Love, death and politics

I. Write in the transcription and memorize the following words:

impeccable profit visually aesthetically delight sustain narrative succeed execution subsequent depiction consternation implacable salutary chicanery rapprochement codices – pl. от codex convolute impromptu emperor entourage covet		безупречный прибыль, доход зрительно, наглядно эстетично удовольствие поддерживать, выдерживать рассказ, изложение фактов быть преемником, сменять казнь последующий описание ужас, испуг, оцепенение непримиримый благотворный, полезный софистика восстановление, возобновление кодекс извилистый экспромт, импровизация император окружение, свита жаждать, домoгаться
effect		результат, следствие, воздействие

2. Read and translate the text:

Аt the Prado in Madrid, the Prince of Asturias and the Prince of Wales together opened a quite remarkable exhibi­tion. The story the exhibition tells, through the medium of some of the greatest works of the later Renaissance and early Baroque, is one of international politics, impeccable taste, diplomatic chi­canery, profit and loss. It begins with a rapprochement and hope of a marriage: it ends with a death and sale of effects. But what effects they are.

Not every historical exhibition, however so interesting, is visually and aesthetically a delight, nor does great art always sustain a narrative very well. So it is no small achievement that the two curators, professors Jonathan Brown of New York University and Sir John Elliot of Oxford, should have so elegantly brought off the combination. They have simply set out four broad sections to distinguish successive events -the peace treaty between Spain and Britain of 1604; the Prince of Wales's visit to Madrid of 1623, in prospect of marriage to the Infanta; the 1630s, by which time the prince had succeeded his father as Charles I; and finally, his execution and the subsequent sale by Cromwell of his collection.

All this is illustrated by the fin­est portraits of the principals that can be found or lent, and by important depictions of particular events. Additionally, there are some remarkable documents, including a couple of Leonardo codices once coveted by Charles I and rediscovered in the Biblioteca Nacional only in 1965.

The story is as convoluted as it is salutary. In the spring of 1623, incognito, false beard and all, with the royal favourite, the Duke of Buckingham his sole compan­ion, the Prince of Wales set off for Madrid, turning up unannounced, to general consternation. His stay turned into an impromptu state visit which lasted six months amid increasingly fraught negotia­tions, and ended with no under­standing as to the proposed Span­ish marriage. The prince left, however, loaded with gifts from Philip IV, including Titian's full-length portrait of the emperor, Charles V. And if the marriage was never to take place, scotched by implacable public hostility at home followed by a brief renewal of war, the prince did bring back with him one lasting benefit. From his exposure to the great collections of Renais­sance art at the Spanish court, he had caught the collecting bug. And so too had his companion Buckingham, and a significant number of his noble entourage, notably the Earl of Arundel and the Duke of Hamilton. It is from this moment that not only the royal collection, but also many of the great collections of England and Scotland, were properly born. Collecting at the highest level was in fashion, and continued so until the 1640s and the outbreak of the civil war.

Early in 1649, almost as soon as the axe had fallen on the royal neck, Oliver Cromwell's House of Commons voted to sell "the King's Goods", as much to wipe out all sign of recent monarchy as to pay off remaining debts and expenses of the king's household. Nearly 1,600 paintings were offered for sale, and countless pre­cious things besides. But who was to buy them, with so many former collectors now dead, or exiled, or beggared by the wars, and foreign princes loath to deal with a king's Killers? The sale went very slowly indeed, and Alonso de Cardenas, the Spanish ambassador, saw his moment.

Acting indirectly for the Span­ish king he began to take his pick, and what his king didn't want, he kept for himself, or sold on else­where.

Some items did come back into the royal collection after the Res­toration, and into other British collections - the National Gallery of Scotland's great Veronese of "Mars and Venus" is such a one. But the story is overwhelmingly of the Prado's many masterpieces that did not. Some Parliamentar­ians took a quick profit, from whom Cardenas picked up Andrea del Sarto's "Madonna and Child" for £300, for example, and a Vero­nese for £102. The Flemish agent, Balthasar Gerbier, popped up in 1650 to buy the Titian of Charles V for £150, selling on directly to Cardenas for £200. But so slowly did the sale progress, and so care­fully did Cardenas tread, that the Commonwealth was driven even­tually to give the works away to the royal creditors in lieu of pay­ment. It wasn't to be until the arrival of the new French ambas­sador, Antoine de Bordeaux, late in 1652, who began to act on behalf of Cardinal Mazarin, that something of a bidding war started and prices hardened. But though by 1653, a Raphael of "The Holy Family" could optimistically be priced at £2,500, Cardenas still got what Philip IV came to consider the pearl of his collection for £1,000. By 1655 Cromwell had realized his mistake, but far too late.

It hurts to go on - the vast Tintoretto of Christ washing the beggars' feet, the Titians, the Raphaels, the glorious Veronese of Christ and the Centurion, that Cardenas picked up in 1659 for all of £400, the Durer, the Rubens, the Van Dycks, all in this exhibition.

3. Get ready to answer the following questions:

1. What is the story of the exhibition?

2. Why is this exhibition so interesting?

3. How did the Prince of Wales set off for Madrid?

4. What did his stay turn into?

5. When were many of the great collections of England and Scotland born?

6. When, why and how was the royal collection sold?

7. What is the fate of masterpieces of the collection?

4. Give English equivalent of the following words and phrases with reference to the text:

- успешно завершать

- выставлять напоказ (на продажу)

- отправлять

- оказаться

- уничтожать

- сделать свой выбор

- вместо

5. Make up your own sentences with the words (see tasks 1,2,5).

6. Finish up the following sentences:

1. The story the exhibition tells, …

2. They have simply set out four broad sections…

3. The prince left, however, loaded with…

4. It is from this moment that…

5. Acting indirectly for the Spanish king he…

6. Some items did come back into the royal collection…

7. Write down a summary of the text.

8. Discuss the following topics:

Role play. Imagine that you are the guide at the exhibition and depict the masterpiece of a famous painter. Be ready to answer the questions of your listeners.