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双语·邦斯舅舅 九、信手拈来的宝物

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2022年05月22日

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IX

These disappointments had told upon Mme. de Marville, who, moreover, had formed a tolerably correct estimate of her husband. A temper naturally shrewish was soured till she grew positively terrible. She was not old, but she had aged; she deliberately set herself to extort by fear all that the world was inclined to refuse her, and was harsh and rasping as a file. Caustic to excess she had few friends among women; she surrounded herself with prim, elderly matrons of her own stamp, who lent each other mutual support, and people stood in awe of her. As for poor Pons, his relations with this fiend in petticoats were very much those of a schoolboy with the master whose one idea of communication is the ferule. The Presidente had no idea of the value of the gift. She was puzzled by her cousin's sudden access of audacity.

Then, where did you find this? inquired Cecile, as she looked closely at the trinket.

In the Rue de Lappe. A dealer in second-hand furniture there had just brought it back with him from a chateau that is being pulled down near Dreux, Aulnay. Mme. de Pompadour used to spend part of her time there before she built Menars. Some of the most splendid wood-carving ever known has been saved from destruction; Lienard (our most famous living wood-carver) had kept a couple of oval frames for models, as the ne plus ultra of the art, so fine it is.—There were treasures in that place. My man found the fan in the drawer of an inlaid what-not, which I should certainly have bought if I were collecting things of the kind, but it is quite out of the question—a single piece of Riesener's furniture is worth three or four thousand francs! People here in Paris are just beginning to find out that the famous French and German marquetry workers of the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries composed perfect pictures in wood. It is a collector's business to be ahead of the fashion. Why, in five years'time, the Frankenthal ware, which I have been collecting these twenty years, will fetch twice the price of Sevres pata tendre.

What is Frankenthal ware? asked Cecile.

That is the name of the porcelain made by the Elector of the Palatinate; it dates further back than our manufactory at Sevres; just as the famous gardens at Heidelberg, laid waste by Turenne, had the bad luck to exist before the garden of Versailles. Sevres copied Frankenthal to a large extent.—In justice to the Germans, it must be said that they have done admirable work in Saxony and in the Palatinate.

Mother and daughter looked at one another as if Pons were speaking Chinese. No one can imagine how ignorant and exclusive Parisians are; they only learn what they are taught, and that only when they choose.

And how do you know the Frankenthal ware when you see it?

Eh! by the mark! cried Pons with enthusiasm. "There is a mark on every one of those exquisite masterpieces. Frankenthal ware is marked with a C and T (for Charles Théodore) interlaced and crowned. On old Dresden china there are two crossed swords and the number of the order in gilt figures. Vincennes bears a hunting-horn; Vienna, a V closed and barred. You can tell Berlin by the two bars, Mayence by the wheel, and Sevres by the two crossed L's. The queen's porcelain is marked A for Antoinette, with a royal crown above it. In the eighteenth century, all the crowned heads of Europe had rival porcelain factories, and workmen were kidnaped. Watteau designed services for the Dresden factory; they fetch frantic prices at the present day. One has to know what one is about with them too, for they are turning out imitations now at Dresden. Wonderful things they used to make; they will never make the like again—"

Oh! pshaw!

No, cousin. Some inlaid work and some kinds of porcelain will never be made again, just as there will never be another Raphael, nor Titian, nor Rembrandt, nor Van Eyck, nor Cranach.... Well, now! there are the Chinese; they are very ingenious, very clever; they make modern copies of their 'grand mandarin' porcelain, as it is called. But a pair of vases of genuine 'grand mandarin' vases of the largest size, are worth, six, eight, and ten thousand francs, while you can buy the modern replicas for a couple of hundred!

You are joking.

You are astonished at the prices, but that is nothing, cousin. A dinner service of Sevres pate tendre (and pate tendre is not porcelain)—a complete dinner service of Sevrespate tendre for twelve persons is not merely worth a hundred thousand francs, but that is the price charged on the invoice. Such a dinner-service cost fifteen thousand francs at Sevres in 1750; I have seen the original invoices.

But let us go back to this fan, said Cecile. Evidently in her opinion the trinket was an old-fashioned thing.

You can understand that as soon as your dear mamma did me the honor of asking for a fan, I went round of all the curiosity shops in Paris, but I found nothing fine enough. I wanted nothing less than a masterpiece for the dear Presidente, and thought of giving her one that once belonged to Marie Antoinette, the most beautiful of all celebrated fans. But yesterday I was dazzled by this divine chef-d'oeuvre, which certainly must have been ordered by Louis XV himself. Do you ask how I came to look for fans in the Rue de Lappe, among an Auvergnat's stock of brass and iron and ormolu furniture? Well, I myself believe that there is an intelligence in works of art; they know art-lovers, they call to them—'Cht-tt!'

Mme. de Marville shrugged her shoulders and looked at her daughter; Pons did not notice the rapid pantomime.

I know all those sharpers, continued Pons, "so I asked him, 'Anything fresh to-day, Daddy Monistrol?'—(for he always lets me look over his lots before the big buyers come)—and at that he began to tell me how Lienard, that did such beautiful work for the Government in the Chapelle de Dreux, had been at the Aulnay sale and rescued the carved panels out of the clutches of the Paris dealers, while their heads were running on china and inlaid furniture.—'I did not do much myself,' he went on, 'but I may make my traveling expenses out of this,' and he showed me a what-not; a marvel! Boucher's designs executed in marquetry, and with such art!—One could have gone down on one's knees before it.—'Look, sir,' he said, 'I have just found this fan in a little drawer; it was locked, I had to force it open. You might tell me where I can sell it'—and with that he brings out this little carved cherry-wood box.—'See,' says he, 'it is the kind of Pompadour that looks like decorated Gothic.'—'Yes,' I told him, 'the box is pretty; the box might suit me; but as for the fan, Monistrol, I have no Mme. Pons to give the old trinket to, and they make very pretty new ones nowadays; you can buy miracles of painting on vellum cheaply enough. There are two thousand painters in Paris, you know.'—And I opened out the fan carelessly, keeping down my admiration, looked indifferently at those two exquisite little pictures, touched off with an ease fit to send you into raptures. I held Mme. de Pompadour's fan in my hand! Watteau had done his utmost for this.—'What do you want for the what-not?'—'Oh! a thousand francs; I have had a bid already.'—I offered him a price for the fan corresponding with the probable expenses of the journey. We looked each other in the eyes, and I saw that I had my man. I put the fan back into the box lest my Auvergnat should begin to look at it, and went into ecstasies over the box; indeed, it is a jewel.—'If I take it,' said I, 'it is for the sake of the box; the box tempts me. As for the what-not, you will get more than a thousand francs for that. Just see how the brass is wrought; it is a model. There is business in it.... It has never been copied; it is a unique specimen, made solely for Mme. de Pompadour'—and so on, till my man, all on fire for his what-not, forgets the fan, and lets me have it for a mere trifle, because I have pointed out the beauties of his piece of Riesener's furniture. So here it is; but it needs a great deal of experience to make such a bargain as that. It is a duel, eye to eye; and who has such eyes as a Jew or an Auvergnat?"

The old artist's wonderful pantomime, his vivid, eager way of telling the story of the triumph of his shrewdness over the dealer's ignorance, would have made a subject for a Dutch painter; but it was all thrown away upon the audience. Mother and daughter exchanged cold, contemptuous glances.—"What an oddity!" they seemed to say.

So it amuses you? remarked Mme. de Marville.

The question sent a cold chill through Pons; he felt a strong desire to slap the Presidente.

Why, my dear cousin, that is the way to hunt down a work of art.You are face to face with antagonists that dispute the game with you. It is craft against craft! A work of art in the hands of a Norman, an Auvergnat, or a Jew, is like a princess guarded by magicians in a fairy tale.

And how can you tell that this is by Wat—what do you call him?

Watteau, cousin. One of the greatest eighteenth century painters in France. Look! do you not see that it is his work? (pointing to a pastoral scene, court-shepherd swains and shepherdesses dancing in a ring). "The movement! the life in it! the coloring! There it is—see!—painted with a stroke of the brush, as a writing-master makes a flourish with a pen. Not a trace of effort here! And, turn it over, look!—a ball in a drawing-room. Summer and Winter! And what ornaments! and how well preserved it is! The hinge-pin is gold, you see, and on cleaning it, I found a tiny ruby at either side."

If it is so, cousin, I could not think of accepting such a valuable present from you. It would be better to lay up the money for yourself, said Mme. de Marville; but all the same, she asked no better than to keep the splendid fan.

It is time that it should pass from the service of Vice into the hands of Virtue, said the good soul, recovering his assurance. "It has taken a century to work the miracle. No princess at Court, you may be sure, will have anything to compare with it; for, unfortunately, men will do more for a Pompadour than for a virtuous queen, such is human nature."

Very well, Mme. de Marville said, laughing, "I will accept your present.—Cecile, my angel, go to Madeleine and see that dinner is worthy of your cousin."

Mme. de Marville wished to make matters even. Her request, made aloud, in defiance of all rules of good taste, sounded so much like an attempt to repay at once the balance due to the poor cousin, that Pons flushed red, like a girl found out in fault. The grain of sand was a little too large; for some moments he could only let it work in his heart. Cecile, a red-haired young woman, with a touch of pedantic affectation, combined her father's ponderous manner with a trace of her mother's hardness. She went and left poor Pons face to face with the terrible Presidente.

九、信手拈来的宝物

遭到这些不如意的事,对丈夫的才具又认识得相当清楚,庭长太太的苦闷不知不觉地把精力消磨完了,使她肝火旺得不得了。泼辣的性子,一天天地变本加厉。她年纪没有老,人已经老悖,有心做得冷酷无情,像刷子一般浑身是刺,教人为了害怕不得不对她予取予求。凶悍狠毒,朋友极少,她可是声势浩大,因为有一批跟她性格相仿、彼此回护的老虔婆替她助威。可怜的邦斯见了这个巾帼魔王,素来像小学生见了一个动不动就用戒尺的老师。所以那天庭长太太很奇怪舅舅怎么敢一下子这样大胆,因为她完全不知道礼物的价值。

“这个你在哪儿找来的?”赛西尔仔细瞧着那古董,问。

“在拉北街上的一个古董铺里。你知道,特滦镇附近有所奥南别墅,从前曼那别墅没有盖起的时候,蓬巴杜夫人在那儿住过。最近别墅给拆掉了;其中有最精美的木器,连木雕大家李哀那都保留着两个椭圆框子做模型,认为天下无双的精品……别墅里头好东西多得很。这把扇子,便是我那个古董商在一口嵌木细工的柜子里找到的。我要是收藏木器,一定会买那个柜子;可是甭提啦……一件列斯奈制造的家具,要值三四千法郎!十六、十七、十八世纪,德、法两国嵌木细工的专家做的木器,简直跟图画没有分别:这一点巴黎已经有人知道了。收藏家的长处就在于开风气。你们等着瞧吧,我收藏了二十年的法朗肯塔尔瓷器,再过五年,巴黎的价钱一定要比塞夫勒软坯高过两倍。”

“什么叫作法朗肯塔尔?”赛西尔问。

“那是巴拉提那选侯的官窑;它比我们的塞夫勒窑更早,就像有名的海德尔堡园亭比凡尔赛园亭更古老,因为更古老,所以被我国的丢兰纳将军给毁了[1]。塞夫勒窑好些地方都模仿法朗肯塔尔……说句公道话,德国人在萨克森和巴拉提那两郡,在我们之前早已做出了不起的东西。”

母女俩互相瞪着眼,仿佛邦斯在跟她们讲外国话。巴黎人的无知与偏狭,简直难以想象;他们什么事情都得有人教了才知道,而且还得在他们想学的时候。

“你怎么辨得出法朗肯塔尔的瓷器呢?”

“凭它的标记呀!”邦斯精神抖擞地回答,“那些宝贝都有标记的。法朗肯塔尔的出品有一个C字和T字(巴拉提那选侯Charles Théodore的缩写),交叉在一起,上面还有选侯的冠冕为记。萨克森老窑有两把剑,还有一个描金的数目字。文赛纳窑的图案是个号角。维也纳窑有个圆体的V字,中腰加一画。柏林窑加两画。玛扬斯窑有个车轮。塞夫勒窑有两个L,王后定烧的那一批有个A字,代表Antoinette,上面还画一个王冠。十八世纪各国的君王,都在制造瓷器上面竞争,把人家的好手拉过来。华多替德累斯顿官窑画的餐具,现在价值连城。可是真要你内行,因为德累斯顿近来出了一批抄袭老花样的东西。嘿,当年的出品可是真美,现在再也做不出了……”

“真的?”

“当然真的!现在造不出某些嵌木细工,某些瓷器,正像画不出拉斐尔、提香、伦勃朗、凡·艾克、克拉纳赫!……便是那么聪明那么灵巧的中国人,如今也在仿制康熙窑、乾隆窑……一对大尺寸的真正康熙、乾隆的花瓶,值到六千、七千、一万法郎,现代仿古的只值两百!”

“你这是说笑话吧?”

“外甥,这些价钱你听了出惊,可不算稀奇呢。全套十二客的塞夫勒软坯餐具,还不过是陶器,出厂的价钱就得十万法郎。这样一套东西,一七五〇年已经在塞夫勒卖到十五万。我连发票都看见过。”

“那么这把扇子呢?”赛西尔问,她觉得那古董太旧了。

“你听我说,承你好妈妈瞧得起我,问我要把扇子以后,我就各处去找,跑遍了巴黎所有的铺子,没有能找到好的。为庭长夫人,非弄一件精品不可,我很想替她找玛丽·安多纳德的扇子,那是所有出名的扇子中最美的一把。可是昨天,一看到这件妙物,我简直愣住了,那一定是路易十五定做的。天知道我找扇子怎么会找到拉北街,找到一个卖铜铁器、卖描金家具的奥弗涅人那里去的!我相信艺术品是有灵性的,它们认得识货的鉴赏家,会远远地招呼他们,对他们叫着:喂!喂!来呀!”

庭长太太望着女儿耸耸肩,邦斯却并没发觉这一刹那间的动作。

“这些精打细算的旧货鬼,我全认识。那古董商在没有把收进的货转卖给大商人之前,总愿意让我先瞧一眼的。我便问他:‘喂,莫尼斯特洛,近来收了些什么呀?有没有门楣什么的?’经我这一问,他就告诉我,李哀那怎样地在特滦圣堂替公家雕刻些很了不起的东西,怎样地在奥南别墅拍卖的时候,趁巴黎商人只注意瓷器和镶嵌木器的当口,救出了一部分木雕。——‘我没有弄到什么,可是靠这件东西,大概收回我的旅费是不成问题的了。’他说着给我看那口柜子,真是好东西!布歇画的稿本,给嵌木细工表现得神极了!……叫人看了差点儿要跪在它前面!他又说:‘哎,先生,你瞧这个抽斗,因为没有钥匙,被我撬开了找出这把扇子来!你说,我可以卖给谁呢?……’他拿给我这口檀香木雕的小匣子。‘瞧,这是那种跟后期哥特式相仿的蓬巴杜式。’我回答说:‘哦!匣子倒不坏,我可以要!至于扇子,莫尼斯特洛,我没有什么邦斯太太好送这种老古董;并且现在有的是新出品,非常漂亮,画得挺好,价钱还很便宜。你知道吗,巴黎有两千个画家呢!’说完了,我漫不经心地打开扇子,一点不露出惊叹的表情,只冷冷地瞧了瞧两边的扇面,画得多么轻灵,多么精细!嗬,我拿着蓬巴杜夫人的扇子呢!华多为此一定花过不少心血。我问他:‘柜子要卖多少呢?’——‘哦!一千法郎,已经有人出过这价钱了!’——我对扇子随便给了个价钱,大概等于他的旅费。我们彼此瞪了瞪眼,我看出他是给我拿住了。我赶紧把扇子放进匣子,不让奥弗涅人再去细瞧;我只装作对匣子看得出神,老实说,那也是件古董呢。我对莫尼斯特洛说:‘我买扇子,其实是看中匣子。至于那口柜子,决不止值千把法郎,你瞧瞧那些黄铜镶嵌的镂工吧,够得上做模型……人家拿去大可以利用一下,外边绝对没有相同的式样,当初是专为蓬巴杜夫人一个人设计的……’我那个家伙一心想着柜子,忘了扇子,我又给他指点出列斯奈木器的妙处,他就让我三钱不值两文地把扇子买了来。得啦,就是这么回事。可是要做成这样的买卖,非老经验不可!那是你瞪我一眼,我瞪你一眼,和打仗一样,而犹太人、奥弗涅人的眼睛又是多厉害的哟!”

他提到略施小计把没有知识的古董商骗过了的时候,那种眉飞色舞的表情,老艺术家的兴致,大可给荷兰画家做个模特儿,可是在庭长太太母女前面,一切都白费了,她们冷冷的,鄙夷不屑地彼此眨巴着眼睛,仿佛说:“瞧这个怪物!……”

“你觉得这些事情好玩吗?”庭长夫人问他。

邦斯一听这句话心就凉了,恨不得抓着庭长夫人揍一顿。他回答说:

“哎,好外甥,觅宝就像打猎一样!你追上去吧,劈面又来了敌人要保护那些珍禽异兽!这一下大家都得钩心斗角了!一件精品加上一个诺曼底人,或是犹太人,或是奥弗涅人,不就像童话里的公主由一些妖魔给看守着吗?”

“你又怎么知道那是华——华什么?”

“华多!我的外甥!他是十八世纪法国最大的画家之一。瞧,这不是华多的真迹是什么?”他指着扇面上那幅田园风光的画:缙绅淑女扮着男女牧人在那儿绕着圈子跳舞。“多活泼!多热烈!何等的色彩!何等的功夫!像大书家的签名似的一笔到底!没有一点斧凿的痕迹!再看反面:画的是客厅的跳舞会。一边是冬景一边是夏景,妙不妙?零星的装饰又多么讲究!保存得多好!瞧,扇骨的梢钉是金的,两头各有一颗小红宝石,我把积垢都给刮净了。”

“既然如此,舅舅,这么贵重的一份礼,我就不敢收。你还是留着去大大地赚笔钱吧。”庭长夫人嘴里这么说,心里只想把精美的扇子拿下来。

“宠姬荡妇之物,早该入于大贤大德之手了,”好好先生这时非常镇静,“直要一百年之久,才能实现这个奇迹。我敢担保,现在宫廷里决没有一个公主,能有什么东西比得上这件精品的。可叹古往今来,大家只为蓬巴杜夫人一流的女人卖力,而忘了足为懿范的母后!”

“那么我收下了。”庭长太太笑着说,“赛西尔,我的小天使,你去瞧瞧玛特兰纳,叫她把饭菜弄得好一点,别亏待了舅舅……”

庭长夫人想借此还掉一些情分。可是非常不雅地当着客人吩咐添菜,好比在正账之外另给几文小账,教邦斯面红耳赤,像小姑娘被人拿住了错处一样。这颗石子未免太大了一点,在他心里翻上翻下地滚了好一会。红头发的赛西尔,那种俨然的态度,一方面学着父亲法官式的威严,一方面也有母亲的肃杀之气。这时她走出客厅,让可怜的邦斯自个儿去对付可怕的庭长太太。

注解:

[1] 海德尔堡为日耳曼名城,宫堡园亭之美,见称于史。一六七三年被法将丢兰纳摧毁一部分,尔后屡遭兵燹,终于一七六四年被雷击焚毁。凡尔赛宫在一六七三年时方在兴建,至一六八二年方始竣工。

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