Synopsis hooked me. The story was incredibly interesting and I learned a great deal. I do have to say that this book is going to be for a very specific type of audience.

Thanks to Netgalley and FSG for the ebook. This is a fascinating book about how Napoleon, first as a general and later as emperor, conquers most of Europe and in the peace agreements he makes these countries sign he demands land, large amounts of cash and paintings and sculptures that will be relocated to the new museum, the Louvre. That last part is the main focus of the book. The book gives you the rise and fall of Napoleon, but also gives you the history of some of the paintings taken and the artists who made them, with a more detailed account about Paola Veronese’s Wedding Feast at Cana that was taken from Venice.

Very well done, but I only recommend reading this if you are very interested in this material. It leans into textbook sometimes, but since I love art history I was great with it. I don' t know how long this took to write, but it is so well researched and extremely interesting.

A fascinating look into the issue of art as plunder by taking the example of Napoleon and Veronese's Feast and using it to talk about a wider issue. I loved that we did not only learn about the act of plundering it but also about the work itself. There was also fascinating information about the Louvre and its transformation into the museum we know it as today. This was a genuinely introspective and interesting look into an extraordinary period of history.

This was a fascinating look at the role art can play in attempting to legitimize a new government, as the French Army conquered Europe and took art back to Paris. The Louvre was to become the center of arts in Europe, under first the Directorate and then Napoleon, and their idea was that all the world could come to the museum and be inspired by Italian masters, German and Austrian masters, antique Roman statues, and any other 'great works' the army could acquire. Cynthia Saltzman focuses on the Venetian "Wedding Feast at Cana" by Veronese as a dramatic example of the plundering of famous masters, describing the creation of the famous piece in 1563, what it meant at the time in Venice, and the difficulty of removing the piece due to its incredible size. It is a masterpiece that would inspire artists for generations, but the moving of the piece, cutting it, rolling it, and reassembling it, has caused issues that restorers are still working on today. I found it especially interesting that after the end of the wars and Napoleon's final exile, the fate of the plundered artwork was still much in question and it took people like the Duke of Wellington to insist that countries get their works back. Saltzman gives the reader a synopsis of the art of the Louvre, in particular the "Wedding Feast at Cana" and the danger such artwork was in from Nazi plundering as well, and how the piece has been restored and displayed up to 2021.

Full of interesting information about artwork, Napoleon, and the political role art and culture has played in history and warfare, "Plunder" is well written, well researched, and definitely an important read for anyone interested in history and art.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

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Plunder: Napoleon’s Theft of Veronese’s Feast by Cynthia Saltzman is a historical account of the way Napoleon Bonaparte plundered art during his conquests for the Louvre. Ms. Saltzman is a published author, focusing on late 19th century art.

A fascinating book about Napoleon‘s war and conquests weaponizing some of Europe’s most important artworks. The focus of the book is mainly The Wedding Feast at Cana, a large painting by Paolo Veronese. The painting, commissioned in 1562 by Benedictine monks at the San Giorgio Monastery in Venice, Italy. It was considered a masterpiece of unparalleled beauty.

This book combines politics, history and art history. Besides books about art theft during World War II, I never read any others which deal with the subject. I found Plunder: Napoleon’s Theft of Veronese’s Feast by Cynthia Saltzman to be an interesting primer of the time. Fascinating as well was the effort it took for artists not only to paint, but to make their own supplies.

I read this book as a e-galley, but I often had to stop to search for the paintings mentioned in the book. We live in wonderful times where most of the most magnificent and significant artworks in history are available to view, for free, with a few stokes on the keyboard. From experience I know it’s not even close to view the originals, but for my purposes it was good enough.

Ms. Saltzman finishes the book bringing the reader to current times, in the context of the title paintings. While it still resides in the Louvre, it is displayed opposite of the Mona Lisa, and does not get the recognition it deserves. The only time it moved was during World War II when the Nazis looted artwork throughout. This painting was never meant to be moved, but it did several times and is now put together in a way which does not make it moveable at all.

This book has many facets. The subject might be just one painting, but it also tells of the history of the time, military tactics, art history, and religious and regional politics. The author managed to find a fine balance, educating and information without confusing.
Bonus points for quoting War & Peace in context.

What visitor to Paris doesn't love the Louvre? But Cynthia Saltzman reminds us how some of the museum's treasures were acquired--through the plunder carried on during warfare, such as when Napoleon ransacked the treasures of Italy and Spain. The display of these famous masterpieces was a show of the emperor's strength. Some works were eventually returned to their home countries, but others were not. She traces the history of one particular artwork, The Wedding Feast at Cana (1563) by Paolo Veronese, from the time Napoleon removed it from the refectory of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice to where it hangs in the Louvre to this day near the Mona Lisa.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Sadly I only made it through a couple of chapters. I was debating on whether it was fair to give feedback based on such a small part, but I think the main problem for me is that the book feels like it's trying to be too many things at once: a history of Bonaparte's early career, a history of Venice, a history of art, to name a few. It's very well-written, hence the 3 star rating, but I would prefer less detail on some of the subjects and a tighter overall narrative. Although this is just personal preference I still thought it could be helpful for someone who is wondering about picking up the book. I'm really grateful to the publishers and Netgalley for giving me an advance review copy, and it's a book I might try again in the future.

A readable history of a piece of art that has transfixed an Emperor. In fact Napoleon was so obsessed with this particular piece he traveled to acquire it. A history not only of the art piece but it’s intriguing the lengths her took to take it. Looting art was always a part of his domination. His strategy for bringing a country to its knees. Take their art make it a prominent display. Run their faces in their defeat.

This book looks at the art that Napoleon and the French took from countries they defeated during the Napoleonic Wars to furnish the Louvre specifically through one particular painting, Paolo Veronese's <i>Wedding Feast at Cana</i>. Despite the return of the stolen artworks during Napoleon's reign <i>Wedding Feast at Cana</i> is still in the Louvre today and is in fact displayed on the wall opposite Leonardo da Vinci's <i>Mona Lisa</i>. Cynthia Saltzman strikes a good balance of looking at the art taken by Napoleon on his military campaigns as well as the campaigns themselves. I don't think you really need to have a great understanding of European art history or of Napoleon to pick this up with Saltzman's informative yet easily digestible writing style. I found the parts that Saltzman discusses the way that <i>Wedding Feast at Cana</i> was moved from Italy to France and then the various restoration works done on it since to be particularly interesting.

One thing that I was hoping would be talked about in this book and wasn't really deeply discussed was the idea of art repatriation, or the returning of stolen art or art acquired under questionable circumstances to their place of origins. Cynthia Satlzman does discuss that the artwork stolen by Napoleon were returned after the Napoleonic Wars, but I do wish she discussed that this is still something that museums are still doing into the modern day. Especially when it comes to the acquisition of art during colonialism. It doesn't need to become the focus of the book or anything but I thought it would have been a beneficial thing to discuss in the epilogue just to show that the returning of stolen art wasn't something that was only done at the end of the Napoleonic Wars.

If you are interested in either art history or a less discussed aspect of Napoleon's reign I would definitely recommend Cynthia Saltzman's <i>Plunder: Napoleon's Theft of Veronese's Feast</i>.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Plunder is a great mixture of different histories. The history of The Wedding Feast at Cana, the history of Napoleon's campaigns, rule, and fall, the history of the Louvre, and art history all rolled into one. A fascinating read that exposes how the Louvre became one of the best and well-known art museums as a result of war plunder and yet celebrates how making the plundered art accessible to the public fueled the art movements of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This is a great book and I definitely recommend it to history lovers and art lovers.

Napoleon looted art from most countries in Europe during his march to conquer the continent. This comprehensive and well-researched book mostly tells the story of his theft of Veronese's huge Wedding Feast at Cana, but it also discusses his avaricious looting of other art and artifacts, and his collections at the Louvre. Napoleon wanted to legitimise his art looting by showing how cultured and intelligent the French were, according to Cynthia Saltzman. He wanted to show that they were the true inheritors of the Enlightenment. I was really more interested in reading about Napoleon's looted art generally, and I got a bit tired of reading about Veronese's painting, so I found the second half of the book easier to read.

Napoleon's stolen art shocked the Allies and the countries he conquered, eventually resulting in rudimentary laws to protect cultural heritage. This book raises interesting ethical and legal issues, becoming more important today than ever.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Plunder, Napoleon's Theft of Veronese's Feast by Cynthia Saltzman is both a vivid read covering the vibrant art world of Italy and France's attempt to keep up, and an incredible read of Napoleon's determination to take what he wanted. Being part French, it was often difficult to read about the type of man Napoleon was. His inability to keep his word and take the magnificent art from its original home made me rethink my trips to the great art museums, particularly the Louvre.

This book took me a long time to read. I wanted to look up each piece of art and see what the artistic time in history looked like and imagine what was driving Napoleon. Cynthia's descriptions of where the paintings were hung and the people involved really made the story come to life. This really makes me pause and wonder. Perhaps some of the art needs to go back to their original country and owners. Also, I realize that I, as a tourist, just fed into the continued crime.

I received this book free of charge from Netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux publishers, but the opinions above are my own. Thank you for the opportunity to read this. It was an important read for me.

I read my free electronic galley copy of this book well in advance of the planned May 2021 publication date. As of this writing, no one has posted a photo of the book's subject, The Wedding at Cana by Veronese, on this Goodreads page. Here it is:

[image:] Wedding at Cana Vernonese

I got this photo from the website of the Louvre, where the painting hangs.

I come at this book as a history nerd, not an art nerd. However, I love to read about the intersection of art and politics. If you do too, I think you will enjoy this book. However, if your art education is limited, as mine is, you might have to show a little patience in Chapter 3. It is about how the subject painting got painted, and the specialized vocabulary comes a little hot and heavy. Sometimes explanations abut first usage (Kindle location 625: “… gesso – a white substance made of gypsum (calcium sulfate) mixed with binders of animal glue ….”), but in other places (e.g., location 644) terms like azurite and smalt defeated the dictionary residing inside my Kindle. Ditto for orpiment and realgar (location 673).

I am the type of reader who has to go to another device to check, but if you are less tightly wound than I am, you may just shrug and guess from context, probably correctly.

Similarly, when a particular painting is mention, I usually felt the need to quit the recumbent and take a look for myself. The ideal version of this book in the ideal version of this world would have beautifully-detailed reproductions included at the ready for examination (and yet, somehow, still not be outrageously expensive), but the free advance galley on my old-school black-and-white Kindle doesn't exist in that world. I must remind myself, someday after May 2021, to stop at one of the few remaining quality bookstores left standing and see if the paper copy of this book includes this feature.

Anyway, after Chapter 3, this book is about the twists and turns of fate that got the painting removed from the dining hall of an island monastery in Venice and hung in its current residence at the Louvre. The history nerd in me enjoyed the bureaucratic and political machinations which carried out Napoleon's plans to bring this work of art to Paris, and then allowed it to stay there after Napoleon fell from power, even after many other great works of art were returned to their native countries.

Irony (I): one of the British diplomats who advocated the return of Napoleon's looted art was William Richard Hamilton, who at another time was private secretary to the Earl of Elgin, of “Elgin Marbles” fame.

The painting had to come down from its perch in the Louvre on occasions when those pesky Germans were in an aggressive mood. The book makes clear that these travels and secret storages were not at all good for this now old and fragile work of art. Some seriously talented art restorers must have laid hands on it when it returned because, from all indications, it is still looking pretty good.

Irony (II): Today, the painting often looks out on a crowded sea of uninterested backs, because it faces Mona Lisa. I am ashamed to say that my memory from my long-ago trip to this room of the Louvre was of the backs of a sea of people snapping away at Mona Lisa with their pre-smartphone-era cameras, but I have no memory of The Wedding at Cana.

I hope I get to look at The Wedding at Cana with fresh eyes, some fine post-pandemic day, knowing what I know now, from this interesting book.

I wanted to post a second photo of The Wedding at Cana hanging at the Louvre. I thought the photo was really clever and enjoyable, but it is a stock photo for sale. I thought the owners of the rights might get all stroppy if I took a screenshot and reposted without surrendering the toll. The photo is delightful because it is of a modern-day crowd in the Louvre in front of the painting, photographed so it looks like the busy mob of guests formerly trapped in the painting has somehow bled through the fourth wall, assumed modern dress, and joined the spectators. See this image here:

https://www.alamy.com/visitors-in-front-of-the-wedding-feast-at-cana-by-veronese-the-largest-painting-in-the-louvre-gallery-parisfrance-image216515904.html

I received a free electronic galley copy of this book from Farrar, Straus and Giroux via Netgalley. Thanks to all.

This book is incredibly interesting. The author takes on the subject of a particular painting, but also delves into the history of the time when this was acquired by Napoleon's army. It does not go into too much detail. I think she found the correct balance because if you do want more detail, you can read a book about Napoleon and his wars or about Veronese and his art.

Napoleon demanded artwork as part of the treaties he signed with conquered nations (Italy was mostly city states at the time, but you get the idea). This particular painting was affixed to a wall where it had originally been painted in a church in Venice. In order to move it, the painting was subjected to damage. This painting is still part of the Louvre collections today. Was that a spoiler? I think if you can look it up on the internet, it shouldn't count.

If you like art and history, I definitely recommend it.

Standing before The Wedding Feast at Cana by Paolo Veronese a person might wonder how it came to be in the Louvre. Or the nuts and bolts of how such a large painting could be moved. As background Cynthia Saltzman describes the importance of art and artists in 16th century Venice, including an overview of Veronese's work there. She recounts the contract and execution of The Wedding Feast at Cana, created for a specific wall in the refectory of San Giorgio Maggiore in 1563.

Two hundred years later Napoleon Bonaparte began a military campaign in northern Italy. The French Directorate included orders to seize paintings and sculptures there and send them back to France. Venice had declared itself neutral, but we know how that goes and, despite its size (32' by 22') Cana was selected. With all the other art it was eventually transported to Paris, where the galleries at the Louvre gained popularity and stature with the additional displays.

Napoleon, of course, continued on both politically and militarily until his reign collapsed. Then much of the art was returned, but not Cana. Saltzman brings the painting's story up to the present, completing a well told history.. The book is a very interesting read, with extensive notes and bibliography..

An interesting double form of art history: Saltzman looks closely at the original period and production of Veronese's Wedding Feast at Cana, and at the context of Venetian art and art production in the sixteenth century, but the focus of the book is on the looting of art in the Napoleonic Wars. Focusing on the Veronese masterpiece allows Saltzman to tell a microhistory that nevertheless contains the broader strokes of this pattern of looting, and the way art was beginning to be tied to national history and status in the early nineteenth century. There's such a sea-change between what art meant in the sixteenth century to what it meant by Napoleon's time, and Saltzman draws the necessary parallel to the looting of art by Nazi Germany and how that was, in fact, often 'justified' by a list of 'stolen' art dating back to the Napoleonic Wars. An interesting book about not just a single painting, but about art and war and nationhood.