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Stealing the Mystic Lamb

The True Story of the World's Most Coveted Masterpiece

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Stealing the Mystic Lamb

By: Noah Charney
Narrated by: John Allen Nelson
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About this listen

Jan van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece is on any art historian's list of the 10 most important paintings ever made. Often referred to by the subject of its central panel, the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, it represents the fulcrum between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It is also the most frequently stolen artwork of all time.

Since its completion in 1432, this 12-panel oil painting has been looted in three different wars, burned, dismembered, forged, smuggled, illegally sold, censored, hidden, attacked by iconoclasts, hunted by the Nazis and Napoleon, used as a diplomatic tool, ransomed, rescued by Austrian double-agents, and stolen a total of 13 times. In this fast-paced, real-life thriller, art historian Noah Charney unravels the stories of each of these thefts. In the process, he illuminates the whole fascinating history of art crime and the psychological, ideological, religious, political, and social motivations that have led many men to covet this one masterpiece above all others.

©2010 Noah Charney (P)2010 Tantor Art War Renaissance Imperialism Middle Ages Italy Interwar Period

Critic Reviews

"A brisk tale of true-life heroism, villainy, artistry and passion." ( Kirkus)
All stars
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Honestly, this is the worst reading performance I have EVER heard. Chat GPT would have done a far superior job. Heavy American accent, shooting out words at an insane speed. I had to listen at 0.7 speed. Pronunciation of most foreign words is atrocious, laughable. Read at the exact horrid intonation throughout.
The book itself is, however, wonderfully written and researched. What a shame!

Awful narrator

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