Wisdom and Strength

A biography of the painting Wisdom and Strength, detailing its owners' lives and piccadillos, Paolo Veronese' influence, and its ups and downs in the world of art and life

Watson has chosen a single Renaissance painting, Paolo Veronese's Wisdom and Strength , on which to base a freewheeling group portrait of some 20 of the richest, most powerful art patrons of the last 400 years, from "mad Hapsburg Emperor Rudolph II," who commissioned the painting, to robber baron Henry Clay Frick, whose estate now owns it. By explaining how and why the painting journeyed from owner to owner, Watson ( Caravaggio Conspiracy ) sheds light on topics ranging from the "secret meanings of allegory" to the dominant hues of Thomas Hope's (of Hope Diamond fame) drawing room. Yet, though he describes his book as the biography of a painting, Wisdom and Strength itself receives only a fraction of the attention lavished on the characters and habits of its owners. And while the author discusses such art historical developments as the rise of mannerism, the relationship of the baroque to the Counter-Reformation and the changing role of the artist in society, Watson's main concern is the nature of high-powered art dealing. Photos not seen by PW .
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The 16th-century painting "Wisdom and Strength," an allegory by the Venetian Paolo Veronese, passed through the hands of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, Queen Christina of Sweden, the Duke of Orleans, and Thomas Hope, and survived war looting, art market fluctuations, and numerous journeys across Europe before reaching its current home at the Frick Collection in New York. British journalist Watson traces the colorful lives and times of the painting's owners, interjecting nontechnical discussions of patronage, the history of pigment, and similar art historical topics. The color plates that would have helped to show why collectors so coveted this luminous masterpiece are notably absent--the painting being reproduced in color only on the book jacket. Still, this is an unusual book that makes for good reading. Recommended for public libraries.
- Annette Melville, Research Lib . Group, Stanford, Cal.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.