The Museum of Mysteries

Book excerpt: Who was the model for Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring? How were the Nazca Lines- the giant drawings scrawled across Peru's desert coast- created? Why is Botticelli's The Birth of Venus an ingenious example of mathematic computation? Travelling across centuries and continents, this collection of forty enigmatic artworks and artists examines secrets that have confounded experts and amateurs alike. Presented in beautiful colour spreads, each work or artist is profiled in an absorbing and accessible commentary that draws on the latest research. While some of these mysteries have been solved, many others continue to stump even the most learned scholars. Find out what they know - and what they don't - in this compelling collection that will deepen readers' appreciation of some of the world's most recognisable masterpieces. AUTHOR: Elea Baucheron is an art historian who works as a researcher and writer in Paris. Diane Routex is a writer and publisher based in Paris. 200 illustrations