最初是看豆瓣的两个朋友讨论这个问题的,于是顺便找了两张油画看了一下,发现画中玛丽·路易斯和法制5尺2寸(1米68)的拿破仑均是处于同一海拔,当然考虑到油画的美化成分就打算翻阅资料查找更直接的直接的证据,令人惊讶的时玛丽·路易的身高数据还真的找到了,正是出自喜欢研究拿破仑女人和私生活的马松的著作,The private diaries of the Empress Marie-Louise, wife of Napoleon I的第19页,书中马松借旁人描述称玛丽.路易斯身高为5尺2寸(five feet two inches),原文如下:
A woman who observedher closely remarked,"Her nose is hollowed at the root, the lips and lower part of the face are thick and somewhat heavy, the teeth are white but rather far apart and slightly tilted forwards, the neck is large but fine, the shoulders beautiful, hands pretty,arms fine though somewhat red, feet pretty, height five feet two inches, in other respects a fine woman."
如果直接按照单位的换算的话英制5尺2寸是1米57,虽然马松的专业性不容怀疑,但手头上的这本并非法语原版,考虑到之前英国人曾直接将法制5尺2寸对拿破仑按照英尺计算,使其身高缩水11厘米,再加上数据同油画中的表现相差太大,对这一结果不免多了点疑惑。之后尝试寻找这本书的法语原版,但是仅在法国图书馆找到了一本马松在本书前言中提到的L' Imperatrice Marie-Louise (1809-1815),虽然两本书框架类似,The private diaries of the Empress Marie-Louise, wife of Napoleon I也非常像L' Imperatrice Marie-Louise (1809-1815)的减缩本,但是请教懂法语的j兄后发现书中并没有相关的描述。(有类似的段落 但是没有提到身高多少)
之后又查阅了An imperial victim :Marie Louise(1911),Empresses of France (1901),Happy days of the Empress Marie Louise(1891)等书后均没发现相关描述,直至翻阅Imbert De Saint-Amand的The memoirs of the Empress Marie Louise时在第350页找到了一点线索,书中称玛丽·路易斯的身高height above the average,原文如下:
Beautiful rather than pretty, Marie Louise had more brilliancy than charm. Her great attraction was her freshness. The whole of her person was redolent of physical and moral health. She had a sweet rather than comely face, very blue eyes, not witliout a certain amount of animation, a brilliant complexion, pale but not dull auburn hair, a slightly aquiline nose, red and rather thick lips like the lips of the Ilapsburgs, feet and hands which might have served as models, an imposing walk, and height above the average.
之前我们知道1830年法国成年男子的平均身高是1米64,1米68的拿破仑相对他那个时代正好算得上是height above the average,但是那个时代的女子平均身高并没有什么记载,不过在查阅了今日法、意、奥三国成年男女身高数据后发现男女身高差距均约为10厘米左右,具体数据如下,单位厘米:
法国 男176·4 女166·2(世界排名第15)
意大利 男176·1 女166·1(世界排名第16)
奥地利 男178·2 女168·1(世界排名第7)
那么借此我们可以推断同样“height above the average”的拿破仑大约高“height above the average”玛丽·路易斯10厘米,即马松The private diaries of the Empress Marie-Louise, wife of Napoleon I英译本中的“five feet two inches”是可信的,玛丽·路易斯的身高为1米57。
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