Controversy over 'Michelangelo' sculpture

Controversy 1 over 'Michelangelo' sculpture 米开朗琪罗雕塑引发争议

The Italian art world is in a messy "is it or isn't it" debate over a wooden sculpture that may or may not have been made by Michelangelo.

Standing 2 just 40cm (16 inches) high, it depicts（描述） Christ on the Cross, but leading art experts simply cannot agree who made it.

This is not a tale about fakery（伪造） or imitation（模仿） - everyone says the statue is a Renaissance 3 piece of art from around 1495, when Michelangelo would have been 20.

But who actually crafted it? That is the question.

The controversy has been rekindled（重新点燃） because of a new exhibition in Naples to display the cross, which incidentally（附随的，偶然，顺便） has itself disappeared somewhere in antiquity（高龄，古老，古迹）, leaving the figure of Christ these days hanging mid-air connected to a sheet of transparent 4 plastic.

Dubious 5 provenance 6

Amid the splendid grandeur（庄严，伟大） of a former cathedral（大教堂）, the cross takes centre stage among a series of paintings, tapestries（挂毯） and other works, including a golden sculpture that is said to contain a splinter(碎片，刺) of the True Cross, upon which Jesus was said to be crucified.（钉在十字架上处死）

The cross has disappeared, leaving the figure of Christ suspended（被暂时搁置的） in mid-air

And for critics, it is the association with religion that is part of the problem.

They say the government has endorsed 7 the wooden cross as a work by Michelangelo to boost its standing with the Catholic Church, and to burnish 8 its credentials 9 with the electorate 10 as a government of conservative beliefs.

In other words, say the doubters, the cross is being used for political, even propaganda(宣传), uses by a government intent on spending tax payers money to pursue dubious quasi-artistic ends.

In fact, the bill was just over $4m (£2.5m).

Those who believe it to be by Michelangelo say it is money well spent saving it for the nation.

Those who do not say the money has, at best, been squandered 11 on a piece of dubious provenance.

They add that had it been a genuine Michelangelo it would have sold for 10 times the amount, so rarely do his works come to market.

'Anatomical（结构上的，解剖学的） accuracy'

So, let us examine the positions, if not the evidence, of both sides.

It is of the highest quality, way above that of other artists at the time

Cristina Acidini Luchinat

Florence State Museum

I say "not the evidence" because, frankly 12, there is none - there are no signatures(签名，署名) on the statue nor documentation to support its authorship.（原作者）

"Even major works of art rarely have supportive documents," said Cristina Acidini Luchinat, the superintendent（监督人，管理人） of Florence's state museum and a renowned 13 expert on Renaissance art.

Mrs Acidini has lent her support and considerable authority to the exhibition.

"These pieces don't come with a written guarantee（书面保证）," she said.

She told me she was impressed by the anatomical accuracy and portrayal 14 of the human body found in the sculpture.

"It is of the highest quality, way above that of other artists at the time," she said.

I pressed Mrs Acidini about this and asked if she believed the work was by Michelangelo.

"You can attribute it to Michelangelo, certainly," she replied.

"Does 'attribute' mean you are sure it's by him?" I asked.

"I am as sure as I can possibly be," she said.

Others go further.

"To survive, a young artist would have had to do small works of this sort," says Giancarlo Gentilini, a Renaissance art expert. "We can't only associate Michelangelo with masterpieces（杰作）."

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Italy rows over statue's origins

'Scandal'

But when it comes to the sceptics,（怀疑论者） there is an equal, if opposing, readiness to step in and deploy 15 withering 16 counter-arguments.

I went to Florence, where Michelangelo was raised and worked, to meet two other world-class specialists on Renaissance art, Tomasso Montanari and Francesco Caglioti.

  When it comes to this statue, it is like comparing a Ford 17 with a Ferrari

Professor Tomasso Montanari

I asked each, in turn, if they thought Michelangelo had carved the statue.

"No" and "no" came back the stereophonic（立体声的） replies.

"When it comes to this statue, it is like comparing a Ford with a Ferrari," Professor Montanari said.

"This is way below the standard of Michelangelo," he added. "It is like it has come off a production line（生产线，流水线） and could have been made by any one of a dozen wood carvers of the time."

Professor Caglioti agreed.

"It's a scandal," he said. "The muscle definition is all wrong.

"Michelangelo rarely worked in wood. He rarely made small pieces like this. His contemporary（同时代的人） biographers make no mention of his having made small works in wood," he added.

Public unaware 18

It is rumoured(谣言，传闻) that at least one museum outside Italy turned down the chance to exhibit the piece as a Michelangelo, so doubtful was it about its authenticity 19. （确实性，真实性）

The posters for exhibitions including the sculpture leave people in no doubt

But here in Italy, whenever and wherever it is exhibited, the public get no hint at the experts' misgivings 20.(疑惧)

The posters and publicity 21 for the current exhibition leave you with no doubt that you are paying to see a work by Michelangelo. His name does not appear in inverted 22 commas（引号）, or come with a question mark.

Few of the experts I spoke 23 to on both sides of this dispute could remember a similar, deeply polarised（极化）, row about a piece of art.

"It's a shame," said Professor Montanari, "because all this is making Italy look foolish.

"It is harming our reputation as the world centre of culture and expertise 24."

No-one doubts the statue is beautiful, but is it a Michelangelo? （本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）