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Some sisters just can't leave each other alone. Isabella and Beatrice d'Este, daughters of the Duke of Ferrara, are certainly among their number. They've competed against each other all their lives --- for husbands, status, power, and, above all, to have their portrait painted by Italy's greatest painter, Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci is at the mercy of his powerful patrons, yet he has a way of squirming out of assignments and a reputation for leaving work unfinished. How can either woman coerce da Vinci into painting her portrait while ensuring that her sister is unsuccessful?
It seems as if Isabella d'Este has all the advantages. She's both the pretty one and the smart one, and her marriage quickly blooms from a political arrangement into a true love match. On the other hand, Beatrice, whose only real skills are her horsemanship and her ability to annoy her sister, is betrothed to Ludovico Sforza, also known as Il Moro. As Beatrice's husband is twice her age and openly devoted to his mistress, Cecilia Gallerani, no one has any reason to think Beatrice is destined for any particular happiness. Worse yet, Il Moro takes an immediate liking to Isabella, impressed by her beauty, her intelligence, and their shared interests in art and collecting.
However, Beatrice has a formidable will. She wins her husband's love, gets him to renounce his mistress, and proves a worthy match for Il Moro as he fulfills his ambitions, accruing incredible wealth and power and collecting enemies at the same rate.
Politics was a rough game in Renaissance Italy. Karen Essex must do a little explaining in order to convey the volatile nature of the Italian city-states where pretty much any duchy could go to war with any other at the drop of a hat, and the one sure thing everyone knew was that those Borgias were up to no good.
Fortune's wheel was a popular concept during the d'Este sisters' time and the reader sees how it spins, triumph and tragedy constantly chasing each other through tumultuous times. LEONARDO'S SWANS is a fascinating glimpse into that time, with the added bonus of insights into relationships between sisters and between artists and their patrons.
And who won? Which sister bent Leonardo da Vinci to her will? Neither, really. He got as far as a sketch of Isabella, and Beatrice was a background figure in one of his less permanent frescos. Cecilia Gallerani, Il Moro's beloved mistress, got the complete oil painting.
--- Reviewed by Colleen Quinn (CQuinn9368@yahoo.com)
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