Special Offers see all

More at Powell's

Interviews | Q&As | Essays

How to Write a Personal Job Ad

0 comments By Roman Krznaric

How are you supposed to discover your ideal job? The standard method is to fill out lots of questionnaires about your strengths and weaknesses, take... Continue »

$19.50

Used Hardcover

Ships in 1 to 3 days

Qty	Store	Section
2	Burnside	Art- Museology

More copies of this ISBN

This title in other editions

Stealing the Mystic Lamb: The True Story of the World's Most Coveted Masterpiece

by Noah Charney

ISBN13: 9781586488000
ISBN10: 1586488007
Condition: Standard
Dustjacket: Standard
All Product Details

Only 2 left in stock at $19.50!

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Jan van Eycks Ghent Altarpiece is on any art historians list of the ten most important paintings ever made. Often referred to by the subject of its central panel, The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, it represents the fulcrum between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It is also the most frequently stolen artwork of all time.

Since its completion in 1432, this twelve-panel oil painting has been looted in three different wars, burned, dismembered, forged, smuggled, illegally sold, censored, hidden, attacked by iconoclasts, hunted by the Nazis and Napoleon, used as a diplomatic tool, ransomed, rescued by Austrian double-agents, and stolen a total of thirteen times.

In this fast-paced, real-life thriller, art historian Noah Charney unravels the stories of each of these thefts. In the process, he illuminates the whole fascinating history of art crime, and the psychological, ideological, religious, political, and social motivations that have led many men to covet this one masterpiece above all others.

Synopsis:

The gripping, six-century history of the worlds most frequently stolen masterpiece

About the Author

Noah Charney is the author of the international bestselling novel The Art Thief and the founding director of The Association for Research into Crimes against Art, an international non-profit think tank. His work in the field of art crime has been praised in such forums as The New York Times Magazine, Time Magazine, Vanity Fair, Vogue, BBC Radio, and NPR. Currently professor of art history at the American University of Rome, he lives in Italy with his wife.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!

Average customer rating based on 1 comment:

: tvleninger, August 25, 2011 (view all comments by tvleninger)
Stealing the Mystic Lamb by Noah Charney is a book worth reading by the student/historian, but be aware that many erroneous statements are woven together to create a bigger picture that cannot be supported as factual. The book is good reading, however, Charney claims the name of Hubert Van Eyck was not revealed on the back inscription until the 1800s and questions it's authenticity and Hubert's existence, yet his bibliography lists a book title from the 1700s with both Jan and Hubert's names in the title. Research and fact-checking would have shown that the inscription was referred to shortly after the painting's completion.
While I did enjoy the stories and the writing, I have concerns that integrating this book into the databases as fact will have serious consequences to the artwork and artists that Noah Charney so obviously admires. I enjoyed it, and I do recommend it, but with a grain of salt.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No

report this comment

Product Details

ISBN:: 9781586488000
Author:: Charney, Noah
Publisher:: PublicAffairs
Subject:: History - Ancient/Classical
Subject:: General
Subject:: Jan van Eyck
Subject:: Art theft
Subject:: Van Eyck
Subject:: Art - General
Edition Description:: Trade Cloth
Publication Date:: 20101031
Binding:: HARDCOVER
Language:: English
Illustrations:: 8-pp. color, glossy insert
Pages:: 336
Dimensions:: 9.25 x 6.13 in

Other books you might like

The Fall (Strain Trilogy #2) Guillermo del Toro

Used Hardcover $9.50

Related Subjects

Arts and Entertainment » Art » General
Arts and Entertainment » Art » History and Criticism
Arts and Entertainment » Art » Museology
History and Social Science » Crime » True Crime
History and Social Science » Economics » General

Follow us on...

RSS 2.0
Log Off

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.