And this brings a kind of pleasure you can never find in European painting: the sense that you are sharing this delight with people from centuries past, that you now are joining a community of discerning art-lovers over centuries who've cherished this painting. For example, the eighteenth-century Qianlong Emperor-the contemporary of George III-sums up his appreciation of the scroll and that of his predecessors:
这带来了一种欣赏欧洲油画时永远无法享受的乐趣:你感觉自己正与古人一同欣赏画作,因为对作品的共同喜爱,你与千百年前的古人结成同盟。例如,十八世纪时,大约与乔治三世同时期的中国皇帝乾隆曾留下评语:
"Gu Kaizhi's picture of the Admonitions of the Instructress, with text. Authentic relic.A treasure of divine quality belonging to the Inner Palace."
顾恺之画女史箴并书真迹。内府珍玩神品。
It was such a treasured relic that only very small audiences would ever have been given access to it-and that's true now as well, but for a different reason: the silk that this is painted on suffers greatly if exposed to light, and it's too delicate to be put on display except very rarely. But thanks to digital imagery everyone can now share this pleasure, which was once the preserve of the few. And although we're not allowed to put our own stamp on it to record our delight, we can all join the Qianlong Emperor and the other people who through the decades have so enjoyed gazing at the Admonitions Scroll.The private pleasure of the Chinese imperial court has become universal.
这幅画作是极为珍贵的传世之宝,历史上能有幸把玩的人极少。而如今情况依旧如此,不过原因略有不同:光线会损毁画卷所用的绢布,因此极少公开展出。虽然如今我们不能盖上自己的印章以示观赏之乐,但多亏了现代的复制技术,我们所有人都能与乾隆,以及千百年前的古人一起享受赏画的乐趣。多亏了互联网,全球人类都能享受中国宫廷的专属娱乐。