Although his popularity is eclipsed by Rembrandt today, Peter
Paul Rubens was revered by his contemporaries as the greatest
painter of his era, if not of all history. His undeniable
artistic genius, bolstered by a modest disposition and a reputation
as a man of tact and discretion, made him a favorite among monarchs
and political leaders across Europe—and gave him the perfect cover
for the clandestine activities that shaped the landscape of
seventeenth-century politics.
In Master of Shadows, Mark Lamster brilliantly recreates the
culture, religious conflicts, and political intrigues of Rubens’s
time, following the painter from Antwerp to London, Madrid, Paris,
and Rome and providing an insightful exploration of Rubens’s art as
well as the private passions that influenced it.