Т е к с т № для устного перевода с листа

POVERTY OF WORLD'S RICHEST ARTIST

Michelangelo, the Renaissance artist and sculptor renowned for his stinginess, was much richer than his rivals and may have been one of the wealthiest artists in history, according to a new book by an American academic.

During a long career, which produced icons of western art such as the statue of David and the Sistine Chapel ceiling frescoes, Michelangelo accumulated a fortune which would be worth more than £30m today.

The estimate has been calculated by Rab Hatfield, a professor of art history at the University of Siracuse in Florence, who published The Wealth of Michelangelo after stumbling across two previously unknown bank accounts belonging to the artist. The discovery enabled Prof Hatfield to track Michelangelo’s expenditure on products such as marble and wine, and the income he received from his patrons.

The trail began with two undated letters in which Michelangelo referred to money he had deposited at the Hospital Santa Maria Nuovo in Florence, an institution that combined banking services with care of the sick.

Prof Hatfield found the account among the papers held at the national archive in Florence. “I didn’t really expect to find anything,” he told the Corriere della Sera newspaper. “Leonardo had an account there too, but it had already been published.”

Turning to the letter M in the depositors’ list, the professor found a series of hitherto unknown financial operations and later discovered another account held by Michelangelo at the Balducci banking company in Rome.

His inquiries revealed a tidy nest egg, which made Michelangelo at least five times better off than professional Renaissance rivals such as Leonardo, Titian and Raphael.

THE GUARDIAN, Nov. 30, 2002

NSPCC – National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (UK)

1“Big Brother” – reality TV gameshow

2“EastEnders” – TV soap opera

3Tesco –сетьсупермаркетовкомпанииTesco Self Service Ltd.(UK)

daiquiri - a cocktail containing rum, lime, etc.

Great Irish Potato Famine of 1845-49, famine that occurred in Ireland in 1845-49 when the potato crop failed in successive years.

Moab – Моав (в Библии – страна на востоке от Мёртвого моря).