Master of Shadows: The Secret Diplomatic Career of the Painter Peter Paul Rubens [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

Mark Lamster (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 20, 2009

 The true story of how seventeenth-century Europe's most famous painter doubled as a secret agent and negotiated a peace between superpowers.

Peter Paul Rubens is best remembered as the Old Master with the penchant for fleshy, pink nudes whose popularity was eclipsed by that of Rembrandt van Rijn. In his time, however, Rubens had no equal; his contemporaries revered him as the greatest painter of his era, if not in all history. His undeniable artistic genius, bolstered by a modest disposition and a reputation as a man of tact and discretion, made him a favorite among monarchs and political leaders across Europe, and gave him perfect cover for the clandestine activities that shaped the landscape of seventeenth-century politics.

In Master of Shadows, Mark Lamster tells the story of Rubens's life and brilliantly re-creates the culture, religious conflicts, and political intrigues of his time. Commissions to paint military and political leaders drew Rubens from his Antwerp home to London, Madrid, Paris, and Rome. The Spanish crown, recognizing the value of his easy access to figures of power, enlisted him into diplomatic service. His uncommon intelligence, preternatural charm, and ability to navigate through ever-shifting political winds allowed him to negotiate a long-sought peace treaty between England and Spain even as Europe's shrewdest statesmen plotted against him.

Master of Shadows weaves a gripping drama of cloak-and-dagger diplomacy with an insightful, authoritative exploration of Rubens's art and the private passions that influenced it.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Mark Lamster on Master of Shadows

Peter Paul Rubens gives us a lot to think about in his canvasses of rushing color, action, and puckered flesh, so it’s not surprising that his work as a diplomat and spy has been neglected. One of my goals in writing Master of Shadows was to fill that gap in the record. Here, after all, is an actual Old Master using actual secret codes, dodging assassination, plotting the overthrow of foreign governments, and secretly negotiating for world peace.

Certainly, a biographer could not ask for a more compelling subject. Rubens was a charismatic man of extraordinary learning, fluent in six languages, who made a fortune from his art. He never fit the paradigm of the artist as a self-destructive figure at odds with convention. More than one of his contemporaries actually thought his skill as a statesman surpassed his unmatched talent before an easel.

Though it is set four centuries ago, I believe readers will find the Rubens story deeply resonant with contemporary experience. Rubens was a moderate man in a dogmatic time, a pragmatist who spent much of his life working to end a seemingly intractable conflict driven by ideologues. In writing the book, I was routinely astonished by the eerie parallels between his time and our own. The political battles he fought naturally inform his paintings, many of which serve as meditations on the costs and ravages of war. In illuminating this history, I hope Master of Shadows will help modern audiences recapture some of the urgency and grandeur of his work--and his riveting life. --Mark Lamster

(Photo © Blip Studio)

Review

A Best Read of 2009
—Providence Journal

"A Fascinating study."
—The Telegraph (A Book of the Year)

"Mark Lamster is a brave writer....His affection for his subject is so complete—and completely convincing—his style is so gracefully unpretentious and his research is so thorough that Master of Shadows manages to be engaging, instructive and thought-provoking, all at once."
—The Los Angeles Times

"A different kind of artist's biography....Gripping reading."
—St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Highbrow and Brilliant
—New York Magazine Approval Matrix

"An exceptional book."
—Library Journal

A Daily Beast "Hot Read"

Selected as an Indie Next Notable Book for November 2009

"Rubens’s story surprises and dazzles."
—Kirkus

“In elegant brushstrokes, and using as his subject the painter/diplomat Rubens, Mark Lamster gives us here a vivid portrait of 17th century Europe and the political intrigue that led to the modern world.”
—Russell Shorto, bestselling author of The Island at the Center of the World
 
"Mark Lamster looks beyond Rubens's talent for era-defining sensual nudes and delves into his little-known career as a diplomat and spy. The result is an exhilarating portrait of an age as dramatic and richly toned as one of Rubens's gigantic canvases."
—Ross King, bestselling author of Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling
 
"This adroitly crafted biography of Rubens brings to life an artist so busy wheeling and dealing with the crowned heads of Europe that it's amazing he found the time to put brush to canvas. Lamster's account engages the student of history as much as it opens the eyes of those who love Rubens's art."
—Timothy Brook, author of Vermeer's Hat
 
"Master of Shadows is a fascinating account, as lively as it is informed. This utterly intriguing narrative has the knowledge and verve that infuse Rubens's brushstrokes; Lamster writes with the panache and enthusiastic engagement, as well as the capability, warranted by his marvelous subject.”
—Nicholas Fox Weber, author of Le Corbusier and The Bauhaus Group
 
“Imagine that Pablo Picasso, in addition to painting the most famous masterpieces of the 20th century, had also devoted decades of his life to secret diplomacy aimed at preventing another world war. That is exactly what Peter Paul Rubens, the most revered painter of his era, did in 17th-century Europe. Mark Lamster tells this little-known story with a combination of brio and historical erudition bound to appeal to anyone who cares about beauty, passion, war and peace. I couldn't put it down.”
—Susan Jacoby, bestselling author of The Age of American Unreason
 
“Art, war, diplomatic intrigue, secret spy missions-all rendered with the erudition of a scholar and the deft touch of a gifted writer. This is exactly what popular history should be. I was utterly transfixed by this book.”
—Jonathan Mahler, bestselling author of The Challenge: Hamdan v. Rumsfeld
 
“Piercing the darkened, secret world of agents, operatives, and diplomats is a difficult task at the best of times-and in Rubens's case, one thought impossible-but Mark Lamster brilliantly succeeds at shedding light on this most enigmatic, and aptly dubbed, Master of Shadows.”
—Alexander Rose, author of Washington's Spies
 
"Mark Lamster, a master of vivid writing, provides a highly readable account of the national rivalries and endemic warfare that fostered secret diplomacy in seventeenth-century Europe. Master of Shadows is a page-turner not to be missed.”
—Lita-Rose Betcherman, author of Court Lady and Country Wife
 
“Rubens's story surprises and dazzles.”
—Kirkus Reviews

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Nan A. Talese; 1 edition (October 20, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385523793
• ISBN-13: 978-0385523790
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 1.3 x 9.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #856,162 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #96 in Books > History > Europe > Belgium

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unlikely recipe for a page-turner, November 13, 2009

By 

Designing Books (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Master of Shadows: The Secret Diplomatic Career of the Painter Peter Paul Rubens (Hardcover)

If I described this book as a detailed biography of the great Baroque painter, you might wonder whether it could sustain your interest for a book-length read. But then you might miss this highly entertaining and skillfully written book---not only a master painter, serious scholar, and astute businessman, Rubens was also a diplomat and spy who traveled in the upper echelons of European society and royalty. Against the backdrop of the Spanish Inquisition, the Eighty Years' War, and other historical events filled with intrigue, war, big personalities, and, yes, sex, the author tells a great tale of an extraordinary man in extraordinary times. Deftly written with great humor and care, Master of Shadows is a hard-to-put-down page-turner once you start. If only all "art history" was this much fun; hopefully Lamster will move on to other artists, assuming their stories are as fascinating as this.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The "other" Rubens., September 5, 2010

By 

Reviewer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Master of Shadows: The Secret Diplomatic Career of the Painter Peter Paul Rubens (Hardcover)

While most everyone has heard the term 'Rubenesque' few people are directly familiar with Rubens work. As the author points out, he has no iconographic 'mona lisa' or other defining work. Fewer still are familiar with this diplomatic career.
That is the focus of Lamster's book.
He does a job creating an overview of the complex geopolitical picture of Europe -- the stage for Ruben's diplomatic drama. . despite packing in a lot of names, places, treaties, the narrative flows nicely - not an easy task for a writer! This is a nice, concise story of Rubens involvement in negotiations and diplomatic missions and how it naturally flowered out of his artistic career.
Side note: The books is what it says it is - it is NOT a biography that focuses on his artistic career-- so please no comments about 'i wish he had talked more about his painting' - on that note what he does mention about his artistic career and paintings is interesting and helps the story move along.

I am knocking off one star for the last chapter a sermonizing, politically correct 'epilogue'. tiresome.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fascinating.., January 26, 2010

By 

Cathy W (Sloatsburg, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Master of Shadows: The Secret Diplomatic Career of the Painter Peter Paul Rubens (Hardcover)

The book weaved a fascinating and yet convincing net to cover Rubens's whole life, especially his not-so-well-known diplomatic life.
It certainly is with great pleasure to immerse oneself in art and history throughout the book, and pay tribute to the Master who possessed so many virtues, which is a rare in modern world.