King of the Confessors

I read this book when it first came out in 1981 and recommended it to everybody I knew. I loved this book. It had elements of mystery and intrigue in the world of art and at the time, it was the most exciting non-fiction read of my life. 25 years later, it still resonates with me like no other book of the time, except perhaps Umberto Ecco's "The Name of the Rose." A must read for anybody who loves art and suspense. More recent stories of the search for a work of art pale in comparison.

I read this book when it came out many years ago and my copy has been read and re-read many times over the years. It's a great non fiction book about an ivory cross that the former director of the Met found and pursued and finally purchased, after many setbacks and frustrations along the way. It brings you into the world of art, history, museums and museum directors and brings it all to life. After I read it, I made sure I visited the Cloisters the next time I was in New York City to see the actual cross. You mustn't miss both book and Cross!

This book is not for everyone, but if you like a good mystery story, where the heroes, villains, and bit players just happen to be real, historic people, this is for you ! Hoving is a great writer, who knows how to take a fairly simple story and lead you through all the twists and turns of byways, blind alleys, false hopes, and triumphs. You are with him every step of the way. A great vacation book, 330 pages on non-stop action.

Hoving has a hyperactive mind, a mind that jumps to conclusions (his "gut feel" is always on) and is paranoid in nature. He is delightfully funny, condescending in his thought process, but very entertaining, informative and precise. His lure for exactness even causes him to risk coming up a "loser" with egg on his face. The books flows easily because he entices the reader on every page with a deeper drive to resolve the mystery, learn the history and creation of the "incomparable" Bury St Edmunds cross. Did I mention the business dealings with a world of crooked con-artists, questionable characters, slime balls, shysters, liars and what appears to be the worse of the lot, other curators? The behind the scenes dealing to acquisition of the cross is heart breaking and at times unbearable. Hoving must have kept a very detailed personal diary/journal, because he has entirely recaptured the stress level that was so obviously apparent in acquiring the cross. The research of the cross teaches the early development of the church philosophy through scripture from the earliest known Latin, Greek, and Hebrew texts. Hoving is no dummy, he knows research, art history, human behavior and he uncovers as remarkable story, a portion of which contains what may be some of the earliest written recordings of anti-Semitism. The entire book is a great insight into the remarkable history of the cross, the approach of a curator not afraid to research for no other reason than to learn the truth! I gathered a deal of respect for the institutions of the world that maintain human history either in museums,libraries or galleries. Without a doubt the book must have one of the best descriptions of the immensity of the Collecting Point. The description comes first handed with a quote from Jim Rorimer, curator of the Met. Taken on its own, it incorporates the side of a very often overlooked and under publicized topic of post WWII: the attempts to correct the wrongful appropriation of property taken by the raping, looting and pillaging of treasures by the Nazis. KING OF THE CONFESSORS is a story that teaches in more areas imaginable. It is a must read for anyone interested in art, medieval English artifacts, church history, text/scripture translation, and the true meaning of a "New Testament" (in light of the "OLD"). It also teaches the importance of proper care for relics,archaeological finds,antiquities, and art not only as objects, but as fact. History is usually written by the "winners", but emotional qualitites are real human traits often depicted and captured in art, sort of like history with "feelings". Hoving will give you a greater appreciation for art, relics/antiquities and artifacts, both on a historical and an emotional level.