The Night Portrait

The Night Portrait by Laura Morelli 496 pages

 

I saw this book listed on another book nerd page and knew I had to read it. It has dual-timelines, four main characters and a storyline that I loved.

 

At its core, this novel is about art: its creation and its importance to humankind and what will be done to save it.  This story centers on the Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece, The Lady with an Ermine. There is so much to write about how wonderful this story is that I could probably write a book about it. 

 

The two timelines are 1476-1499 and 1939-1946. The four main characters are Cecilia Gallerani (the painting’s subject), Leonardo Da Vinci (no introduction needed), Edith Becker (a German art conservator) and Dominic Bonnelli (American soldier, art lover and a member of the famed Monument Men unit). 

 

The Renaissance period, Cecilia and Leonardo, sections tell of how the painting came to be. The WWII sections described how the painting hung in a Nazi leader’s country home and how it almost became a war casualty.

 

The Night Portrait is a phenomenal read. I read it in three evenings and have the bags beneath my eyes to prove.  I cannot recommend this book enough to art, historical fiction, Renaissance and WWII lovers. It receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.