High Life
HIGH LIFE 47 是 次展览所展出的200多件文物,仅是大英博物馆800多万份永久馆藏中的 冰山一角,却讲述了一个发人深省的故事,即奢侈品与政治和权力之间的 关系。这个历史悠久的故事,涵盖铁器时代早期,涉及地中海东部、近东和中亚 等地区最强大的政权,如亚述帝国、巴比伦帝国、阿契美尼德帝国、亚历山大帝 国及继业者诸王国等。 这段纵横交错的历史,多以宫殿、绿洲花园及城墙等题材的想象图或微型复 制品为主,但是次展览却开宗明义地以奢侈品和工艺为切入点。奢侈品的享乐和 物质本性看似浮夸,自古以来却被用于各种政治目的,如彰显天赋权力、政权正 当性或社会地位等。亚里士多德在《政治学》中的名言「人乃政治性动物」似乎 并不是断言,而是观察后的总结。 展品中包括不少令人爱不释手的瑰宝。或许,亚历山大大帝东征的主要动 机,并不是为了报复波斯人于公元前480年焚毁雅典,或(据说)策划于公元前 336年刺杀其父菲利普二世。亚历山大东征的各种原因并不相互排斥,各自的重 要性仍是史学界争论的议题。下文列举了展览中数件来自不同时代,在品质、艺 术性和稀有度方面尤为突出的珍品。 T he 200 or so artefacts on display may constitute only a tiny fraction of the British Museum’s permanent collection of eight million works, but collectively they told an intriguing and thought-provoking story of power and politics through the medium of luxury. The story spans much of the early Iron Age, covering some of the mightiest and wealthiest polities stretching from the Eastern Mediterranean to Near East and Central Asia, including the Assyrian, Babylonian, Achaemenid and Alexander’s Empires, as well as the Diadochi Kingdoms. The exhibitionwas clear-sighted in its objective to present the convoluted history of the period not by artists’ impressions or miniature replicas of palaces, gardens and city walls, but via luxury and craftsmanship in civil life. In the light of the exhibition, Aristotle’s famous statement in Politics that “man is a political animal” was not so much an assertion as a conclusion. For all its hedonistic and material qualities, luxury has since time immemorial been used for political means, for example to manifest divine rights, legitimise regimes or display social status generally. Many of the exhibits are so desirable that one suspects seizing treasures mayhave been amore important reasonbehindAlexander theGreat’s campaign in the east than avenging the Persian sack of Athens in 480 BC or his father Philipp II’s assassination in 336 BC, allegedly funded by the Achaemenids. The range of reasons may differ, and their weight remains debatable, but these are not mutually exclusive factors. Pictured on these pages are some of the more remarkable exhibits that stand out for their artistry, quality and rarity.
Made with FlippingBook
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTIyNjk=