Laura Morelli

An exciting, dual-timeline historical novel about the creation of one of Leonardo da Vinci's most famous paintings, Portrait of a Lady with an Ermine, and the woman who fought to save it from Nazi destruction during World War II. Milan, 1492: When a 16-year old beauty becomes the mistress of the Duke of Milan, she must fight for her place in the palace--and against those who want her out. Soon, she finds herself sitting before Leonardo da Vinci, who wants to ensure his own place in the ducal palace by painting his most ambitious portrait to date. Munich, World War II: After a modest conservator unwittingly places a priceless Italian Renaissance portrait into the hands of a high-ranking Nazi leader, she risks her life to recover it, working with an American soldier, part of the famed Monuments Men team, to get it back. Two women, separated by 500 years, are swept up in the tide of history as one painting stands at the center of their quests for their own destinies.

A Novel of World War II and Da Vinci's Italy

The Night Portrait

From the acclaimed author of The Night Portrait comes a stunning historical novel about two women, separated by five hundred years, who each hide Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa--with unintended consequences. France, 1939 At the dawn of World War II, Anne Guichard, a young archivist employed at the Louvre, arrives home to find her brother missing. While she works to discover his whereabouts, refugees begin flooding into Paris and German artillery fire rattles the city. Once they reach the city, the Nazis will stop at nothing to get their hands on the Louvre's art collection. Anne is quickly sent to the Castle of Chambord, where the Louvre's most precious artworks--including the Mona Lisa--are being transferred to ensure their safety. With the Germans hard on their heels, Anne frantically moves the Mona Lisa and other treasures again and again in an elaborate game of hide and seek. As the threat to the masterpieces and her life grows closer, Anne also begins to learn the truth about her brother and the role he plays in this dangerous game. Florence, 1479 House servant Bellina Sardi's future seems fixed when she accompanies her newly married mistress, Lisa Gherardini, to her home across the Arno. Lisa's husband, a prosperous silk merchant, is aligned with the powerful Medici, his home filled with luxuries and treasures. But soon, Bellina finds herself bewitched by a charismatic monk who has urged Florentines to rise up against the Medici and to empty their homes of the riches and jewels her new employer prizes. When Master Leonardo da Vinci is commissioned to paint a portrait of Lisa, Bellina finds herself tasked with hiding an impossible secret. When art and war collide, Leonardo da Vinci, his beautiful subject Lisa, and the portrait find themselves in the crosshairs of history.

A Novel of World War II and the Mona Lisa

The Stolen Lady

Venice, 1510. The daughter of a master gilder hides a secret inside a renowned painter's studio, but the Black Death foils her plans.

A Novel of 16th-Century Venice

The Painter's Apprentice

A Novel

Last Masterpiece

As a colossal statue takes shape in Renaissance Florence, the lives of a master sculptor and a struggling painter become stunningly intertwined. Florence, 1500. Fresco painter Jacopo Torni longs to make his mark in the world. But while his peers enjoy prestigious commissions, his meager painting jobs are all earmarked to pay down gambling debts. When Jacopo hears of a competition to create Florence's greatest sculpture, he pins all his hopes on a collaboration with his boyhood companion, Michelangelo Buonarroti. But will the frustrated artist ever emerge from the shadow of his singularly gifted friend? From the author of THE PAINTER'S APPRENTICE and THE GONDOLA MAKER comes a gorgeously crafted, immersive tale of Renaissance Italy. Based on a true story.

A Novel of Michelangelo's David

The Giant

Il ritratto notturno

Florença, 1479. Bellina Sardi, órfã e ama de Lisa Gherardini desde a infância, é incumbida de a acompanhar aquando do seu casamento com um comerciante de seda, um homem próspero e fiel aliado dos poderosos Médicis. Mas Bellina é apanhada no meio das convulsões sociais da cidade, e tem de escolher entre a família que a acolheu e o carismático monge que incentiva os florentinos a revoltarem-se contra os Médicis e a riqueza obscena que acumulam. Leonardo da Vinci anseia por fazer arte, mas é confrontado com a necessidade de sustentar o seu estilo de vida luxuoso aceitando comissões. Considera que pintar a mulher de um homem rico não dignifica o seu talento, mas não tem outra opção. Começa assim a obsessão que o acompanhará toda a vida. França, 1939. Paris está mergulhada no caos da ocupação alemã. A jovem Anne, arquivista novata e recém-chegada ao Louvre, é incumbida de manter as obras de arte fora do alcance do inimigo. No museu, todos sabem que estão a pôr as suas vidas em risco ao iludirem os Nazis, mas o amor pela arte e a ânsia de liberdade e justiça falam mais alto. Anne e os seus colegas movem freneticamente a Mona Lisa e outros tesouros de castelo em castelo, um pouco por toda a França. Mas à medida que o inimigo se aproxima, Anne começa a desconfiar de que o segredo para salvar o último reduto de dignidade de um país pode estar, afinal, na sua própria família. Uma ode poderosa e apaixonada a uma obra de arte que poderia ter desaparecido sem deixar rasto, e à vida de uma mulher que não poderia imaginar que ainda hoje – em pleno seculo XXI - estaríamos a admirar o seu rosto.

A Dama Roubada

Two women, separated by five hundred years, hide Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa-with unintended consequences. From the USA Today bestselling author of The Night Portrait comes a stunning historical novel that will forever change the way you look at the Mona Lisa. Florence, 1479: House servant Bellina Sardi's future seems fixed when she accompanies her newly married mistress, Lisa Gherardini, to her home across the Arno. But when Lisa's husband asks Master Leonardo da Vinci to paint a portrait of Lisa, Bellina finds herself tasked with hiding an impossible secret. France, 1939: As the Nazis close in on Paris at the dawn of World War II, a young archivist, Anne Guichard, helps the frantic Louvre staff spirit away the Mona Lisa and other priceless works of art to hiding places in the French countryside. But as the dangerous game of cat and mouse comes to a head, Anne realizes her own family may hold the secret to returning the Louvre's collection to safety.

Award-winning historical fiction set in 16th-century Venice -Benjamin Franklin Digital Award -IPPY Award for Best Adult Fiction E-book -National Indie Excellence Award Finalist -Eric Hoffer Award Finalist -Shortlisted for the da Vinci Eye Prize From the author of Made in Italy comes a tale of artisanal tradition and family bonds set in one of the world's most magnificent settings: Renaissance Venice. Venetian gondola-maker Luca Vianello considers his whole life arranged. His father charted a course for his eldest son from the day he was born, and Luca is positioned to inherit one of the city’s most esteemed boatyards. Soon he will marry the daughter of an artisan prow-maker, securing a key business alliance for the family. But when Luca experiences an unexpected tragedy in the boatyard, he believes that his destiny lies elsewhere. Soon he finds himself drawn to restore an antique gondola with the dream of taking a girl for a ride. The Gondola Maker brings the centuries-old art of gondola-making to life in the tale of a young man's complicated relationship with his master-craftsman father. Lovers of historical fiction will appreciate the authentic details of gondola craftsmanship, along with an intimate first-person narrative set against the richly textured backdrop of 16th-century Venice. "I'm a big fan of Venice, so I appreciate Laura Morelli's special knowledge of the city, the period, and the process of gondola-making. An especially compelling story." --Frances Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan Sun "Laura Morelli has done her research, or perhaps she was an Italian carpenter in another life. One can literally smell and feel the grain of finely turned wood in her hands." --Pamela Sheldon Johns, author of Italian Food Artisans "Romance, intrigue, family loyalty, pride, and redemption set against the backdrop of Renaissance Italy." --Library of Clean Reads "Beautiful, powerful evocation of the characters, the place, and the time. An elegant and thoroughly engaging narrative voice." --Mark Spencer, author of Fiction Club: A Concise Guide to Writing Good Fiction

Laura Morelli

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