Travis Simpkins: Ghent Altarpiece

Stealing the Mystic Lamb

by Noah Charney

PublicAffairs Publishers, 2010

Brief Review by Travis Simpkins

"The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" by Jan van Eyck, better known as the Ghent Altarpiece, was completed in 1432 and has not had much peace in it's subsequent 583 years. It has been looted, burned, smuggled, forged and thankfully, rescued. In Stealing the Mystic Lamb: The True Story of the World's Most Coveted Masterpiece, Noah Charney takes an insightful and expert look at "the illicit whirlwind tour of Jan van Eyck's masterpiece, which is, in itself, a journey through the history of art theft." The text examines the origins, subjects, innovations and creative process involved in the Ghent Altarpiece, which is considered to be the stylistic bridge between Medieval and Renaissance painting. Much attention is given to the artist himself, Jan van Eyck, and the mysteries surrounding him. However, most of the well-written tome is dedicated to the various misfortunes that have befallen the Lamb. The altarpiece escaped destruction at the hands of torch-wielding Protestants, was looted by Napoleon, dismembered and sold to the Germans, hidden during World War I, had a panel stolen and ransomed in 1934, was looted by the Nazis in World War II and rescued by the Allies (The Monuments Men) in the Alt Aussee salt mine in 1945. With the exception of the one stolen panel (or perhaps not), the altarpiece is whole again and back in it's home at Sain Bavo Cathedral. Charney takes great care in his writing, providing equal balance between the acts of theft and efforts of recovery. Wonderful portrayals of the people, both good and evil, offer a greater depth to the story. Beyond a straightforward historical book, the pages offer a picture of the humanity and obsessive desire that have pervaded and surrounded this great masterpiece since it's creation.