藏匿现金：罗汉雕像内发现明代银票 [美国媒体]

-------------译者：大汉故土-审核者：龙腾翻译总管------------



Art experts in Australia have found a rare paper banknote from the Ming Dynasty of Imperial China hidden inside an antique wooden sculpture that was being prepared for auction.

袋鼠国的一位艺术砖家在一尊准备拍卖的古董木雕内，发现了一张罕有的，大明帝国时代遗留下来的纸币。

The Chinese characters on the crumpled banknote show that it was issued in the third year of the reign of Zhu Yuanzhang the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty — or 1371 in the Western calendar. The inscxtions also warn would-be counterfeiters that they face the penalty of death by beheading.

这张皱巴巴的纸币上的中国风揭示了它的出处。它是在大明开国皇帝朱元璋统治的第三年，即西历1371年， 发行的。（1371年其实是洪武四年，朱元璋是1368年登基，1368年为洪武元年） 纸币上警示：伪造（纸币） 将被斩首。

The 645-year-old banknote was found hidden inside a wooden sculpture of the head of a "luohan" a religious figure from Chinese Buddhism that may once have stood in a family or public temple said Paul Sumner chief executive of Mossgreen's Auctions in Melbourne Australia which discovered the note.

这张有645年历史的纸币是在一尊木雕罗汉头里发现的。罗汉是中国佛教里的宗教人物。Paul Sumner-发现这张纸币的墨尔本幕仕阁拍卖行的行政总裁这样说道：这尊罗汉也许曾经被某一户人家所供养，亦或者在某一座寺庙里被膜拜。

Sumner said the firm's specialist in Asian artworks Ray Tregaskis spotted the note wedged inside the hollow head of the sculpture as he inspected the artifact in preparation for an auction in Sydney Australia next month.

Scumner说：公司的亚洲艺术砖家雷.特里加司鸡丝是在扫描这件下个月将在悉尼拍卖的艺术品时，发现了藏在木雕头里的纸币的。

-------------译者：大汉故土-审核者：珂求一生------------

"It wasn't easy to see — it was hidden right up out of eyesight folded up into a little 1-inch [2.5 centimeters] fold" Sumner told Live Science. "The note has been in at least two collections that we know of without the knowledge of the owners."

“（这张纸币）非常不容易被发现。因为他是被折成约1英寸大小（2.5厘米）放在视线无法查看到的地方的”。Sumner这样对生活科学杂志说。“因为这张纸币至少被两次持有过，所以已经无法判定其拥有者的信息。”

Currency experts at Mossgreen's Auctions immediately identified the note as a rare paper "bank seal" that was issued in China during the Ming Dynasty.

慕仕阁拍卖会的货币砖家立马认出这张纸片是一张稀有的，在中国明朝时期发行的纸币。

"It wasn't in very good condition as you'd imagine with all those folds and after hundreds of years with some degree of exposure to the elements" Sumner said.

Sumner说，这张纸币的状态不怎么好，你可以想象它被折在一起，以某种程度暴露在外，历经数百年光阴流逝。（状态就不可能好）。

Very few of these Ming Dynasty banknotes have survived to present day he added "bearing in mind that they were constantly being handled — it's not like people kept them in plastic sleeves like collectors would today."

只有很少部分明朝的纸币流传至今，他补充说道。“因为它们过去（作为货币）不断的被使用、交换，并不像今天的收藏家一样会把它放在塑料套里保存。

-------------译者：莎布·尼古拉丝-审核者：珂求一生------------

Ming money

The Ming Dynasty banknote is much larger than modern paper money roughly equivalent to the size of a standard "U.S. letter" page of paper.

大明的钞票比现代钞票大很多，大致相当于“美国的信封”一般大小。

Chinese characters and official seals printed in red and black ink declare that the note is a "Great Ming Treasure Note" with a value of "one guan" — depicted as 10 "strings" of Chinese copper coins which could be grouped with a string through the hole in each coin.

汉字和印有红黑油墨的官方印章表明该纸币为“大明通宝”（译者：大概...吧），——上面描绘着十串铜钱，通过铜币上的孔与细绳组合。

According to the American historian of Chinese currency John E. Sandrock one guan was equivalent to 1000 copper coins or 1 ounce (28 grams) of pure silver.

据美国历史学家约翰·桑德罗克表示，中国货币上“一关砂岩”相当于一千铜币或者是一盎司（二十八克）的纯银。

The newfound banknote also includes a dire warning to counterfeiters that they will be punished with decapitation and offers a large reward to anyone who informs on such criminals.

这些新发现的钞票上还注有对造假者的可怕警告，他们将被斩首。并对任何提供罪犯线索的人大奖励。

 -------------译者：izzmo-审核者：珂求一生------------

At the time this banknote was issued paper money was almost unheard of outside China. The first European banknotes date from the mid-17th century around 300 years later. 

在那个时期，除了中国就没有其他发行的银票。第一张欧洲银票（译者注：银行承兑汇票）可以追溯到300年后的17世纪中叶。

Based on the date on the banknote and the expert dating of the sculpture it was found in it's thought the money may have been hidden as a religious offering when the sculpture was already 30 to 50 years old Sumner said.

Sumner说，根据纸币上的日期和专家鉴定木雕年份，在木雕做成后的30到50年，纸币作为宗教供奉被放了进去。

Small offerings like inscxtions on paper rice grains and semiprecious stones are often found sealed inside the bases of antique Chinese figurines he said. However a high-value banknote is considered an extraordinary find he said.

他还说，像钱，米，准宝石这样的供奉经常被封存在古代中国塑像里面。但是，像价值这么高的银票是非常罕见的。

"From our point of view what makes the banknote important is that the dating is very close to the dating we'd assumed from stylistic details about the [louhan] figure as well as the intrigue factor of finding it" Sumner said.

Sumner“我们认为，这个银票如此重要是因为，它的年份和我们假设的罗汉塑像所属风格的年份非常相近，还因为找到它的契机和方法。

 -------------译者：izzmo-审核者：珂求一生------------

Long journey

漫长的旅程

Sumner said the sculpture that held the hidden banknote was purchased by the Australian art collector Raphy Star from a specialist dealer in the United Kingdom but nothing is known about the artifact's origins in China.

Sumner说，澳大利亚艺术收藏家Raphy Star从一个应该专业代理人那里，买了这个藏有银票的雕塑。但是他们对这个艺术品的中国起源一无所知。

"These figures were created for veneration and for spiritual use sometimes in temples and sometimes in homes" Sumner said. "It may have been part of a larger figure and because of its size we can conclude that it probably stood in a temple."

”这个雕塑被制造于寺庙和家庭的祭祀和精神活动“Sumner说，”它很可能是一尊更大塑像的一部分，因为它的大小，我们还不能肯定它原来被放在寺庙。“

The long journey of the sculpture and its hidden banknote may not be over yet: Both artifacts are up for auction in Sydney on Dec. 11 along with the rest of the Raphy Star collection and are likely to return to China Sumner said.

雕塑以及里面的银票的漫长旅程可能并未结束：Sumner说，”12月11日，两件古董都会在悉尼拍卖，一起被拍的还有Raphy Star剩下的收藏，他们都很有可能重回中国。“

-------------译者：izzmo-审核者：珂求一生------------

"The Chinese have been major buyers for a long time now and have been repatriating important pieces back to China — particularly mainland China" he said.

他说：”中国长久以来成为了主要买家，并把一些重要的部件带回中国——特别是中国大陆。“

The entire Raphy Star collection of artworks from China Japan and Southeast Asia could fetch up to 5 million Australian dollars ($3.7 million U.S.) at auction Sumner said.

Sumner说：”Raphy Star所有拍卖的艺术品，中国的，日本的，东南亚的，加起来有500万澳元（370万美元）。“

The louhan sculpture and banknote will be sold together as a single lot with an estimated value of up to 45000 Australian dollars ($34000 U.S.).

罗汉雕塑和银票会一起出说，估值大概是45000澳元（34000美元）。

"It's not that we were worried about being beheaded ourselves but we just thought it might have been more auspicious to keep the two together" Sumner said. "It's such a great story that we didn't really want to separate them."

“我们自己并不担心它被肢解，但是我们觉得把这俩放在一起比较吉利”Sumner说，”这是一个很好的故事，我们并不想分开他们。“