| The Flanders Panel | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Arturo Pérez-Reverte |
| Original title | La tabla de Flandes |
| Translator | Margaret Jull Costa |
| Country | Spain |
| Language | Spanish |
| Genre(s) | Crime novel |
| Publisher | Alfaguara (First edition), Harcourt Brace & Company (First English edition) |
| Publication date | 1990 |
| Published in English |
1994 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 418 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 84-204-8079-7 ISBN 0151489262 (first English edition) |
The Flanders Panel (original Spanish title La tabla de Flandes) is a novel written by Spanish author Arturo Pérez-Reverte in 1990, telling of a mystery hidden in an art masterpiece spanning from the 15th century to the present day.
Contents |
Julia, an art restorer and evaluator living in Madrid, discovers a painted-over message on a 1471 Flemish masterpiece — appearing as the cover of the book —called La partida de ajedrez (The Chess Game) reading "Qvis Necavit Eqvitem", written in Latin (English: "Who killed the knight?").
With the help of her old friend and father-figure, the flamboyantly homosexual César, and Muñoz, a quiet local chess master, Julia works to uncover the mystery of a 500-year-old murder. At the same time, however, Julia faces danger of her own, as several people helping her along her search are also murdered.[1]
The 1994 British film Uncovered, starring Kate Beckinsale and John Wood, is a cinematic adaptation of the novel.