The Ladies Amusement By Robert Sayer 鄭明萱譯《青花瓷的故事》；彩色插頁

翻讀這本書，有個感想。這本的彩色插頁，分散在個章。

"色焰的盛宴：李錫奇的藝術和人生作者： 劉登翰 出版社：印刻 出版日期：2016/04/20"

反過來，《青花瓷的故事》原文書只有某章有彩色插圖。出版商將其挪到書前頭。這讓人大誤解，誤導讀者。

談 Robert Finlay：鄭明萱譯《青花瓷的故事》(The Pilgrim Art: Cultures of Porcelain in World History)中的   The Ladies Amusement By Robert Sayer 。

The Ladies Amusement or Whole Art of Japanning Made Easy
by Robert Sayer

• Publisher: Ceramic Book Company (January 1, 1966)

The Ladies Amusement; or, Whole Art of Japanning Made Easy, published by Robert Sayer around 1760.  原文無副標題。
《仕女休閒剪紙漆藝》這翻譯有問題，如下引文， "japanning (decorative painting in imitation of oriental lacquer work), 及這是當時仕女仿造漆器圖案的裝飾性繪圖，可以用來放在各種陶瓷玻璃等等材質的表面畫底。

    Some brittle wares, we now must see,

         Delft, china, glass and stone;

     We'll say they are cracked, we'll say they are dear,

          And  a shopping we will go.

(p.284)

鄭譯：

這個那個，易脆的玩意，我門扉去看看不可，

陶的、瓷的、玻璃、石頭；
我們會說：這個破了，那個太貴，

購物，購物，我們要去上街購物。

(頁350)

末行明顯失真。

第2行的Delft 很曖昧，因為它除了可指荷蘭Delft的陶或瓷，也可能指英國仿造Delft的陶或瓷。不知道為何指翻譯成陶 (譯者獲認為china 是瓷，Delft必是陶，不過，購物會去買陶？)。

'The Ladies Amusement' as Inspiration for Ceramics ...

n the second half of the eighteenth century, English ceramic manufacturers searching for appropriate decorative sources for their wares could turn to any number of design books for inspiration. One of the largest and most popular references was The Ladies Amusement; or, Whole Art of Japanning Made Easy, published by Robert Sayer around 1760. This manual contained upwards of 1,500 designs of “Flowers, Shells, Figures, Birds, Insects, Landscapes, Shipping, Beasts, Vases, Borders, &c.” Fig. 1: Teapot by William Greatbatch, Staffordshire, England, ca. 1765. Red stoneware. Courtesy, Mr. and Mrs. Henry H. Weldon. Sayer (w.1745–1794) intended The Ladies Amusement to be a design source for amateur artists and professional craftsmen. Though the title suggests that the volume was designed to guide genteel ladies in the fashionable hobby of japanning (decorative painting in imitation of oriental lacquer work), it was also meant to “be found extremely useful to the PORCELAINE, and other Manufacturers depending on Design.”1 It is clear that manufacturers agreed, for designs from The Ladies Amusement are found on a variety of materials, from textiles and silver to lacquer work and ceramics. Fig. 2: Plate 175, The Ladies Amusement. In addition to The Ladies Amusement, Sayer also published The Artist’s Vade Mecum and other collections of images, such as the “historical subjects, extremely useful for enamellers,” that inspired the work of potters. The Ladies Amusement is a compilation of a variety of engravings from numerous sources. Some of the plates were likely used in previous publications and were probably already on hand in Sayer’s shop. Two of the most recognized artists who contributed to The Ladies Amusement are Jean Pillement, a French designer working in London who specialized in chinoiserie designs (fanciful European interpretations of Chinese design), and Robert Hancock, an accomplished engraver who also worked at the Worcester Porcelain factory.