Documenting the true story of an art dealer who tried to buy a rare Byzantine mosaic, an amazing adventure filled with counterplots and plundered antiquities is also the story of a reporter drawn into the strange underworld of smuggled and stolen art.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Peg Goldberg, a fledgling Indiana antiques dealer, paid $1.2 million in borrowed cash for what she believed to be four authentic early Christian mosaics, without thoroughly checking their provenance or the reputations of the sellers. In 1989, she was accused of knowingly buying stolen property by the Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus which, claiming the mosaics were taken illegally from the island, successfully sued for their return. Unsolved mysteries about the deal intrigued Hofstadter, a freelance writer who calls himself "a person without a fixed address or steady job...who happened to love beautiful things." He attempts to disentangle the story's threads of Greek, Turkish and Cyprian politics, legal battles, treacherous dealers and middlemen, as well as a leading lady who may not have been as innocent as she seemed. But the byzantine dealings, large cast of shady characters and author's frequent asides on his own involvement result in a jumble of colorful elements that is often difficult to follow.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Hofstadter, a writer of unfailing specificity, vividness, and wit, is, nevertheless, infatuated with ambiguity. His first book, Temperaments: Artists Facing their Work (1992), explored the enigmatic artistic process. Here he immerses himself in an even murkier realm, the labyrinthine and mendacious world of antiquities dealing. A bit of a nomad, Hofstadter found himself seduced by the dazzle and predation of Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, an experience that led him to Peg Goldberg, a novice Indianapolis art dealer and "deep-dyed Midwestern nonconformist" who ended up in court after purchasing four early Christian devotional mosaics under questionable circumstances. The Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus claimed ownership, insisting that the mosaics were war booty taken by the Turks in 1974. Hofstadter covers the often confusing trial that made international headlines with its exposure of antiquities smuggling and its interpretation of national cultural patrimony. As Goldberg started the appeal process and the mosaics were returned to Cyprus, Hofstadter resumed his travels and met with an assortment of slippery characters connected to this deal gone bad. As he describes this series of baffling encounters, he muses on the curious energy generated by the telling of lies and the keeping of secrets, an energy both sinister and intrinsically human. Donna Seaman
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderfully written story! I could not put it down.,
By a_hendrick@hotmail.com (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Goldberg's Angel: An Adventure in the Antiquities Trade (Hardcover)
This book was given to me as a gift. I was not prepared for the story and the very eloquent talents of the author. I felt seduced. At many times, I felt as though I was part of the story, part of the group, traveling throughout Turkey, Cyprus, and Amsterdam. I took the book on vacation with me and when I got home, I immediately went to Amazon.com to see what else Hofstadter has written. Wonderful book!
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