万花筒 2009-10-20&10-21 破解“达芬奇密码”

You might call it a new version of 'The Da Vinci Code', the discovery of a previously¹ unknown masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci hiding in plain site. The key to the discovery, a fingerprint².  Our story from NBC's Tom Aspell.

Leonardo de Vinci who painted the Mona Lisa, and the Last Supper, is widely considered to have been an ultimate Renaissance³ man. A great artist, the musician, and a scientist, whose curiosity was equaled only by his powers of invention.

Now the art world says a non-descript drawing thought to have been from the 19th century can be attributed to the great master. Thanks to a five-hundred-year-old fingerprint.

The evidence was exposed by a multi-spectral infrared⁴ camera in a forensic⁵ laboratory in France.

'I think his print is here.'
Pascal Cotte compared it with a fingerprint known to belong to Da Vinci found on his portriat of  St. Jerome hanging in the Vatican.
“From the scientific point of view, you need a minimum of 8-dot of comparison, and in this case, we have 10.”
The world's leading expert on Leonardo da Vinci is professor Martin Kemp, of Oxford⁶ University.

"I'm 100% convinced."
Carbon dating has established the ink chalk and animal skin pressed onto an oak board used in the portrait to be from the late 15th century.

The shading techniques are similar to those Da Vinci used in other pictures, and it was drawn⁷ by a left-handed artist as Da Vinci was known to be.
“Probably none of the bits of evidence in themselves are absolutely decisive, but everything begins to fit together like a well-made piece of furniture.”

The subject of the portrait, now called La Bella Principessa, the beautiful princess, is thought to be a daughter of the duke of Milan. Da Vinci painted other members of his family in the 1490s.

Catalogued as a work of a un-known German artist, it's sold 2 years ago for 20,000 dollars to an art dealer⁸ buying on behalf of a wealthy anonymous⁹ patron living in Switzerland. The dealer had a hunch¹⁰ it might be an unknown Da Vinci, and sent it to France for forensic tests. It could be worth at least 150 million dollars.
Tom Aspell, NBC news, London.

 

1 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

2 fingerprint   

n.指纹；vt.取...的指纹

参考例句：

• The fingerprint expert was asked to testify at the trial.指纹专家应邀出庭作证。
• The court heard evidence from a fingerprint expert.法院听取了指纹专家的证词。

3 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

4 infrared   

adj./n.红外线(的)

参考例句：

• Infrared is widely used in industry and medical science.红外线广泛应用于工业和医学科学。
• Infrared radiation has wavelengths longer than those of visible light.红外辐射的波长比可见光的波长长。

5 forensic   

adj.法庭的，雄辩的

参考例句：

• The report included his interpretation of the forensic evidence.该报告包括他对法庭证据的诠释。
• The judge concluded the proceeding on 10:30 Am after one hour of forensic debate.经过近一个小时的法庭辩论后，法官于10时30分宣布休庭。

6 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

7 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

8 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

9 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

10 hunch   

n.预感，直觉

参考例句：

• I have a hunch that he didn't really want to go.我有这么一种感觉，他并不真正想去。
• I had a hunch that Susan and I would work well together.我有预感和苏珊共事会很融洽。