Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann convincingly strips away the calumnious legends of the mad emperor. His marvelous, contextualized portrait of Rudolf II reveals a complex personality grappling with political and religious upheavals. His greatest legacies are as a discerning connoisseur and the active patron of some of the finest early modern European scientists and artists. * Jeffrey Chipps Smith, Professor Emeritus of Art History, The University of Texas at Austin, and author of Kunstkammer * Ostrich eggs, narwhal tusks, automatons, fabulous art treasures, fantastic scientific instruments, the wizard John Dee and the astronomer Johannes Kepler this was the world of Rudolf II, and Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann gives us as many gems in describing Rudolfs reign as adorned the extravagant crown that the emperor designed. He shows how Rudolfs patronage of the arts, and the motifs in the paintings which he commissioned, amplified the mystique and magnificence of monarchy, and he portrays Rudolf as a master of the middle way in politics and religion. * Martyn Rady, Masaryk Professor Emeritus of Central European History, University College London, and author of The Middle Kingdoms: A New History of Central Europe *
