James Tait Black Memorial Prizes
The Vanishing Velázquez: A 19th Century Bookseller's Obsession with a Lost Masterpiece
An art-history nonfiction book that follows John Snare’s obsession with a lost Velázquez painting and the long pursuit it set in motion.
Work Information
An obsession with a missing painting changes a bookseller’s life and leads into a larger story of art and ruin.
Laura Cumming’s true-story narrative traces the mystery of a lost Velázquez work and asks how far art can shape a life.
Book Information
- Publisher
- Scribner
- Published
- 2016-04-12
- Pages
- 304 pages
- Language
- 英語
- Size
- 15.24 x 2.54 x 22.86 cm
- ISBN-13
- 9781476762159
- ISBN-10
- 9781476762159
- Price
- 3594 JPY
- Category
- 洋書/Arts & Photography/History & Criticism/History
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A Wall Street Journal Top 10 Nonfiction Book of 2016 “As compelling and entertaining as a detective novel” ( The Economist ), the incredible true story—part art history and part mystery—of a Velázquez portrait that went missing and the obsessed nineteenth-century bookseller determined to prove he had found it. When John Snare, a nineteenth century provincial bookseller, traveled to a liquidation auction, he found a vivid portrait of King Charles I that defied any explanation. The Charles of the painting was young—too young to be king—and yet also too young to be painted by the Flemish painter to whom the piece was attributed. Snare had found something incredible—but what? His research brought him to Diego Velázquez, whose long-lost portrait of Prince Charles has eluded art experts for generations. Velázquez (1599–1660) was the official painter of the Madrid court, during the time the Spanish Empire teetered on the edge of collapse. When Prince Charles of England—a man wealthy enough to help turn Spain’s fortunes—proposed a marriage with a Spanish princess, he allowed just a few hours to sit for his portrait, and Snare believed only Velázquez could have been the artist of choice. But in making his theory public, Snare was ostracized and forced to choose, like Velázquez himself, between art and family. A thrilling investigation into the complex meaning of authenticity and the unshakable determination that drives both artists and collectors of their work, The Vanishing Vel ázquez is a “brilliant” ( The Atlantic ) tale of mystery and detection, of tragic mishaps and mistaken identities, of class, politics, snobbery, crime, and almost farcical accident that reveals how one historic masterpiece was crafted and lost, and how far one man would go to redeem it. Laura Cumming’s book is “sumptuous...A gleaming work of someone at the peak of her craft” ( The New York Times ).
Laura Cumming has been the art critic of The Observer (London) since 1999. Previously, she was arts editor of the New Statesman magazine, literary editor of the Listener , and deputy editor of Literary Review . She is a former columnist for the Herald and has contributed to the London Evening Standard , The Guardian , L’Express , and Vogue. Her book The Vanishing Velazquez was longlisted for the Bailie Gifford Prize and was a New York Times bestseller.
Reviews
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About 35 years ago, I noticed a painting in a window of a local art gallery/semi-curiosity shop in the Chicago suburb where I lived. It was a largish painting of a young girl in Spanish court garb, and looked for all the world like a painting by Diego Velazquez. The painting was priced at $2000 - well-beyond my budget at the time - but I would visit the shop window almost daily for a few months, until it was sold. Could this painting be a Velazquez? For a mere $2000? I never would know but I later found out that several other people had eyed the painting, thinking, "maybe..." Now, I know that I should have found the $2000 from somewhere and bought the painting. Because, even if it wasn't a true Velazquez, it would have taken a large place in my heart. He and Albrecht Durer have long been my favorite painters, both because of their art, but also for the history they portrayed. British art historian Laura Cumming has written a book, "The Vanishing Velazquez: A 19th Century Bookseller's Obsession With a Lost Masterpiece", about John Snare, who purchased at an auction in 1845 a painting he thinks is a portrait of Prince Charles, painted by Diego Velazquez. Charles, heir to the British crown, made a trip to Spain to - maybe - marry a Spanish princess. The trip, which occurred in 1623, was the only time Charles was known to be in Spain, and Diego Velazquez - aside from two trips to Italy - never left Spain. But John Snare thought the painting was a Velazquez, bought it, and spent the rest of his life in homage to the painting. He displayed his treasure in England and Scotland for years - suffering through law suits - before leaving his family in Reading, and moving, with the painting, to New York City. He continued to show the painting, earning money that kept him in a precarious financial state til his death. He never returned to England and only once was reunited with a son, who was born after he and the painting absconded to the United States. John Snare truly lived his life in thrall of a painting. Laura Cumming writes about the hunt for both the provenance of Snare's painting, as well as the hunt for the painting itself. It seems to have disappeared into the mists of time and may have been destroyed physically or lost in the back rooms of a museum or in the attic of a country house. She takes the reader on a journey to both the courts of Kings James I and Charles I, as well as that of Spain's Philip IV. It was in this court where the genius of Diego Velazquez was seen in all it's glory; his paintings of court members and commoners alike give the Hapsburg Philip IV its place in history. Cumming describes both Velazquez's subjects and painting style and how that style influenced painters from then on. Laura Cumming's book is part mystery, part character-study, and part a history of the art and of the times the art was painted. My only complaint - and I'm not sure if its important - is that the display of the art plates in the Kindle version of the book is not great. I guess that most ebooks are lacking in adequate pictorial display. But Cumming's book is marvelous reading for anyone interested in history, art, and how art keeps its place in history.
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I have always had an excellent experience with my purchases. Everything arrives even sooner than expected and in perfect condition. I have only good comments to make about the products and the service!
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A fascinating mystery, inconclusive about the painting but profoundly insightful about the obsession of a collector, the legal issues in art appraisal and authentication, and the greatness of the master painter Velaszquez.
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After a very difficult time of the author's life when she wanted to avoid the pain of losing her artist father, she finds this mysterious bookseller who was obsessed with this portrait and whose life took on an amazing turn. The obsession of John Snare is the center of weaving the stories of the artist, his works, and the lives, both of the author and Snare. The author also talks about Velazquez's works--The waterseller, The Spinner, Las Meninas, etc. I was blessed to visit Prado, Scotland National Gallery and British National and Portrait Galleries in the recent years and have seen some of the paintings discussed in this book. The more I learn and read about art history, the more I appreciate the work of artist and art historians. this book was very interesting and educational about the philosophy behind Velazquez--democracy of art, dignity of all people, "neither awed nor repelled, only fascinated" "human understanding is the soul of Velazquez". How true!
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I am reading this book because it involves Velasquez, a painter who is in my top ten favourites, but I don't believe for a second that the painting at the centre of this narrative is a work by Velasquez.