The Forger's Spell - Edward Dolnick [176]
* The pianist Lorin Hollander recalls that one day, when he was three and a half, a car horn sounded outside. For the fun of it, Hollander’s father (a musician himself ) asked his son what note the sound was. “F sharp,” the toddler announced. The father clinked a glass with a spoon. “B flat.”
* And genuine experts may have blind spots. Hannema had a “two-track mind,” says Albert Blankert: nearly all his judgments were acute, but he made bewildering mistakes when it came to certain masters, notably Vermeer.
* No help was forthcoming. Soon after, Bunjes killed his wife and child and then shot himself.
* The altarpiece included twelve panels in all. Posey would discover three more panels in another chamber of the salt mine. The twelfth and last panel had been stolen in 1934 and has never been seen since. More accurately, the painting on one side of it has not been seen since 1934. The missing panel is one of eight that was painted on both sides. Immediately after the 1934 robbery, the thief sent the bishop of Ghent a note demanding a ransom of 1 million francs. Along with his ransom note he sent a ticket to a railway station locker. In the locker the police found one side of the missing panel, depicting John the Baptist, but then negotiations fell through. The case, one of the most important in the annals of stolen art, is still open.
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Epigraph
Contents
Preface
Part One
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Part Two
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Part Three
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Photographic Insert
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Part Four
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Part Five
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Epilogue
Notes
Bibiliography
Acknowledgments
Searchable Terms
About the Author
Other Books by Edward Dolnick
Copyright
About the Publisher