书名：Balthazar: A Black African King in Medieval and Renaissance Art / 巴尔塔扎尔：中世纪与文艺复兴艺术中的非洲黑人国王
定价：288.0
ISBN：9781606067857
作者：Kristen Collins
版次：1
出版时间：2023-03

内容提要：

题 目：Balthazar: A Black African King in Medieval and Renaissance Art / 巴尔塔扎尔：中世纪与文艺复兴艺术中的非洲黑人国王

作 者：Kristen Collins

出 版：J. Paul Getty Museum ，2023

装 帧：平装，152页

尺 寸：21.5*26.6 cm

 

 

这本图文并茂的书籍深入探讨了巴尔塔扎尔这一《Biblical Magi》中的贤士形象，并阐释了他如何以及为何被描绘成一位非洲黑人国王的形象。

 

根据《马太福音》的记载，来自东方的贤士们追随一颗星来到耶路撒冷，为初生的耶稣献上珍贵的礼物。这些贤士被尊为智者，后来又被视为国王。随着时间的推移，其中一位贤士被称作巴尔塔扎尔，并被描绘成黑人的形象。

 

巴尔塔扎尔在中世纪的欧洲广为人知，出现在绘画、手稿插图、马赛克画、象牙雕刻和珠宝饰品中。然而，这位迷人角色的起源故事揭示了欧洲与非洲之间错综复杂的联系，包括贸易、外交以及殖民和奴役。

 

在这本书中，来自埃塞俄比亚、西非、努比亚和西欧艺术领域的专家们探讨了巴尔塔扎尔被描绘为黑人国王的表象。他们研究了展现欧洲人对黑人贤士幻想的杰出艺术作品，同时提供了可能启发这些图像的真实非洲人的线索。在此过程中，作者们还记录了黑人在前现代欧洲的存在，那时自由的黑人和被奴役的黑人都在公共空间和宫廷圈子中活动。书中丰富的插图还包括了当代艺术家的精选作品，这些作品以创造性的方式挑战了对黑人历史的传统描绘。

 

This abundantly illustrated book examines the figure of Balthazar, one of the biblical magi, and explains how and why he came to be depicted as a Black African king.

 

According to the Gospel of Matthew, magi from the East, following a star, traveled to Jerusalem bearing precious gifts for the infant Jesus. The magi were revered as wise men and later as kings. Over time, one of the three came to be known as Balthazar and to be depicted as a Black man.

 

Balthazar was familiar to medieval Europeans, appearing in paintings, manuscript illuminations, mosaics, carved ivories, and jewelry. But the origin story of this fascinating character uncovers intricate ties between Europe and Africa, including trade and diplomacy as well as colonization and enslavement.

 

In this book, experts in the fields of Ethiopian, West African, Nubian, and Western European art explore the representation of Balthazar as a Black African king. They examine exceptional art that portrays the European fantasy of the Black magus while offering clues about the very real Africans who may have inspired these images. Along the way, the authors chronicle the Black presence in premodern Europe, where free and enslaved Black people moved through public spaces and courtly circles. The volume’s lavish illustrations include selected works by contemporary artists who creatively challenge traditional depictions of Black history.