The Lady with an Ostrich-Feather Fan: The Story of the Yusupov Rembrandts
“Portrait of a Gentleman in Tall Hat and Gloves” and “Portrait of a Lady with an Ostrich-Feather Fan” are two Rembrandt paintings that are at the heart of Frederick Andresen’s captivating novel, The Lady with an Ostrich-Feather Fan.
Rembrandt painted the portraits around 1660, and Andresen begins his book with the story of the couple who sat for them, but then the focus widens considerably as we follow the paintings – and the descendants of the lady with the ostrich-feather fan – through time.
The Dutch Empire’s golden age passes into fragmentation, unrest, and warfare, and the paintings survive it all, eventually coming into the possession of the wealthy Russian Yusopov family of art collectors. It’s a displaced and desperate Prince Felix Yusupov who sells the paintings to a wealthy American collector who, after a contentious legal battle with the original owners, donates the paintings to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, where they can be seen today.
Andresen handles this sprawling, painting-oriented plot with a good deal of skill and dramatic energy, and in the process he sheds light on both the art of Rembrandt and the passion of art collectors. A very involving book.
