The Master of Utrecht

The Master of Utrecht is a testimonial to the power of love and art to heal even our deepest wounds. Utrecht, 1629. A city of war and plague. A painter and his family grieve the loss of a beloved wife and mother. A young refugee wakes up outside the city walls with no memory of his past. As their paths converge, their lives will change forever. Meanwhile, as we journey between corrupt, corsair-controlled Saint-Malo to the gilded court of Rudolf II’s Prague, the mystery surrounding two crimes of passion – and the creation of a masterpiece – unfolds. A meditation on loss, memory and the role of dreams, The Master of Utrecht captures this seventeenth-century city in vivid and sensual detail. Through rich historical context and a pacey, gripping plot, Harwood – an artist writing about artists – sheds light on a thriving unsung scene of the Dutch Golden Age. Utrecht’s Untold Golden Age The first of a trilogy, The Master of Utrecht is a work of historical fiction featuring several real-life characters, among them the merchant and artist Joachim Wtewael and the Flemish painter Roelant Savery – both lesser-known yet influential figures in the development of Dutch art, who played significant roles in the religious and political struggles of their day. “I will always be inspired by the legacy of creative energy I find in Utrecht’s abundant artistic communities,” says author and artist Geoff Harwood, whose research led him deep into the creative heart of his hometown. “Organizations founded 400 years ago, such as the Painters Guild and Utrecht’s drawing academy, still exist in contemporary forms today and have continued to evolve, connecting and collaborating with the wider community, continually inspiring and healing us in times of crisis. I wanted to write something that celebrated the power of that.” A tale of love, trauma and art therapy, told in another time, The Master of Utrecht is the first novel to shine a light on this forgotten aspect of Utrecht’s history and culture.

Utrecht, 1629. A city of war and plague. A painter and his family grieve the loss of a beloved wife and mother. A young refugee wakes up outside the city walls with no memory of his past. As their paths converge, their lives will change forever. Meanwhile, as we journey between corrupt, corsair-controlled Saint-Malo to the gilded court of Rudolf II’s Prague, the mystery surrounding two crimes of passion – and the creation of a masterpiece – unfolds. A meditation on loss, memory and the role of dreams, The Master of Utrecht captures this seventeenth-century city in vivid and sensual detail. Through rich historical context and a pacey, gripping plot, Harwood – an artist writing about artists – sheds light on a thriving unsung scene of the Dutch Golden Age.  Utrecht’s Untold Golden Age The first of a trilogy, The Master of Utrecht is a work of historical fiction featuring several real-life characters, among them the merchant and artist Joachim Wtewael and the Flemish painter Roelant Savery – both lesser-known yet influential figures in the development of Dutch art, who played significant roles in the religious and political struggles of their day.  “I will always be inspired by the legacy of creative energy I find in Utrecht’s abundant artistic communities,” says author and artist Geoff Harwood, whose research led him deep into the creative heart of his hometown. “Organizations founded 400 years ago, such as the Painters Guild and Utrecht’s drawing academy, still exist in contemporary forms today and have continued to evolve, connecting and collaborating with the wider community, continually inspiring and healing us in times of crisis. I wanted to write something that celebrated the power of that.” A tale of love, trauma and art therapy, told in another time, The Master of Utrecht is the first novel to shine a light on this forgotten aspect of Utrecht’s history and culture.