大英博物館為接收象牙收藏品辯護(hù)

The head of the British Museum has defended the acquisition of an “extraordinary” collection of more than 500 historic Chinese ivories, as public attitudes to the modern-day trade in ivory harden.

大英博物館(British Museum)館長(zhǎng)為該館接收一批500多件“非凡”中國(guó)古代象牙制品進(jìn)行了辯護(hù)。目前公眾對(duì)現(xiàn)代象牙貿(mào)易的態(tài)度日益強(qiáng)硬。

The collection of ivory figurines of deities and immortals, sewing boxes, brush pots and other “exquisite” objects mainly from the 17th to 19th centuries was amassed by the Shanghai trader Sir Victor Sassoon in the early 20th century.

這批象牙雕刻——包括各路神仙、針線(xiàn)盒、筆筒及其他“精美”物件——主要制作于17至19世紀(jì)，由長(zhǎng)期居于上海的商人維克多沙遜爵士(Sir Victor Sassoon)在20世紀(jì)初收集而成。

It has been in England since the 1950s and, following Sassoon’s death in 1961, was looked after by a trust that last year donated it — along with an endowment for its upkeep — to the museum.

這批藏品自上世紀(jì)50年代以來(lái)一直保存在英格蘭，在沙遜1961年去世后由一家信托機(jī)構(gòu)負(fù)責(zé)照看。該機(jī)構(gòu)去年將其(連同一筆用于維護(hù)的捐款)捐贈(zèng)給了大英博物館。

Speaking at the museum’s annual review, Hartwig Fischer, British Museum director, said the museum “unreservedly endorsed” the public campaign to ban the ivory trade but added that historical works of high cultural value needed to be preserved and made available for public display and scholarly study.

大英博物館館長(zhǎng)哈特維格費(fèi)舍爾(Hartwig Fischer)在博物館年度品評(píng)會(huì)上表示，該館“無(wú)保留地支持”禁止象牙貿(mào)易的公眾運(yùn)動(dòng)，但補(bǔ)充稱(chēng)，有高度文化價(jià)值的歷史文物需要保存下來(lái)，以供公開(kāi)展覽和學(xué)術(shù)研究使用。

“These ivories [made] in the last centuries or millennia?.?.?.?do not save any elephants’ lives today. The British Museum is the right place to share them worldwide today,” he said, adding that proposed acquisitions were “minutely scrutinised” by staff before deciding whether to accept them.

“這些象牙制品(制作于)過(guò)去幾個(gè)世紀(jì)或千年……無(wú)法拯救任何當(dāng)今大象的生命。大英博物館是當(dāng)今在世界范圍內(nèi)分享它們的理想之所，”他說(shuō)，并補(bǔ)充稱(chēng)在決定是否接收之前，博物館員工“詳細(xì)查驗(yàn)了”這批擬議捐贈(zèng)物。

The museum has one of the greatest cultural collections of ivory in the world, with treasures from Nimrud, Benin, Japanese netsuke and the celebrated 12th century Lewis Chessmen. Jane Porter, head curator of Asian collections, said it “could become a global centre for the study of ivories” without in any way “condoning” the modern-day ivory trade. “We feel it’s the best solution to look after the ivories and make them available.”

大英博物館擁有世界最具文化價(jià)值的象牙制品收藏之一，包括來(lái)自尼姆魯?shù)?Nimrud)和貝寧(Benin)的珍品、日本的根付(netsuke)以及雕刻于12世紀(jì)的劉易斯島象棋棋子(Lewis Chessmen)。大英博物館亞洲藏品負(fù)責(zé)人簡(jiǎn)波特(Jane Porter)表示，該館“可以成為研究象牙制品的全球中心”，同時(shí)不會(huì)以任何方式“姑息”現(xiàn)代象牙貿(mào)易。“我們認(rèn)為，這是照看這批象牙制品并讓它們有機(jī)會(huì)與公眾見(jiàn)面的最好解決辦法。”

The government has moved towards a ban on the ivory trade, introducing a bill currently going through Parliament that provides some exemptions for museums. Earlier this month Mr Fischer gave evidence to a Commons committee as part of the bill’s scrutiny.

英國(guó)政府已經(jīng)采取措施禁止象牙貿(mào)易，目前議會(huì)正在審議一項(xiàng)相關(guān)法案，該法案為博物館提供一些豁免。本月早些時(shí)候，作為法案審議的一部分，費(fèi)舍爾向下議院一個(gè)委員會(huì)作證。