The Tsarina’s Lost Treasure, by Gerald Easter and Mara Vorhees
It took me a long time to read this book. I slowed down to savor every intricate detail. This book is rich with fascinating historical details. I am a history buff, yet there is so much delightful information in this volume I had never encountered before. I would love to see the History Channel do a mini-series on this book. The book opens with a shipwreck that took place in the Baltic Sea in the 17th century. From there it goes into the life and times of a Dutch Master artist of that time, Dou. He was a pupil of Rembrandt and a contemporary of Vermeer and Hals. Although I had never heard of him, at the time he was highly esteemed, and his paintings were valued more highly that were Rembrandt’s. While describing the Dutch city Leiden in the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, it went into such details as his studying under Rembrandt, even into how they mixed their paints (something I had never even considered before). Next, it described the Russian court in the 17th century, and how Peter the Great had Westernized his country, and how the rest of Europe considered Russia to be a barbaric land. Then it related how Catherine the Great came to power, and what her reign was like. Power at that time was centered in Petersburg (Petrograd), so this locale and time was well described. Also, the authors wrote about how fine art was used as symbols of power by the courts of Europe. Whoever could assemble the greatest collection of art had the supreme court on the continent. While this competition was going on, the paintings of the Dutch Masters were the crème of the crème. Catherine the Great was determined to win this competition, and amassed a huge treasure trove of masterpieces. Dou’s masterpiece was a triptych called ‘The Nursery’. Catherine acquired it, and it, along with a vast collection of other art she had purchased, was shipped by boat from the Netherlands to Russia via the Baltic Sea. Where it was lost when the boat sank in a storm off the coast of Finland. Although the boat was never located, the authors described if it had been found what the techniques to bring it to the surface would have been like, another of the many interesting little side trips this book takes you on. From there the book details the ups and downs of Dou’s reputation through the centuries. Apparently, this painter (which I have never heard of) was spurned not long after his death, but recently he has had a resurgence, and his works are once again highly esteemed. The book then jumps to the mid-1950’s and details the many attempts to locate the ship. This lost art treasure trove drew wreck hunters like a magnet, for if the paintings had been stored right for oversea transport there was a good chance they could have survived being underwater for centuries (also because the Baltic Sea is much less salty than most seas, another fact I now have in my possession from reading this book). But no one could find the sunken ship. Until Saure arrived on the scene near the end of the 20th century. Another short detour is taken in describing Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union, and the relations between it and its neighbor Finland. The book describes how Saure located the sunken ship, but was unable to salvage it. The government of Finland stepped in to save what it considered a cultural treasure from glorified treasure hunters. While doing this, the authors also describe modern-day Finland. The book then relates the bureaucratic and legal nightmare that took place over the first two decades of the 21st century. Not only did Saure have a claim (as the salvager he should have taken possession of the ship and its contents from the ancient maritime law of finders keepers), and Finland, since the wreck was in its territorial waters, but Sweden also had a claim, since at the time of the wreck Finland had been a part of Sweden, and the Netherlands, as the ship was carrying art treasures of Dutch Masters, and Russia, as Catherine had purchased the paintings. I won’t go into how all these claims were resolved since that would be like giving away the ending of a book. If you enjoy history, if you enjoy art (the Dutch Masters in particular), if you enjoy reading about life in Europe in the 17th century (with life in the Netherlands at that time in particular), if you enjoy the royal court intrigues of that time, if you enjoy reading about treasure hunting on the sea floor (apparently the Baltic Sea is lined with wrecks, from Viking times up to World War 2, if you enjoy reading about power struggles between modern states over possession of what could be a treasure worth hundreds of millions (if they have survived), you will enjoy reading this book. This is the most astounding history book I have read in a while.
It took me a long time to read this book. I slowed down to savor every intricate detail. This book is rich with fascinating historical details. I am a history buff, yet there is so much delightful information in this volume I had never encountered before. I would love to see the History Channel do a mini-series on this book.
The book opens with a shipwreck that took place in the Baltic Sea in the 17th century. From there it goes into the life and times of a Dutch Master artist of that time, Dou. He was a pupil of Rembrandt and a contemporary of Vermeer and Hals. Although I had never heard of him, at the time he was highly esteemed, and his paintings were valued more highly that were Rembrandt’s. While describing the Dutch city Leiden in the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, it went into such details as his studying under Rembrandt, even into how they mixed their paints (something I had never even considered before).
Next, it described the Russian court in the 17th century, and how Peter the Great had Westernized his country, and how the rest of Europe considered Russia to be a barbaric land. Then it related how Catherine the Great came to power, and what her reign was like. Power at that time was centered in Petersburg (Petrograd), so this locale and time was well described.
Also, the authors wrote about how fine art was used as symbols of power by the courts of Europe. Whoever could assemble the greatest collection of art had the supreme court on the continent. While this competition was going on, the paintings of the Dutch Masters were the crème of the crème. Catherine the Great was determined to win this competition, and amassed a huge treasure trove of masterpieces. Dou’s masterpiece was a triptych called ‘The Nursery’. Catherine acquired it, and it, along with a vast collection of other art she had purchased, was shipped by boat from the Netherlands to Russia via the Baltic Sea. Where it was lost when the boat sank in a storm off the coast of Finland. Although the boat was never located, the authors described if it had been found what the techniques to bring it to the surface would have been like, another of the many interesting little side trips this book takes you on.
From there the book details the ups and downs of Dou’s reputation through the centuries. Apparently, this painter (which I have never heard of) was spurned not long after his death, but recently he has had a resurgence, and his works are once again highly esteemed.
The book then jumps to the mid-1950’s and details the many attempts to locate the ship. This lost art treasure trove drew wreck hunters like a magnet, for if the paintings had been stored right for oversea transport there was a good chance they could have survived being underwater for centuries (also because the Baltic Sea is much less salty than most seas, another fact I now have in my possession from reading this book). But no one could find the sunken ship.
Until Saure arrived on the scene near the end of the 20th century. Another short detour is taken in describing Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union, and the relations between it and its neighbor Finland. The book describes how Saure located the sunken ship, but was unable to salvage it. The government of Finland stepped in to save what it considered a cultural treasure from glorified treasure hunters. While doing this, the authors also describe modern-day Finland.
The book then relates the bureaucratic and legal nightmare that took place over the first two decades of the 21st century. Not only did Saure have a claim (as the salvager he should have taken possession of the ship and its contents from the ancient maritime law of finders keepers), and Finland, since the wreck was in its territorial waters, but Sweden also had a claim, since at the time of the wreck Finland had been a part of Sweden, and the Netherlands, as the ship was carrying art treasures of Dutch Masters, and Russia, as Catherine had purchased the paintings. I won’t go into how all these claims were resolved since that would be like giving away the ending of a book.
If you enjoy history, if you enjoy art (the Dutch Masters in particular), if you enjoy reading about life in Europe in the 17th century (with life in the Netherlands at that time in particular), if you enjoy the royal court intrigues of that time, if you enjoy reading about treasure hunting on the sea floor (apparently the Baltic Sea is lined with wrecks, from Viking times up to World War 2, if you enjoy reading about power struggles between modern states over possession of what could be a treasure worth hundreds of millions (if they have survived), you will enjoy reading this book. This is the most astounding history book I have read in a while.