Leonardo's Swans (Charnwood Large Print)

by KarenEssex (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  2007

  $11.96

• Used

  Paperback
  2006

  $3.28

  Worldly and ambitious, Isabella d'Este is a legendary beauty and when she weds the Marquis of Mantua, all her dreams seem to come true. Superior in looks and intellect to her sister, the spirited but naive Beatrice, Isabella believes she is destined to rule the courts of Italy. But her triumph is short-lived. When Beatrice is betrothed to Ludovico, the Duke of Milan, Isabella finds herself drawn to her sister's husband, a man as dangerous as he is charismatic. Locked in a fierce rivalry, the sisters fight for Ludovico's affections and for the larger prize, to be immortalized by his court painter, Leonardo da Vinci. Meanwhile Da Vinci fights a battle of his own, to escape the incessant pressure of his noble patrons. But in a treacherous political climate, immortality through art becomes a luxury, and the two sisters must choose between loyalty and survival.

• New

  Paperback
  2007

  $17.13

  Sisters. Rivals. And the love of one man. Isabella and Beatrice d'Este are as different as night and day. Wordly and ambitious, Isabella's beauty and intellect are legendary across the courts of Europe, while her younger sister, a tomboy, prefers horses and the hunt. When Isabella is betrothed to the Marquis of Mantua, all her ambitions seem to come true -- until Beatrice marries Ludovico, the powerful Duke of Milan. Suddenly, Isabella finds herself drawn to her sister's husband, a man as charismatic as he is dangerous. Once close, the sisters are now fierce rivals, for Ludovico's affections but also for the larger prize, to be immortalized by Milan's court painter, Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci's glittering genius is at its zenith, with such masterpieces as The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa, but he constantly struggles not to let his noble patrons' incessant demands compromise his own artistic vision. Meanwhile, the black clouds of war are looming on the horizon. As Ludovico's gamble for power in Western Europe begins to fall apart, the sisters must choose -- between passion and family, loyalty and survival.