Master of Shadows: The Secret Diplomatic Career of the Painter Peter Paul Rubens

Presumably, scholarly readers will find little here to stimulate their interest; the general reader will find this footnote to art and diplomatic history, enlightening and entertaining.The author devotes sufficient space to the political-military conflicts of the various monarchies influential in the fate of the part of the Netherlands to allow us to understand the rationale for Rubens diplomatic endeavors. He provides sufficient art historical knowledge of Rubens Art to allow us to understand the reputation which gave him access to the leading Western European Courts which welcomed him even when his goals were understood by them to be contrary to their own.Shining above the particulars of Art and Diplomacy is the character of a man who, equal to any, typified the values of wise commitment to a Europe, free of the Religious, Political,Economic and Status hostilities which impeded creation of conditions for greater wealth and well-being for all.Well-written and a good story. Easily accessible to the average reader.

In this book Mark Lamster talks about the machinations, secret diplomacy, arrangements and connections of the painter Peter Paul Rubens. His was a whirlwind career, playing out in Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Madrid, Mantua, London and everywhere in between in the service of the Spanish Habsburgs; most often under cover of a painting commission. As a painter he "picture[d] the most powerful men and women of his day, and the institutions they controlled, not necessarily as they were, but as they wished to be seen." Lamster brings Rubens to life - :"tall and physically attractive", with friends and connections everywhere. - yet, I was left not really knowing much more of Rubens than when I started this book. Sometimes I found myself wondering where the many quotes really came from - maybe it was a Kindle edition - but there really were no references. Some were given in the appendix, but not really enough to follow up.

If I described this book as a detailed biography of the great Baroque painter, you might wonder whether it could sustain your interest for a book-length read. But then you might miss this highly entertaining and skillfully written book---not only a master painter, serious scholar, and astute businessman, Rubens was also a diplomat and spy who traveled in the upper echelons of European society and royalty. Against the backdrop of the Spanish Inquisition, the Eighty Years' War, and other historical events filled with intrigue, war, big personalities, and, yes, sex, the author tells a great tale of an extraordinary man in extraordinary times. Deftly written with great humor and care, Master of Shadows is a hard-to-put-down page-turner once you start. If only all "art history" was this much fun; hopefully Lamster will move on to other artists, assuming their stories are as fascinating as this.

This book is filled with fascinating information about the relationships among Italy, Germany, France, and Holland in the 1500's and 1600's, and how Rubens was deeply involved in the politics of these countries. The book is very well written. I am reading it on a Kindle and would like to have a map which I could access easily while reading the book to keep track of the countries he visits on his diplomatic and other journeys. I would also like more discussion of his artwork and some photos of the artwork (also easily accessible on the Kindle) would be nice.

My Book Club just read "Master of Shadows" so it was interesting to see the video which was superficially accurate but lacked the depth of the book. Detail was missing but seeing the actual pictures was delightful.

I did not know that Rubens was a diplomat as well as a talented artist. This book shows this other side of Rubens, as it details a very interesting political scene in Europe.

FIRST CLASS READING FOR THE PUBLIC WHO LOVES ART AND HISTORY CONNECTED. MARK LAMSTER IS A VERY TALENTED WRITER. COMPLETE DEDICATION, GRACEFUL ELEGANT STYLE ,THOROUGH RESEARCH. BRAVO !P.S. PITY, THAT IN THE 21ST CENTURY WE DO NOT HAVE ARTISTS, WHO ENGAGE COMPLETELY TO THE RESTORATION OF WORLD PEACE , LIKE RUBENS DID IN SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY EUROPE

The book is well printed, presented. The type is well spaced and a good size. The Matt text material used is easy on the eye and user friendly.Personally, I love the autumn colors in the cover. It is professional and attractive.The book is easy to hold.I love the look and feel of the book. It was well packaged and handled professionally.Thank you.

Really brings Rubens the artist and diplomat to life. Accessible and scholarly, written with real affection for the subject. Highly recommended - much better than other biographies of Rubens that I have read.

very good condition very pleased

It is more a novel than a history book. There is no reference to support the narrative. The author writes as if Rubens was a fictional character and an unknown painter... I have not finished reading this book.

Mark Lamster versucht in der Literatur fast in jedem Satz gehobenes Englisch auszudrücken, es wirkt eher geschwollen, als gekonnt. Sonst eine gute ausführliche Bibliographie von Rubens diplomatischer Seite.

ａｒｔ　ｏｆ　ｄｉｐｌｏｍａｃｙをキーワードに二日がかりでネットサーフィンして、あたりをつけて購入した一冊です。外交史の原点は、ウィーン会議にあるとかの説明をきいたことがありますが、外交そのものは、もっとまえからあるだろう、ギリシャの時代にもうあったはずだという確心からしつこくさがして、これにたどりつきました。（当時の外交使節の素養のひとつが、伝言を丸暗記していって、相手がたのまえで復唱できることであって、なぜかといえば、紙に書く、メモをとるなどするとかならず、途中でかきかえられる、すりかえられる、盗み読みされるなどの危険をともなったからと読んだことがあったので）光と影の画家でしられるルーベンスのもうひとつの顔を描いた本のようです。まだしっかりよんでいないのでどれくらいおもしろいかわかりませんが、一般には画家としてしか知られていない、ルーベンスに、裏の顔があったというだけでもおもしろいような。鹿鳴館でおどるイメージで外交をとらえているむきには、読んでおいていい一冊かもしれませんね。先日、中国の大使館員が情報収集していたとかで、新聞沙汰になりましたが、外交官はじめ大使館員が情報収集するのはあたりまえのことで、していたことが珍しいことであったり、違法なことであるかのようにさわぎたてたメディアのナイーブさに私はびっくりしましたが、外交官の諜報活動は、ホワイトと通称されるように、あたりまえのしごと。タイトルに、ｄｉｐｌｏｍａｔｉｃ　ｃａｒｅｅｒとありますが、外交使節として派遣されていたかいなかにかかわらず、なんらかのそれっぽい仕事をしていたのかな、とあたりをつけているのですが、実像は、読んでからのおたのしみ。読む前から想像されることなのだが、たぶん、日本語の外交と英語のｄｉｐｌｏｍａｃｙの一般に意味するところは相当ちがうぜ。追記：このレビューを書いたあと、ある外交官が、外交とは外国との交渉だとおもっていたが、相互理解・国際親善のことだと最近わかったというような記事を書いているのをみつけた。どちらの側面もあるのだろうが、私の知るかぎり、英語のネイティブとの英語での会話のなかでｄｉｐｌｏｍａｃｙの効用についてきいたところでは、「戦争によらない紛争の解決」と言っていたのを思い出す。やはり、いざとなれば、国際親善などというあまっちょろいものとは、一線を画すのが「外交」だろう。外国との交渉にあたるにあたって、あいての国の言語・社会・文化等について知らなければ、話がゆきちがっても気が付くこともできない、という意味では、相互理解は大切だが、ある面「あざむきあい」の側面も、外交にはつきまとうように私は感じる。公式の会談などにさきだって、あらかじめ諜報活動を駆使して相手側の動きをつかもうとするのもそのためではないのか。