The forger's spell : a true story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the greatest art hoax of the twentieth century / Edward Dolnick.
Material type: TextPublication details: New York : Harper, c2008.Edition: 1st edDescription: xii, 349 p., [16] p. of plates ; ill. (some col.) ; 24 cmISBN:- 9780060825416 (hardcover)
- 0060825413 (hardcover) :
- 759.9492 B 22
Item type | Current library | Collection | Shelving location | Call number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult Book | Phillipsburg Free Public Library | Adult Non-Fiction | Adult Non-Fiction | 759.9492 DOL | Available | 36748001815713 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
New York Times Bestseller
"Dolnick brilliantly re-creates the circumstances that made possible one of the most audacious frauds of the 20th century. And in doing so Dolnick plumbs the nature of fraud itself . . . an incomparable page turner." --Boston Globe
As riveting as a World War II thriller, The Forger's Spell is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived. As Edward Dolnick reveals, his true genius lay in psychological manipulation, and he came within inches of fooling the world. Instead, he landed in an Amsterdam court on trial for his life. The Forger's Spell is the gripping, true tale of this almost perfect crime.
Includes bibliographical references (p. [295]-330) and index.
As riveting as a World War II thriller, The Forger's Spell is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter, Han van Meegeren, who dared to impersonate Vermeer centuries later. The con man's mark was Hermann Goering, one of the most reviled leaders of Nazi Germany and a fanatic collector of art.
Table of contents provided by Syndetics
- Preface (p. xiii)
- Part 1 Occupied Holland
- 1 A Knock on the Door (p. 3)
- 2 Looted Art (p. 6)
- 3 The Outbreak of War (p. 9)
- 4 Quasimodo (p. 14)
- 5 The End of Forgery? (p. 18)
- 6 Forgery 101 (p. 22)
- 7 Occupied Holland (p. 26)
- 8 The War Against the Jews (p. 30)
- 9 The Forger's Challenge (p. 33)
- 10 Bargaining with Vultures (p. 40)
- 11 Van Meegeren's Tears (p. 44)
- Part 2 Hermann Goering and Johannes VerMeer
- 12 Hermann Goering (p. 51)
- 13 Adolf Hitler (p. 55)
- 14 Chasing Vermeer (p. 57)
- 15 Goering's Art Collection (p. 62)
- 16 Insights from a Forger (p. 66)
- 17 The Amiable Psychopath (p. 77)
- 18 Goering's Prize (p. 82)
- 19 Vermeer (p. 85)
- 20 Johannes Vermeer, Superstar (p. 88)
- 21 A Ghost's Fingerprints (p. 93)
- Part 3 The Selling of Christ at Emmaus
- 22 Two Forged Vermeers (p. 105)
- 23 The Expert's Eye (p. 109)
- 24 A Forger's Lessons (p. 115)
- 25 Bredius (p. 121)
- 26 "Without Any Doubt!" (p. 127)
- 27 The Uncanny Valley (p. 132)
- 28 Betting the Farm (p. 137)
- 29 Lady and Gentleman at the Harpsichord (p. 139)
- 30 Dirk Hannema (p. 145)
- 31 The Choice (p. 150)
- 32 The Caravaggio Connection (p. 163)
- 33 In the Forger's Studio (p. 167)
- 34 Christ at Emmaus (p. 170)
- 35 Underground Tremors (p. 173)
- 36 The Summer of 1937 (p. 179)
- 37 The Lamb at the Bank (p. 186)
- 38 "Every Inch a Vermeer" (p. 192)
- 39 Two Weeks and Counting (p. 198)
- 40 Too Late! (p. 201)
- 41 The Last Hurdle (p. 203)
- 42 The Unveiling (p. 207)
- Part 4 Anatomy of a Hoax
- 43 Scandal in the Archives (p. 213)
- 44 All in the Timing (p. 218)
- 45 Believing Is Seeing (p. 223)
- 46 The Men Who Knew Too Much (p. 227)
- 47 Blue Monday (p. 234)
- 48 He Who Hesitates (p. 239)
- 49 The Great Changeover (p. 243)
- Part 5 The Chase
- 50 The Secret in the Salt Mine (p. 249)
- 51 The Dentist's Tale (p. 252)
- 52 Goering on the Run (p. 256)
- 53 The Nest Egg (p. 260)
- 54 Trapped! (p. 262)
- 55 "I Painted It Myself!" (p. 265)
- 56 Command Performance (p. 272)
- 57 The Evidence Piles Up (p. 276)
- 58 The Trial (p. 280)
- 59 The Players Make Their Exits (p. 288)
- Epilogue (p. 291)
- Notes (p. 295)
- Bibliography (p. 325)
- Acknowledgments (p. 331)
- Index (p. 333)