The Tsarina's Lost Treasure: Catherine the Great, a Golden Age Masterpiece, and a Legendary Shipwreck

by Gerald Easter, Mara Vorhees

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 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.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Art, Art History, World History, Biography, Archaeology

366 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2020

Reviews

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1771, the Vrouw Maria, a Dutch merchant vessel bound for St Petersburg carrying valuable cargo that included a collection of priceless paintings recently acquired at auction for Catherine the Great, sank off the coast of Finland, consigning a dozen Dutch masterpieces to the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Eluding treasure hunters for centuries, the sunken ship was finally located in 1999 by Finnish wreck hunter Rauno Koivusaari - a spectacular discovery that set off years' worth of debates, disputes and legal proceedings about the ownership and future of the vessel and its cargo and what (if any) attempts at salvaging any part thereof might be made.
Weaving together art history, biographies, treasure hunting adventures, legal drama, and much more, the authors of this enthralling tale deliver an absolutely fascinating nonfiction book that reads like a novel. Based on extensive research, it brims with vivid detail and striking personalities. That the story ends, for the time being at least, on a somewhat disappointing note is not in any way a fault of the authors but rather that of a bunch of stubborn, unimaginative Finnish bureaucrats evidently mostly interested in getting one over on the Russians and avoiding any and all risks. But who knows what the future might bring - the last word on the Vrouw Maria and its treasures may not yet have been spoken.
Somehow, this story had managed to completely pass me by during the dozen years I've been living in Finland despite apparently having been in and out of the media spotlight for the past couple of decades. Now that I'm suitably intrigued, I'll certainly be keeping my eye out for any further mention of it in the news and will also be checking out Koivusaari's memoir.

*** I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. ***

[Tracie Gutknecht · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non-fiction

This was a well crafted, well researched book about the Vrow Maria shipwreck. It sunk off the coast of Finland with many precious art pieces aboard. The most famous being The Nursery by Gerrit Dou. These paintings were bound for Russia for Catherine the Great.

This book delves into Catherine's past and how she became Empress of Russia. We learn how Catherine became such a collector. We get meticulous documentation of the Golden Age of Dutch painting. Dou was a protege of Rembrandt and surpassed Rembrandt during his day. The records shared regarding the buying and selling of paintings over the centuries is exhaustive. Interspersed between the history of art and the primary characters involved we get the story of the ship, the wreck and the subsequent finding of the salvage.

I guess my love of fiction mind/heart ultimately wanted a better story. I also wanted a "win" for the wreck hunter. This book is filled with wonderful history lessons, but came off a bit dry. I'm a better educated person for having read this book and it was interesting, but feel that the description misled me. I thought I was going to get a more exciting story to go along with all the facts and it just didn't get there, for me.

[Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this is a nonfiction account of a shipwreck carrying the most valuable painting in the world to Catherine the Great in 1771, the authors made this a very enjoyable read. The book was divided into 3 sections. The first concerned the Golden Age Dutch Master Gerrit Dou, who I was not aware of prior to this; and how Catherine the Great came to power and her efforts to put Russia into the top tier of European culture. The second dealt with the the decline of Dou's reputation among art critics and the search for the wreck of the Vrouw Maria, which contained art pieces for Catherine's Hermitage, including Dou's masterpiece The Nursery. The third involved finding the wreck, and the subsequent fight over whether to salvage the wreck or not.
The authors presented a narrative that was not meant to be a text book, but accessible to the curious, like myself. I learned more about art than any time since an art appreciation class in college. I learned more about how Catherine the Great earned that designation. There was information about ship salvaging techniques used for 250 years and real life wreck hunters that could appear in a Clive Cussler story. And bureaucracy that could almost make me feel the stickiness of the red tape.
I did receive this copy for free through BookSirens for an honest review.

[Ali L · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book nimbly weaves together so many differing strands: the paintings of Dutch masters and the European art market; the life of Catherine the Great; the politics of underwater archeology; and the science of finding and exploring shipwrecks. I knew almost nothing about any of those subjects before I started the book and felt like I learned quite a bit about all of them. I found myself wanting to pick the book back up any time I had a chance, just to see what the next chapter would be about. If you have any interest in fine art, shipwrecks or European history, there's something for you in this book.

Disclaimer: Mara Voorhees and I both worked on the same project several years ago, but we did not work together and my review is not based on our former work relationship. I genuinely really enjoyed this book – so much so that I ordered a second copy to send to my stepfather, a painter and art history lover.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fascinating book! As suspenseful and compelling as any thriller, it’s the story of the Vrouw Maria, a merchant ship which left Amsterdam in October 1771 with a consignment of Dutch masterpieces destined for Catherine the great of Russia. Sadly the ship sank into the Baltic Sea near the coast of Finland and there it has remained, visible, accessible but contentiously not salvaged. The ship and its precious cargo has become a legend and the rights to it fiercely contested. Meticulously researched, the book weaves together the story of the wreck with an overview of the history and art of the era, the life of Catherine and her passion for collecting art, the legal battles arising from attempts to salvage the Vrouw Maria, a dissection of the arguments about who actually now owns the cargo, an examination of whether the precious art works could have survived, and so much more. A really exciting, interesting and multi-layered read.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Expertly researched story. Reads part history lesson, part compelling marine adventure. The authors cleverly interweave these yarns into a fun and compelling page turner. If you enjoy Russian history, art or treasure hunting, this is the book for you.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book since I wanted to know more about Tsarina Catherine known as “The Great”. It also piqued my interest since my Great Grandfather emigrated to the United States from Finland in 1903. I was not disappointed in learning more about the first two. I also was pleasantly surprised how much I learned about Europe before the start of the United States and the Dutch Golden Age of art.
Regarding the Dutch Art, I had heard of Rembrandt and Vermeer but not Gerrit Dou, the creator of the treasure lost by Tsarina Catherine. The authors filled in many gaps and made him a character rather than a name in a book. Most of the other artists mentioned in the book I skimmed over in an attempt to keep the story moving.
An added personal gift within the book was information about Finnish history and more personally the Turku Cathedral (of which I have a painting hanging on my wall) and where Grandpa John was an altar boy many years ago.
If I were an art student, I would have better enjoyed the details about artists. I wish a maps were in the book so I could follow the action and locate cities spoken about.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was incredibly interesting. It was well researched and I particularly appreciated the time that was taken to interview people who had all sorts of differing opinions on what should happen with the ship and its contents. I also really liked that this was a book both about the shipwreck and about the art in its hold. The amount of history that is packed into just this one shipwreck is pretty stunning.

The one sticking point for me is that I think it really needed an editor to look at it critically to take out parts that were interesting but not completely relevant to the story of this particular shipwreck. Even with narrowing the focus of the book, the story would still have been compelling. In places, all the other details brought in were a bit distracting.

Overall, a good book and well worth the time spent reading it. Anyone with an interest in history, art, or maritime matters will find this a good read.

I received a copy of this book through BookSirens and this is my honest review.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

A passion for European & art history & Catherine the Great is what initially attracted me to The Tsarina’s Lost Treasure. What kept me engaged throughout the entirety of this book was the suspenseful multi-layered tale of the Vrouw Maria shipwreck. The resultant aftermath of the attempts to retrieve the ship’s valuable, prized cargo & the interesting accompanying cast of characters involved makes for an enticing adventure. Authors Gerald Easter & Mara Vorhees competently synthesize all of these montages into a flowing, seamless read. Although the final fate of this shipwreck is yet to be determined, Easter & Vorhees bring to the surface the wondrous achievements & notability of the great Dutch Golden Age painter Gerrit Dou. Of which most of us would never have known about, but for this intriguing story.

[Jessica - How Jessica Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE TSARINA’S LOST TREASURE is a delightful mix of: the life of Gerrit Dou, one of Rembrandt’s star pupils, Dou’s most famous painting which Catherine the Great tried to acquire, and the shipwreck of the Vrouw Maria, which condemned Dou’s art to the bottom of the Baltic Sea for centuries.

The lens of the Vrouw Maria wreck is used to cover a broad array of topics, from historical Russian politics, Dutch merchants, and art history to archaeological diving controversies, modern Finnish-Russian relations, art preservation, and everything in between.

Full review coming for Shelf Awareness.

[Curtis Edmonds · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are basically four kinds of books:

1. Books that you dislike to the point where you actively discourage people to read them
2. Books that you dislike and move on from
3. Books that you like but that aren't that big a deal one way or another
4. Books that you like a great deal and encourage others to read

The problem with the whole entire world is that there really aren't that many books in #4, and that it's hard to find them, and that there isn't enough time to read all of them anyway.

Setting that aside for a moment, one of the books I have in #4 is a book called SHADOW DIVERS, by Robert Kurson, and is just an incredibly good story about the discovery of a World War II submarine off the cost of New Jersey. So what I would like you to do at this point is stop reading this review and pick up SHADOW DIVERS and read it, and then come back and finish this review. Okay? Thanks so much.

(brief pause to allow you to read SHADOW DIVERS)

Great! I hope you enjoyed it, and thanks for coming back. All right. So SHADOW DIVERS was awesome, right? But it could have been better, couldn't it?

Yes, it could.

Stay with me.

It could have been better if there had been a parallel story about the U-boat and how it sank, right?

Come on. You know I'm right.

Let me explain. I am not trying to say anything bad about SHADOW DIVERS. It is a very good book on its own. It doesn't necessarily need to have a parallel story about the U-2 mission. It is fine the way it is and it is not fair to blame it for being what it is not. Are we good? Okay.

If you have read this far, thank you again, and I am mostly trying to be silly because it is very late and I am completely exhausted and probably not hitting on all eight cylinders here, but this is the thing about THE TSARINA'S LOST TREASURE--it's a #4 book and it tells all the backstory.

Sounds cool, right?

(Okay, stay with me a little longer because this is the start of the actual review and the first sentence is a little complicated.)

THE TSARINA'S LOST TREASURE is a book about a ship that sunk while it was carrying a consignment of paintings by Dutch Old Masters from a legendary art collection in Amsterdam to Catherine the Great's court in St. Petersburg, and the subsequent rediscovery of the wreck and the legal brangling that followed.

Got all that?

Okay, that is, really, you have to admit it, a LOT of backstory all in one package. But it all hangs together beautifully. There's the story of the shipwreck itself. Then there's the story of Gerrit Dou, the underappreciated student of Rembrandt who deserves better from history. Then there's the story of the wine merchant turned art dealer who built up a fabulous collection of Dou and other Dutch paintings, and let it all be auctioned away. Then on top of that you have the story of Catherine the Great, and her efforts to build Russia as a force in the Enlightenment art world, complete with lots of intrigue, and then on top of that you have the story of the discovery of the wreck and the back-and-forth between multiple stakeholders about what happens to it.

It is a dirty, rotten shame that THE TSARINA'S LOST TREASURE came out during the darkest days of the pandemic, and if you missed it that's probably why. (My novel, A CIRCLE OF FIRELIGHT, came out a month before the start of the lockdown.) But you can find it now, and if any of this sounds the least bit interesting to you, pick it up. I can't recommend it highly enough.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Multiple layers of interest here; the author described the 17th century Dutch art world, shipbuilding, trade, politics, and shipwreck salvaging. At the heart of the story is the merchant ship Vrouw Maria, which went down in storm in the Baltic Sea while carrying a cargo that included outrageously pricey art destined for Catherine the Great. I was very interested in the fact that the most expensive piece of art on board was done by Gerrit Dou. I was not familiar with the name! He was a student of Rembrandt, but far surpassed him in popularity and sales. He was the first international superstar artist. Rembrandt died broke; Dou died wealthy. But after their deaths, Rembrandt had a better PR art critic praising him and disparaging Dou. Such are the ridiculous vagaries of the art world and art pricing.

It was felt that due to conditions in the Baltic Sea, the oil paintings on wood might very well have survived. Many efforts were made back then and through the years to salvage the wreck, but then the legal hassles set in. It was a privately Dutch-owned ship. It was carrying cargo paid for by Russia. It sank in seas belonging to Finland – except Finland wasn’t even an independent nation at the time of the sinking. It was Swedish territory then. The wreck was located by a Finnish diver. But the Finns didn’t want the bureaucratic work associated with bringing up the cargo, raising the ship, preserving anything, or building a museum. The Swedes offered to pay for it, and Finland rejected them. Too much paperwork involved. They claim they are “preserving” the wreck by letting it lie. And so it remains on the sea floor.

[Émilie Weidl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Vrouw Maria is arguably the most extraordinary shipwreck discovery of modern times--a peerless cultural artifact of Enlightenment Europe.

In October, 1771 the Vrouw Maria, a Dutch merchant ship, crashed and sank in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Finland. Hidden deep inside the vessel were a dozen Dutch masterpiece paintings purchased by Catherine the Great. This included The Nursery, the most famous work of Gerrit Dou, then hailed as the greatest of the Masters of the Dutch Golden Age and later eclipsed by his teacher, Rembrandt, thanks to the preferences of modernists. Catherine the Great’s searchers were never able to locate the Vrouw Maria, and its location remained a mystery for over 200 years. Once it was located, shipwreck salvaging politics and maritime legal battles abounded.

I really did not know what to expect when I started this book. I had anticipated mainly Russian history centred around Catherine the Great, but I instead got a mash-up of Russian history, art history, maritime law, and shipwreck salvaging. If any of these topics interest you, I highly recommend picking this up.

‘You know the triptych by Gerrit Dou is on board,’ Kjell enthused. ‘That’s the most precious piece of art in the world.’ Indeed, The Nursery was once the most revered painting of the Dutch Golden Age.

Normally, I refuse to read any books set at sea or centred around ships. For some reasons those topics bore me incredibly. I could not put this book down. I was on the edge of my seat wanting to know what ended up happening to the shipwreck and the paintings hidden deep inside. My heart was beating really quickly and I couldn’t tear my eyes from the page, all because of an unmoving shipwreck.

While the ending was disappointing, this is not the authors’ fault. I just didn’t like what ended up happening in real life. The authors did an incredible job setting up the importance of the treasure and then exploring the various power dynamics that determined what happened to it. Definitely going to be shoving this book into the hands of multiple people.

Thank you so much to Pegasus Press and Book Sirens for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an epub of this for free.

I love reading about royals, and am casually interested in archaeology - not that much into art, but this book was still really interesting. I finished it within a day!
It's split into three parts: The first tells you the history of Catherine the Great, Dutch art and how those two met - leading to the legendary shipwreck of Vrouw Maria. The latter two parts fast forwards to modern times, where you can read a lot about how the ship was found and what happened after. There is more sprinkled throughout, but that's the gist of it.
What surprised me about this book is that it reads like a novel. The authors really make the history come alive! It's really well researched. My only complaints are that it jumps back and forth between the topics quite a bit, and there aren't any pictures. I would really have appreciated if they included photos of the artworks they talked about, the ship, Catherine the Great of course, and so on.

I really recommend this if you're interested in these topics, and especially if you struggle with non-fiction! This is a pretty easy read compared to what you'd imagine it to be.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Hannah Sukonick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a terrific mix of adventure, Russian history during Catherine the Great, and art history of the 18th century Dutch masters. The authors weave the stories of the great artists studying under Rembrandt, the rise of Katherine the Great to power (including her passion for art collecting), and a hunt for a shipwreck with its’ art treasures buried at sea. The story opened my eyes to how goods were transported back then, how often ships perished in the Baltic Sea, and all that goes into locating and excavating a shipwreck. One of the authors is a travel writer for Lonely Planet, and the other is a historian and educator. Their backgrounds shine through in the storytelling of this non-fiction account of “The Tsarina’s Lost Treasure”. I didn’t want the book to end, and it left me curious for more.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC]

This book presents a fascinating overview of a number of topics: the art of the Renaissance, the Russian empire’s eminence in Europe, Catherine the Great’s rise to power, the history of art dealership, the process of rescuing a shipwreck, and more.

I think my favorite part – along with the description and intrigue of the Russian court – was the introduction I received to Gerrit Dou’s work. Though I was somewhat familiar with the Dutch masters’ art, I had not heard or read about Dou before. After researching his work, “Sleeping Dog” has become one of my all time favorite paintings. The level of detail is exquisite. His talent was truly immense – surpassing even his teacher Rembrandt, in my opinion.

In short, this is an enthralling, well-written read for fans of art, history, or anyone looking for a story that will keep them hooked.

[NoBeatenPath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book does a great job of taking a single item or event - in this case the sinking of a ship - to explore a myriad of issues. With The Tsarina's Lost Treasure the authors takes the reader through stories about the golden age of Dutch art (including introducing us to a near-forgotten artist), Russian history both past and contemporary, marine archaeology, Finnish museum bureaucracy and marine law. The reader is introduced to a cast of interesting character across a long historical timespan, and the authors do a great job of fleshing out even secondary characters. I am very glad I read this book - it was both entertaining and educational.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-written and well-researched book that weaves together art,politics, and the passage of time. Prior to reading this book, I was not familiar with Gerritt Dou or the Vrow Maria. After reading the book, I’m eager to do more of my own research.

Pro’s

-Comprehensive look at the issues surrounding shipwrecks

-Detailed look at life in the time of Catherine the Great

Con’s

-A bit too much detail regarding Finnish in-fighting

Overall, an excellent, though long read for art lovers, fans of shipwrecks, or those interested in Catherine the Great.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Elena Enns · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be perfect for Art History lovers (specifically lovers of the Dutch Golden Age), lovers of Russian Imperial History, and those who simply love a good old treasure hunt. Going from the sailing of the Vrouw Maria in 1771 to 3D scans of the wreck in 2020, this book takes the reader through history.
One of the main things I found interesting about this novel was how fine arts such as paintings were such big contenders in international relations back in the late 1700s; and that how even now the ownerships of the Greats denotes power.

[Jason Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Tsarina's Lost Treasure is a tour of Northern European Art History, a crash course in Catherine the Great's reign, and a critique of Finnish nautical archaeological policy. There is a clear appreciation on the part of Gerald Easter and Mara Vorhees for the work of Dou and his place among the greatest of the Flemish painters. It is also evident that Mr. Easter and Ms. Vorhees have disdain for the art critics of the late 20th Century who contributed to the decline in stature of Dou. They present a compelling case for a thorough excavation of Vrouw Maria, the Danish merchant ship which sank while carrying a collection of Masterpieces from Amsterdam to St. Petersberg. They portray the Finnish authorities as amazingly uncurious about the wreck, while at the same time, paralyzed by the fear of making the wrong decision about the study and preservation of the wreck. This attitude is understandable in a way, due to the number of competing claims to the wreck - especially the Russian government, who appear to only care about getting Catherine's treasure back. The book is a quick read and I enjoyed this fore into the world of Renaissance art, nautical archaeology, and Russian history.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Well written, well researched, and laced with a wry humour. I would have liked if the authors had thrown in a few more dates here and there. Chapters didn't begin with an indication of the time of events, so I kept going back to previous chapters, or I’d stop reading to check Wikipedia and reorientate myself. Also, as there are no illustrations, I spent a lot of time searching online for images, especially of the paintings, and I wasn’t successful in all cases. However, this was a frustration that spoke to how interesting the book was. I highly recommend for those interested in art history, or the life of Catherine the Great.

I received a copy from BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best type of historical novel in my eyes - a true story told as a narrative. I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded. The action was engrossing, and I learned an incredible amount along the way.

I will be recommending this novel to my students for those who want action and adventure, as well as those who enjoy historical fiction. I will be buying a copy for my classroom library and hoping it doesn't disappear, as all the good books seem to!

[Tony Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real triumph of narrative history. This has everything, sunken treasure boats, a lost painter whose paintings rivalled Rembrandt and Vermeer in their power to beguile, a lesson in geo cultural warfare and the tale of a little German girl who would become an Empress. Everyone should read it

[Jeffrey Armstrong]

If you're a lover of sea stories, adventure, treasure hunting, art, unique European history or scuba diving, then singularly or a combination of any of these you'll enjoy this book. It is well written and excellently researched for you to enjoy the voyage.

[Allyssa Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Spanning from the days of the famous painters like Rembrandt to the 20th century, this book’s woven plot is amazing. I am happy I read this book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Vansa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling, well-researched book about a specific shipwreck, that is deeply insightful about art,
collecting and the genesis of the modern public art museum. In 1771, Catherine the Great’s art buyers secured a significant haul of great artworks at an auction. Enroute to Russia from Amsterdam however, the ship ran into a storm in the always treacherous Baltic Sea ( a very busy route ), and the precious cargo was lost. The authors use this incident to give you a look at the Dutch Golden Age of Art, Catherine the Great’s rise and reign, and the race across empires to raise their prestige by acquiring and patronising artists. As the authors show, a rising middle class in the Netherlands wanted to collect art, and who better to patronize than those young Dutch artists one seemed to hear of everywhere-Rembrandt von Rijn and Gerrit Dou? This was a very different art market to cater to than the one till then, where mostly aristocrats and royal families commissioned artworks to show their devotion. This new type of art collector wanted artworks to display in their homes as a sign of their economic and social rise, so the themes changed from Biblical/mythological themes to commonplace events-a lady with an earring, a farmer ploughing his field. It seems obvious now, but I thought this was a fascinating insight-practically a revolution in art and who is deemed worthy of being immortalized on canvas. The book focusses on the most important painter of the time, Gerrit Dou, who’s practically unheard of now, and traces his career, and subsequent opinions by art critics that led to the spotlight being trained exclusively on Rembrandt. I loved the meticulous descriptions of the process of creating an artwork,with artists mixing their paints elaborately, creating some colours themselves from household items, preparing the canvas and making the frames as well. There’s some fascinating writing comparing Rembrandt’s colour palettes and the effects he achieves with those browns and grays. The book alternates these chapters to chronicle the life of Sophie Auguste from its beginnings with her ambitious,
domineering and narcissistic mother to her consolidation of power in the complicated court of
St.Petersburg. Empress Catherine managed to get the Russian Orthodox Church on her side, since her husband, the Tsar Peter, was curtailing their powers, and their collections of taxes and using it for the royalty instead. The description of the events leading up to her coup make for riveting reading. Empress Catherine felt that Russia was lagging behind in terms of culture, and she wanted her country to rival the famed cultural capitals of her contemporaries Frederick the Great of Prussia ( her one time sponsor to the Russian court)and Louis XV, and held sparkling soirees where the rule was to cross-dress, and corresponded with all the great minds of the time ( French, of course, in her opinion), such as Diderot ( wary of her despotic tendencies, very willing to be her art dealer), Montesquieu. All of this was , of course, at the expense of her subjects, who were taxed at higher and higher levels. Empress Catherine embarked on an art collecting spree, that spurred nationalist sentiments in England, France and The Netherlands-how could this Russian upstart, from a no-name family, have the temerity to take away their masterpieces? Irrespective of the fact that they hadn’t been particularly bothered about those masterpieces till she showed an interest in them! The authors show how aristocratic families could no longer profitably live off the land, with a new middle class emerging and fewer people willing to work their bones off at agriculture for distant landlords. TO fund their lifestyles and maintain their estates, several of them resorted to selling off their art collections and through her well connected ambassadors, the Golitsyns, Empress Catherine was a willing buyer. This led to the British and the French also stepping in to prevent these works leaving the country, as a part of national policy, and as the authors mention, these collections formed the basis for the National Gallery at the British Museum ( as it was then), and the core of the Louvre. Absolutely fascinating to read how this outburst of nationalistic sentiment served
to create public museums, something they weren’t thinking of at all when they were merely trying to outbid Catherine! This forms around 60% of the book, and for me, undoubtedly the highlight. I didn’t much enjoy the remaining 40% of the book, which dealt entirely with the search for the shipwreck, the technicalities and legalities involved. There were still some fascinating details-such as the large scale sale of Empress Catherine’s carefully collected artworks in the 50s by Russia, to fund a desperately poor country, while simultaneously Stalin’s propaganda machine firmly maintained that those were fakes!
The authors continue to follow the lives of some of Gerrit Dou’s masterpieces-showing how, in a similar fashion to the Dutch burghers, newly minted American millionaires also sought to project status and culture through the collecting of artworks-focusing on the Dutch masters and their immortalization of the commonplace, and ultimately bequeathing these to the public, much like had been done in earlier centuries!
Artists themselves don’t always belong to the privileged elite, and sought to capture moments, daily life,and Gods behaving like humans. Their works shouldn’t be for a rarefied elite, and this book shows the process of that changing. Highly recommended.

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, that was a struggle. It´s written in so dry and emotionless language, as if I was reading a news report. I finished it feeling very, very tired.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

[Hans Moerland · Rating 4 out of 5]

“De verzonken kunstschatten van de Vrouw Maria” van het schrijversduo en echtpaar Gerald Easter en Mara Vorhees heeft als ondertitel ‘De geschiedenis van een verdwenen zeilschip vol Hollandse meesters’. Bij lezing blijkt dat een geschiedenis van grote rijkdom, letterlijk zowel als figuurlijk. Zo wordt men in menig hoofdstuk geconfronteerd met de zeer royale beurs waarover achttiende-eeuwse en ook latere kunstverzamelaars beschikten alsook met de grote uitgaven die (zouden moeten) worden gedaan om het gezonken schip de Vrouwe Maria op te sporen, eventueel te lichten en al dan niet vergane meesterwerken van schilders als Rembrandt, Paulus Potter en, in de eerste plaats, Gerard Dou boven water te brengen. Het boek getuigt echter ook van rijkdom in die zin dat het buitengewoon onderrichtend is en dat de auteurs hun lezers een schat aan interessante informatie voorschotelen – op tal van gebieden, uit diverse eeuwen en van uiteenlopende landen en plaatsen.
Aldus komt men in deel I bijvoorbeeld van alles te weten over de in de zeventiende eeuw zo florerende Hollandse schilderkunst en over Europese vorsten en vorstenhuizen van jaren her, over de historie van Leiden en Amsterdam, over verzamelwoede en veilingprijzen, over vaarroutes en scheepsbouw. In de delen II en III stuit men op onderwerpen die variëren van duiktechniek tot het gekissebis, het getouwtrek en de kinnesinne die in diplomatieke, politieke en museale kringen aan de dag worden gelegd vanaf het moment dat de Vrouw Maria getraceerd en mogelijkerwijs geborgen zou kunnen gaan worden.
De reconstructie van de onderhavige geschiedenis laat zich vlot lezen, met dien verstande dat het af en toe toch wel heel verleidelijk is het boek even terzijde te leggen om nog eens met behulp van Google een nadere blik te werpen op het werk van al die beroemde kunstenaars – met name van Gerard Dou, de man van het Leidse Galgenwater om wie veel draait in “De verzonken kunstschatten van de Vrouw Maria” en die als schilder oorspronkelijk mogelijk overschat zou zijn geweest, vervolgens enigszins ondergewaardeerd en in recentere tijden duidelijk in ere hersteld. Overigens komt men als lezer wel heel veel, niet allemaal even relevante, namen tegen, zoals de auteurs zich ook wat al te gretig tonen zelfs het kleinste zijpaadje te bewandelen dat ze maar kunnen inslaan. De tekst is bovendien niet helemaal vrij van overbodige herhalingen, wellicht een gevolg van het feit dat er sprake is van een coauteurschap. Het non-fictieve karakter ervan wordt op sommige plaatsen wat verlevendigd door toevoeging van zinsneden of passages die zich niet anders laten kwalificeren dan als fictie. Het zij zo, denk ik dan. Storender acht ik het dat de uitgever en/of de vertalers van (ook!) dit boek het, naar het zich laat aanzien, niet de moeite waard hebben gevonden een jurist eens kritisch te laten kijken naar de formulering van juridische aangelegenheden. Het zal wellicht met de vertaling van de oorspronkelijke Engelse tekst in het Nederlands te maken hebben, maar wraking kan niet worden begrepen als de beslissing van een procespartij (die kan alleen besluiten tot een verzoek om wraking) en de termen ‘bezit’ en ‘eigendom’ verwijzen toch echt naar verschillende concepten (welk verschil –en ik ben over het algemeen heel terughoudend om dat woord te gebruiken– in de context van het verhaal nu juist essentieel is). Een personenregister of een grafische weergave van relaties tussen of binnen de meest relevante Europese vorstenhuizen zou ik trouwens ook op prijs hebben gesteld.
Genoeg gemekkerd nu, de door het echtpaar Easter-Vorhees vertelde geschiedenis van een verdwenen zeilschip vol Hollandse meesters is gewoon een heerlijk boek, met een open einde. Gelukkig weten de auteurs daaraan, ondanks alles, ten slotte toch nog een positieve boodschap te verbinden: “Wat is er in deze tijd belangrijker voor Europa –en voor de hele wereld– dan een verhaal dat uitstijgt boven xenofoob, nationalistisch gedachtegoed en ons opnieuw in contact brengt met de buitengewone humanistische waarden waarop onze moderne samenleving is gegrondvest? Dát is de cultuurschat van de Vrouw Maria, en nog steeds is er een ‘sprankje hoop’ dat die ooit geborgen kan worden en ons allemaal zal verrijken” (pp. 372-373). En dit tik ik dan nota bene op de dag dat het onvermijdelijk lijkt te zijn geworden dat Nederland op heel korte termijn zal worden opgezadeld met een kabinet van griezelig hoog PVV-gehalte…

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine, if you will, that it’s one o’clock in the morning, and you’ve opened the Wikipedia page for the Vrouw Maria: an 18th Century Dutch shipwreck containing paintings bought by Catherine the Great. You read a bit about the boat, and the day the storm sank, and then you open in a new tab the article about the painter of the lost art. Then about Catherine the Great. Then about the art historian who decided the artist was no good and wrote him out of history, then a later art historian who decided he should be rewritten back into history, and while you’re there you may as well read about the man who founded Washington DC’s National Gallery. Then you read about the diver who discovered the wreck, and then before you know it you’re knee-deep in the legal battle between the diver and the Finnish National Bureau of Antiquities, including maritime law, antiquities law, the European Court of Human Rights, UNESCO Heritage Sites, and somehow, Swedish multi-millionaires.

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That’s what reading this book is like – and it’s not a bad thing at all. It’s everything (and I mean everything – the authors were very thorough) you might want to know about one lost painting, and the events that came before and after it. The book is split into two parts. Part one is about the history of the painting, the painter, and how Catherine the Great came to buy it. Part two is about the modern day attempts to recover the shipwreck and the painting, and the complexities raised by these plans. Prepare yourself, though; no stone is left unturned, and it’s a slow read to get through the sheer amount of detail and background given to us.

That being said, this was – surprisingly – a very gripping read. Although I read it incredibly slowly I felt like I was reading a gripping, page-turner of a thriller, and although that meant I got a little disappointed when I realised how little I’d read after an hour or more of reading, it wasn’t hard to sit down and get absorbed back into the story.

The biggest drawback for me was a lack of citations. For a popular non-fiction book you wouldn’t expect footnotes, but the bibliography was impossible to find on Kindle; I didn’t even know it was there until I found it hidden in the epilogue. When the authors are painting such a vivid story, though, it was hard to know what was fact and what was fiction (or rather, fictionalised fact for embellishment). Especially in the historical chapters people would say things, or feel things, or do things, and it wasn’t always clear how we know this. Did they say it to someone who wrote it down? Was it a diary entry? For the later chapters about people still living, it wasn’t always clear if the people involved had been interviewed by the authors, or if they had used quotes from other interviews, or people’s recollections. Without a way of checking chapter notes or a bibliography, a brief note in the text would have tied the whole thing together very nicely.

This is definitely a niche interest book. If you are interested in the subject matter, definitely pick it up (when you have many hours to spare!). If you’re not, this probably isn’t the book to get you into it. For those of you who do pick it up, though, it’s a treat of a read.

Thank you to the author for providing me with a review copy.