{"product_id":"the-tsarinas-lost-treasure-catherine-the-great-a-golden-age-masterpiece-and-a-legendary-shipwreck-9781643139425","title":"The Tsarina's Lost Treasure: Catherine the Great, a Golden Age Masterpiece, and a Legendary Shipwreck","description":"\u003cb\u003eA riveting history and maritime adventure about priceless masterpieces originally destined for Catherine the Great.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOn October 1771, a merchant ship out of Amsterdam, \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eVrouw Maria\u003c\/i\u003e, crashed off the stormy Finnish coast, taking her historic cargo to the depths of the Baltic Sea. The vessel was delivering a dozen Dutch masterpiece paintings to Europe's most voracious collector: Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia. Among the lost treasures was \u003ci\u003eThe Nursery\u003c\/i\u003e, an oak-paneled triptych by Leiden fine painter Gerrit Dou, Rembrandt's most brilliant student and Holland's first international superstar artist. Dou's triptych was long the most beloved and most coveted painting of the Dutch Golden Age, and its loss in the shipwreck was mourned throughout the art world. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eVrouw Maria\u003c\/i\u003e, meanwhile, became a maritime legend, confounding would-be salvagers for more than two hundred years. In July 1999, a daring Finnish wreck hunter found \u003ci\u003eVrouw Maria\u003c\/i\u003e, upright on the sea floor and perfectly preserved. \u003ci\u003eThe Tsarina's Lost Treasure \u003c\/i\u003emasterfully recounts the fascinating tale of \u003ci\u003eVrouw Maria\u003c\/i\u003e--her loss and discovery--weaving together the rise and fall of the artist whose priceless masterpiece was the jewel of the wreckage. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eGerald Easter and Mara Vorhees bring to vivid life the personalities that drove (and are still driving) this compelling tale, evoking Robert Massie's depiction of Russian high politics and culture, Simon Schama's insights into Dutch Golden Age art and art history, Gary Kinder's spirit of, danger and adventure on the beguiling Archipelago Sea.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eGerald Easter\u003c\/b\u003e is a Professor at Boston College who has been teaching and writing about Russian\/East European politics and history for more than two decades. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eMara Vorhees\u003c\/b\u003e is a travel writer with an expertise in Russia, New England, and Central America. She has written or contributed to more than 40 guidebook editions, published by Lonely Planet.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Pegasus Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50485258125586,"sku":"9781643139425","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_31493172-6cc3-4b09-8364-1fcff38b8fda.jpg?v=1730400976","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-tsarinas-lost-treasure-catherine-the-great-a-golden-age-masterpiece-and-a-legendary-shipwreck-9781643139425","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}