Today’s Monday Muse is based on a book of historical fiction I recently read and while it’s not about traditional art, such as painting or sculpture, the subject relates to the amount of art that was stolen and forever lost during World War II.
The author is Steve Berry, and the title of the book is, “The Amber Room.” Although the book was historical fiction, the Amber Room was real and became known as the Eighth Wonder of the World. It was a chamber created in the 18th Century and made of amber panels, backed with gold leaf and mirrors, and was located in the Catherine Palace near Saint Petersburg. During World War II, the Amber Room was dismantled and stolen by the German Army.
I found it interesting that prior to the invasion, the curators in the Soviet Union covered the room with plain wallpaper in an attempt to hide the priceless room. Their plan did not work and the Germans were able to remove the room and transport it to East Prussia. An order was given to move it again, but prior to moving, the area was heavily bombarded; the room has not been seen since.
There are numerous stories about what happened to the room, including being destroyed during a bombing in April of 1945. Another theory is that it was loaded onto a German submarine, which was eventually destroyed. A few pieces of the room were found in the possession of the family of a soldier who claimed to have taken part in the packing of the chamber.
To this day, there is still no evidence of where it might be or if it was destroyed. Based on old photographs, the Amber Room was reconstructed between 1980 and 2003.
-Jim