Cart 0
A photo of a painting of a woman and maid in a gold frame. Behind to the right is a black and white photo of a woman. At the top is the title in thin, white capital letters. The subtitle is at the bottom in small white letters.

The Woman Who Stole Vermeer

Tax included.

The extraordinary life and crimes of heiress-turned-revolutionary Rose Dugdale, who in 1974 became the only woman to pull off a major art heist.

In the world of crime, there exists an unusual commonality between those who steal art and those who repeatedly kill: they are almost exclusively male. But, as with all things, there is always an outlier—someone who bucks the trend, defying the reliable profiles and leaving investigators and researchers scratching their heads. In the history of major art heists, that outlier is Rose Dugdale.

Dugdale’s life is singularly notorious. Born into extreme wealth, she abandoned her life as an Oxford-trained PhD and heiress to join the cause of Irish Republicanism. While on the surface she appears to be the British version of Patricia Hearst, she is anything but.

Dugdale ran head-first towards the action, spearheading the first aerial terrorist attack in British history and pulling off the biggest art theft of her time. In 1974, she led a gang into the opulent Russborough House in Ireland and made off with millions in prized paintings, including works by Goya, Gainsborough, and Rubens, as well as Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid by the mysterious master Johannes Vermeer. Dugdale thus became—to this day—the only woman to pull off a major art heist. And as Anthony Amore explores in The Woman Who Stole Vermeer, it’s likely that this was not her only such heist.

The Woman Who Stole Vermeer is Rose Dugdale’s story, from her idyllic upbringing in Devonshire and her presentation to Elizabeth II as a debutante to her university years and her eventual radical lifestyle. Her life of crime and activism is at turns unbelievable and awe-inspiring, and sure to engross readers.

 

Author: Anthony M. Amore

Format: Hardback

Publisher: Pegasus Books

ISBN: 9781643135298

We Also Recommend

A painting of a tiered tower building surrounded by green fields with a crowd looking on. Over top in the centre is ‘Bruegel’ in thin white letters.

Bruegel: Masters of Art
A white background with the title in red letters on a diagonal taking up most of the cover.

100 Secrets of the Art World
A miniature model of a squirrel sitting in a chair with its head on a table, a gun at its feet. The title is in the top left in shades of blue to green.

33 Artists In 3 Acts
Most of the cover is a painting of a cloudy blue sky. The title is in silver letters vertically down the left side in a navy bar that wraps round onto the binding.

Constable's Skies
A close up of an intricately detailed stained glass piece. A saint with a blue halo, crown and red clothes looks towards the viewer. The title is at the bottom in stylised white letters.

Dark Beauty