About this item
The remarkable true story behind one of history's most enigmatic portraits - "a glorious picaresque of unbridled passions and unmitigated scoundrels, a glorious romp through the great palaces and palazzos of Europe" (Amanda Foreman, New York Times best-selling author of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire) Five hundred and thirty years ago, a young woman sat before a Grecian-nosed artist known as Leonardo da Vinci. Her name was Cecilia Gallerani, and she was the young mistress of Ludovico Sforza, duke of Milan. Sforza was a brutal and clever man who was mindful that Leonardo's genius would not only capture Cecilia's beguiling beauty but also reflect the grandeur of his title. But when the portrait was finished, Leonardo's brush strokes had conveyed something deeper by revealing the essence of Cecilia's soul.
About the Author
Eden Collinsworth was president of Arbor House Book Publishing Co. and founder of the Los Angeles-based magazine Buzz before becoming a vice president at Hearst Corporation. She served as the chief of staff at the EastWest Institute, a global think tank; and, after writing a bestselling book in China for Chinese businesspeople on Western deportment, she launched a Beijing-based consulting company, which specialized in inter-cultural communication. She is on the board of Relief International.
