Master of Shadows appears in the privileged upper-right quadrant — that would be “highbrow” and “brilliant” — of New York Magazine’s weekly Approval Matrix feature. To find out more about the book, which profiles the secret diplomatic career of the painter Peter Paul Rubens, listen to author Mark Lamster’s recent interview on the John Batchelor Show: : And be sure to check out his blog for more updates.
“Rubens’s story surprises and dazzles.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“In elegant brushstrokes, and using as his subject the painter/diplomat Rubens, Mark Lamster gives us here a vivid portrait of 17th century Europe and the political intrigue that led to the modern world.”
—Russell Shorto, author, The Island at the Center of the World
“Mark Lamster looks beyond Rubens’s talent for era-defining sensual nudes and delves into his little-known career as a diplomat and spy. The result is an exhilarating portrait of an age as dramatic and richly toned as one of Rubens’s gigantic canvases.”
—Ross King, author, Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling