"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.
The Ghent Altarpiece by Jan van Eyck (open): Stealing the Mystic Lamb. Noah Charney
The Ghent Altarpiece by Jan van Eyck (closed): Stealing the Mystic Lamb. Noah Charney
Noah Charney in Ghent: Stealing the Mystic Lamb. Noah Charney
Jan van Eyck: Stealing the Mystic Lamb. Noah Charney
detail Ghent Altarpiece: Stealing the Mystic Lamb. Noah Charney
Napoleon Bonaparte: Stealing the Mystic Lamb. Noah Charney
Stolen Judges panel, 1934: Stealing the Mystic Lamb. Noah Charney
Judges panel, replacement?: Stealing the Mystic Lamb. Noah Charney
Adolf Hitler: Stealing the Mystic Lamb. Noah Charney
The Ghent Altarpiece in Alt Aussee salt mine WWII: Stealing the Mystic Lamb. Noah Charney
The Ghent Altarpiece in Alt Aussee salt mine WWII: Stealing the Mystic Lamb. Noah Charney
The Ghent Altarpiece in Alt Aussee salt mine WWII: Stealing the Mystic Lamb. Noah Charney
The Ghent Altarpiece in Alt Aussee salt mine WWII: Stealing the Mystic Lamb. Noah Charney
George Clooney- Ghent Altarpiece- The Monuments Men: Stealing the Mystic Lamb. Noah Charney
Saint Bavo Cathedral, Ghent: Stealing the Mystic Lamb. Noah Charney
The Ghent Altarpiece: Stealing the Mystic Lamb. Noah Charney
The Lamb of God, the Ghent Altarpiece by Jan van Eyck: Stealing the Mystic Lamb. Noah Charney
Noah Charney: Stealing the Mystic Lamb. Noah Charney
Well-researched details permeate the pages of this twisting fictional tale of art theft and deception by Dr. Noah Charney (author, professor and founder of ARCA). From Caravaggio to Malevich, from museum security to police investigations, the storyline stays interesting, creative and on point…
"Rome: In the small Baroque church of Santa Giuliana, a magnificent Caravaggio altarpiece disappears without a trace in the middle of the night.
Paris: In the basement vault of the Malevich Society, curator Geneviéve Delacloche is shocked to discover the disappearance of the Society's greatest treasure, White-on-White by Suprematist painter Kasimir Malevich.
London: At the National Gallery of Modern Art, the museum's latest acquisition is stolen just hours after it was purchased for more than six million pounds.
In The Art Thief, three thefts are simultaneously investigated in three cities, but these apparently isolated crimes have much more in common than anyone imagines. In Rome, the police enlist the help of renowned art investigator Gabriel Coffin when tracking down the stolen masterpiece. In Paris, Geneviéve Delacloche is aided by Police Inspector Jean-Jacques Bizot, who finds a trail of bizarre clues and puzzles that leads him ever deeper into a baffling conspiracy. In London, Inspector Harry Wickenden of Scotland Yard oversees the museum's attempts to ransom back its stolen painting, only to have the masterpiece's recovery deepen the mystery even further.
A dizzying array of forgeries, overpaintings, and double-crosses unfolds as the story races through auction houses, museums, and private galleries--and the secret places where priceless works of art are made available to collectors who will stop at nothing to satisfy their hearts' desires.
Full of fascinating art-historical detail, crackling dialogue, and a brain-teasing plot, Noah Charney's debut novel is a sophisticated, stylish thriller, as irresistible and multifaceted as a great work of art." -amazon.com
