Diego Velazquez portrait confirmed as authentic

委拉斯开兹之画作确为真品   
  

The painting was downgraded by The Met in 1973

A 17th Century portrait by Spanish painter Diego Velazquez is back on show at New York 's Metropolitan Museum of Art years after it was wrongly identified as not being a genuine work.

西班牙画家委拉斯开兹大师的一幅十七世纪肖像画在纽约大都会博物馆重新展出。这幅画多年来都被错认为非真正出自大师之手。

The Met downgraded the painting of King Philip IV in 1973, determining it was likely done by an assistant or follower studying under the artist.

馆方将此画于1973年降级，认为这幅西班牙国王菲利浦四世的肖像画很可能是由大师的助手或是学生所完成。

But experts reversed the decision after a year's worth of restoration.

经过一年的修复，专家推翻了这项决定。

The portrait can now be seen in the European Paintings galleries.

现在已可在馆内的欧洲画廊看到这幅肖像画。

It is one of only just over 100 known works by Velazquez, who was the king's leading court artist and painted him throughout his reign.

这是唯一不在委拉斯开兹一百幅名作之列的画。委拉斯开兹大师于菲利浦四世在位期间为国王画画，并且担任首席宫廷画家。

The painting, which had been on display since 1914, had not been cleaned and restored since 1911 and scholars debated for years whether it was genuine.

这幅画自1914年起就一直展示，1911年起就未曾清理和修补。多年来学者持续辩论此画的真伪。

It was among 300 disputed works all downgraded by the Met 37 years ago, despite the museum owning the artist's signed receipt of payment from the king.

虽然馆方持有委拉斯开兹大师的亲笔签名收据，证明曾收到国王付款，但仍是三十七年前，被纽约大都会博物馆降级的三百幅有争议的作品之一。

But the painting of the 18-year-old king underwent a complete restoration a year ago to remove layers of repainting and thick varnish.

一年前，这幅十八岁的国王肖像画经历了全面的修复，移除了多层的油料和厚重的亮光漆。

X-rays were also used to look though to the original paint, which revealed the distinctive brush strokes of Velazquez.

透过X光技术可看到原始的画作，显露出委拉斯开兹大师独特的笔触。

"The picture was quite honestly a bit disappointing in the state in which it was shown," Keith Christiansen, the Met's chairman of European paintings, told the New York Times.

纽约大都会博物馆欧洲画廊的主任 克里斯逊森向纽约时报表示:「老实说这幅画的展示状态是有点令人失望，」

"For many years, scholars that I have had conversations with in front of the picture have said, 'the only way we will ever be able to decide what involvement Velazquez had in this picture is if you clean it'."

多年来，一直和我在这幅画前讨论的学者们皆说:『能够证明委拉斯开兹与这幅画关的唯一办法就是清理它』。


注: 原文新闻出处:

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12058961