A riveting history and maritime adventure about priceless masterpieces originally destined for Catherine the Great. On October 1771, a merchant ship out of Amsterdam, Vrouw Maria, crashed off the stormy Finnish coast, taking her historic cargo to the depths of the Baltic Sea. The vessel was delivering a dozen Dutch masterpiece paintings to Europe’s most voracious collector: Catherine the Great, … collector: Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia. Among the lost treasures was The Nursery, an oak-paneled triptych by Leiden fine painter Gerrit Dou, Rembrandt’s most brilliant student and Holland’s first international superstar artist. Dou’s triptych was long the most beloved and most coveted painting of the Dutch Golden Age, and its loss in the shipwreck was mourned throughout the art world.
Vrouw Maria, meanwhile, became a maritime legend, confounding would-be salvagers for more than two hundred years. In July 1999, a daring Finnish wreck hunter found Vrouw Maria, upright on the sea floor and perfectly preserved. The Tsarina’s Lost Treasure masterfully recounts the fascinating tale of Vrouw Maria–her loss and discovery–weaving together the rise and fall of the artist whose priceless masterpiece was the jewel of the wreckage.
Gerald Easter and Mara Vorhees bring to vivid life the personalities that drove (and are still driving) this compelling tale, evoking Robert Massie’s depiction of Russian high politics and culture, Simon Schama’s insights into Dutch Golden Age art and art history, Gary Kinder’s spirit of, danger and adventure on the beguiling Archipelago Sea.
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THE TSARINA’S LOST TREASURE
Do you love: Shipwrecks, world-class art, treasure hunting, history, palace intrigue, power struggles and suspense? The Tsarina’s Lost Treasure has all of this, and more. The premise is simple: Catherine the Great bought some of the finest art in the world; while it was being shipped from the Netherlands to Russia, the ship went down off the coast of Finland in a Baltic storm. Hundreds of years later, a crafty treasure hunter is out to find the ship and its loot.
Lost Treasure is at least four books in one. Through the authors’ painstaking research we learn about the Golden Age of Dutch painting, in the salon of Rembrandt himself. Turns out that Rembrandt was not the most sought-after painter of his time; that title went to his student, Gerrit Dou. The book goes into fascinating detail about the painting culture of the late 1600s: the style that captivated Europe’s elite, the prices paid by the wealthiest kings and collectors, the nuances that made the town of Leiden the cultural capitol of the world!
Meanwhile, Catherine the Great is determined to reform Russia into a progressive and modern country, in the model of an enlightened France. Being a patron of the arts was tantamount to this recognition. She thus assembled a vast collection of the very best and built the Hermitage to hold her ever-expanding collection of paintings, sculpture, and books. Dutch paintings, and those of Gerrit Dou in particular, played a large part.
A cargo of such treasure – including Dou’s premiere masterwork — is loaded onto the Vrouw Marie. But it sinks in the cold Baltic waters, and has remained there — lost — for hundreds of years. But, were the paintings packed tight? The icy waters do preserve oily paints! Where’s the shipwreck? And who’d jurisdiction does it fall under? There are so many wrecks in the stormy Baltic!
It’s a great story, with many threads of history and modern ingenuity woven together. In the end, the suspense is gripping. This is a fine read.
Michael Daswick is the author of five novels including his series about 13 year-old mastermind Chef ZIN MIGNON.
His novel CHIP ROCK was based on stories which won both of Columbia’s heralded literary awards.
344 pages
5 stars
October 1771 the Vrouw Maria sailed with a very valuable and hidden cargo on board. She was headed for Russia to the Imperial Court of Catherine the Great. Among the twelve Dutch masterpieces aboard were Gerrit Dou’s “The Nursery.” Dou was perhaps the most famous and most talented student of Rembrandt.
The Vrouw Maria ran aground in a bad storm off of Sweden and sank. Alas the hidden paintings were lost with the ship.
The book flashes back to Dou and Rembrandt’s time and the reader gets a primer in the art of painting. There are numerous little tidbits of information discussed that are very interesting.
Sophie from Zerbst in then Prussia was just fifteen-years old. Her father was the affable Prince Christian and her mother was Princess Johanna who was an uncaring busybody. Sophie and her mother made the nine hundred mile overland trip to Moscow for Sophie to meet her betrothed, Grand Duke Peter. She accepted conversion to the Russian Orthodox Church and chose the name of Catherine.
The book gives brief highlights of Gerrit and Catherine’s lives. It also discusses the atmosphere and politics of the times periods, even the revolutionary efforts of sea salvaging in those early days of 1771. I had no idea of those early efforts. I was impressed and fascinated. The history and changing attitudes in the world of art is also covered at length. After having gone online and viewed some of Gerrit Douw’s works, I was especially incensed at how the world of art history had treated him.
The book discusses the search for the ship in modern times and its being found. Heated arguments broke out among explorers and divers about the rights to the ship and its treasure.
This book is very good, especially for those who are interested in art, diving, Russian history or shipwrecks. It is very well written and easy to follow and enjoyable to read. It is loaded with interesting and enticing tidbits. I was let down at the ending, but it was always supposed to be thus. We can’t get what we want all of the time…but since it combined three of my greatest interests: diving, Russia and lost art, it was truly a winner for me.
I want to thank NetGalley and Pegasus Books for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review.