中國木雕中發現明朝紙幣

A crumpled banknote issued by the first Ming emperor has been discovered hidden within a cavity inside a 13th-century Chinese wooden sculpture.

一張由明朝開國皇帝發行的皺巴巴的紙幣，被發現藏於一座13世紀雕刻的中國木雕內。

The carved head of a Luohan — someone who has achieved the enlightened state of Nirvana — gave up its 700-year-old secret after it was examined by Ray Tregaskis of Mossgreen, the Australian auction house.

這座羅漢（達到涅槃境界的修行者）頭部的雕像，在經過澳大利亞拍賣行Mossgreen的雷.特里加斯基斯(Ray Tregaskis)檢查後，透露了其隱藏了700年的祕密。

Made of mulberry bark fibres, Chinese banknotes were first issued in the 10th century but the later Ming dynasty was the first regime to attempt the widespread replacement of coinage with paper. Its plan eventually failed, as overissuance led to hyperinflation in the 15th century. The note is dated at 1370, the third year of the reign of first Ming emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang, while the sculpture is thought to have been carved a century earlier.

中國最初於10世紀發行由桑樹皮纖維製成的紙幣，但直到明朝後期纔開始試圖廣泛用紙幣取代錢幣。該計劃最終失敗了，因爲過度發行紙幣導致了15世紀的惡性通脹。這張紙幣於1370年發行，是明朝開國皇帝朱元璋登基後的第三年，而這座木雕被認爲是在之前一個世紀雕刻完成。

The note shows 10 stacks of coins symbolising its coinage equivalent, stamped with three official red seals and surrounded by a decorative border of dragons. At a time when paper money could be more easily counterfeited, writing on the note also warns that those caught doing so would be beheaded, and offers an incentive to whistleblowers of “250 Liang silvers plus all the properties of the criminal”.

該紙幣上印有10堆硬幣，象徵着它的貨幣等值，上面還蓋有3個官方紅印，周圍印有龍的裝飾性邊紋。在紙幣可以輕易被僞造的那個年代，紙幣上的文字警告被發現僞造紙幣的人將被斬首，併爲告發者提供了動機——“告捕者賞銀二百五十兩，仍給犯人財產”。

Mr Tregaskis, head of Asian art at Mossgreen, said it was “a thrilling moment” when he discovered the concealed note. “While it was not unusual for consecration items such as semi-precious stones or scrolls to be left within the base or on the back of a sculpture, the discovery of this rare Ming Dynasty banknote is an exciting one and importantly, it verifies the date of the sculpture,” he said in a statement.

Mossgreen的亞洲藝術主管特里加斯基斯說，發現那張隱藏的鈔票，對他而言是“一個驚心動魄的時刻”。他在一份聲明中表示，“雖然半寶石或卷軸之類的獻祭物品被留在雕像底座或背面的情況並不罕見，但發現這種罕見的明代鈔票很令人興奮，重要的是，它證實了雕像的具體年代。”

The sculpture and the banknote will be put on show in London on Thursday before the auction in Sydney next month. Going under the hammer as one lot, the note is valued at A$3,000-A$5,000 (￡1,870-￡3,120) while the total value of the lot is A$40,000-A$60,000.

週四，雕像和鈔票將在倫敦展出，下個月會在拿到悉尼進行拍賣。兩者將作爲整體拍賣，其中鈔票的估值爲3000至5000澳元（合1870至3120英鎊），而兩件拍品的總估值爲4萬至6萬澳元。