as they examined them more closely, one of the faces stood out. This was the face that would appear on busts⁴ and paintings for hundreds of years throughout the Mediterranean⁵.

Now, suddenly a face emerged of someone we recognized, it was a face of a real person. We had discovered the image of the man who was at the center of ultimate power.

They were looking at the face of Alexander the Great. And this was the earliest image of him ever discovered. It was also the first lifelike representation of a king. Up until now, kings have been portrayed⁶ by characterless depictions created to a formula. But this marked the moment of another artistic⁷ revolution, the birth of the political portrait.

As a portrait, it really captures his political power and strength. It marks the very moment a new artistic idea was born.

words to remember:

exquisite: Of such beauty or delicacy⁸ as to arouse delight 高雅的

inconspicuous: Not readily noticeable. 不醒目的

1 exquisite   

adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的

参考例句：

• I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
• I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。

2 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

3 carving   

n.雕刻品，雕花

参考例句：

• All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。
• He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。

4 busts   

半身雕塑像( bust的名词复数 )； 妇女的胸部； 胸围； 突击搜捕

参考例句：

• Dey bags swells up and busts. 那奶袋快胀破了。
• Marble busts all looked like a cemetery. 大理石的半身象，简直就象是坟山。

5 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

6 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

8 delicacy   

n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴

参考例句：

• We admired the delicacy of the craftsmanship.我们佩服工艺师精巧的手艺。
• He sensed the delicacy of the situation.他感觉到了形势的微妙。