Missing Masterpieces: Lost Works of Art 1450-1900

by Gert-Rudolf Flick

This groundbreaking story of the fate of missing masterpieces presents detailed case histories of great works of art that have simply vanished. The fate of the masterpieces discussed in this compelling book remains a mystery. Everyone knows Michelangelo's marble David; but what happened to the famous bronze of the same subject, which was last heard of at a chateau in France, after its aristocratic owner was sent to the guillotine? And what of David's Lepeletier on his death-bed, pendant to his famous Death of Marat? Nineteenth-century gossip suggested that it was burnt by Lepeletier's devoted daughter, but if so, how could it have been passed on in a disputed will? The story of these works and many more are traced in minute detail, bringing to life some of the greatest art collectors of all time, from the famous such as Charles I, King of England, and Christina, Queen of Sweden, to obscure but no less avid collectors. Engagingly written and lavishly illustrated, Missing Masterpieces is a milestone in the history of collecting-and losing-great works of art.

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003