中國(guó)木雕中發(fā)現(xiàn)明朝紙幣

A crumpled banknote issued by the first Ming emperor has been discovered hidden within a cavity inside a 13th-century Chinese wooden sculpture.

一張由明朝開(kāi)國(guó)皇帝發(fā)行的皺巴巴的紙幣，被發(fā)現(xiàn)藏于一座13世紀(jì)雕刻的中國(guó)木雕內(nèi)。

The carved head of a Luohan — someone who has achieved the enlightened state of Nirvana — gave up its 700-year-old secret after it was examined by Ray Tregaskis of Mossgreen, the Australian auction house.

這座羅漢(達(dá)到涅槃境界的修行者)頭部的雕像，在經(jīng)過(guò)澳大利亞拍賣行Mossgreen的雷•特里加斯基斯(Ray Tregaskis)檢查后，透露了其隱藏了700年的秘密。

Made of mulberry bark fibres, Chinese banknotes were first issued in the 10th century but the later Ming dynasty was the first regime to attempt the widespread replacement of coinage with paper. Its plan eventually failed, as overissuance led to hyperinflation in the 15th century. The note is dated at 1370, the third year of the reign of first Ming emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang, while the sculpture is thought to have been carved a century earlier.

中國(guó)最初于10世紀(jì)發(fā)行由桑樹皮纖維制成的紙幣，但直到明朝后期才開(kāi)始試圖廣泛用紙幣取代錢幣。該計(jì)劃最終失敗了，因?yàn)檫^(guò)度發(fā)行紙幣導(dǎo)致了15世紀(jì)的惡性通脹。這張紙幣于1370年發(fā)行，是明朝開(kāi)國(guó)皇帝朱元璋登基后的第三年，而這座木雕被認(rèn)為是在之前一個(gè)世紀(jì)雕刻完成。

The note shows 10 stacks of coins symbolising its coinage equivalent, stamped with three official red seals and surrounded by a decorative border of dragons. At a time when paper money could be more easily counterfeited, writing on the note also warns that those caught doing so would be beheaded, and offers an incentive to whistleblowers of “250 Liang silvers plus all the properties of the criminal”.

該紙幣上印有10堆硬幣，象征著它的貨幣等值，上面還蓋有3個(gè)官方紅印，周圍印有龍的裝飾性邊紋。在紙幣可以輕易被偽造的那個(gè)年代，紙幣上的文字警告被發(fā)現(xiàn)偽造紙幣的人將被斬首，并為告發(fā)者提供了動(dòng)機(jī)——“告捕者賞銀二百五十兩，仍給犯人財(cái)產(chǎn)”。

Mr Tregaskis, head of Asian art at Mossgreen, said it was “a thrilling moment” when he discovered the concealed note. “While it was not unusual for consecration items such as semi-precious stones or scrolls to be left within the base or on the back of a sculpture, the discovery of this rare Ming Dynasty banknote is an exciting one and importantly, it verifies the date of the sculpture,” he said in a statement.

Mossgreen的亞洲藝術(shù)主管特里加斯基斯說(shuō)，發(fā)現(xiàn)那張隱藏的鈔票，對(duì)他而言是“一個(gè)驚心動(dòng)魄的時(shí)刻”。他在一份聲明中表示，“雖然半寶石或卷軸之類的獻(xiàn)祭物品被留在雕像底座或背面的情況并不罕見(jiàn)，但發(fā)現(xiàn)這種罕見(jiàn)的明代鈔票很令人興奮，重要的是，它證實(shí)了雕像的具體年代。”

The sculpture and the banknote will be put on show in London on Thursday before the auction in Sydney next month. Going under the hammer as one lot, the note is valued at A$3,000-A$5,000 (£1,870-£3,120) while the total value of the lot is A$40,000-A$60,000.

周四，雕像和鈔票將在倫敦展出，下個(gè)月會(huì)在拿到悉尼進(jìn)行拍賣。兩者將作為整體拍賣，其中鈔票的估值為3000至5000澳元(合1870至3120英鎊)，而兩件拍品的總估值為4萬(wàn)至6萬(wàn)澳元。