The Night Portrait: A Novel of World War II and da Vinci's Italy

A fantastic multi timeline story centered around daVinci’s the Lady and the Ermine Morellos does a wonderful job of interweaving the stories of Edith, and Dominic in WWII Poland/Germany and their quest to protect and preserve artwork during the ravages of war. In parallel we learn about the creation of the piece they are trying to save and the painter and subject- Cecilia. There are some very clever ways on interconnecting the storylines and the overall affect is amazing. I highly recommend this book for readers who like historical fiction and a well written story

Since I write books with dual timelines, I can testify to the difficulty and the joy of recreating two different periods in time. Laura Morelli has written an interesting tale of history that embroils none other than Leonardo da Vinci’s mesmerizing portrait of Cecelia Gallerani, Lady With an Ermine. Morelli envisions the painting's creation at the court of Ludovico Sforza the Duke of Milan by the maestro and then continues its haphazard journey when it’s confiscated in Poland by the Nazis. We read about the relationship between the Duke and Cecelia, who becomes his mistress, and what follows for Cecelia when her romantic liaison ends. We also cross Europe multiple times in the company of Edith Becker, a German art conservator working at the Alte Pinakothek Museum in Munich, who is conscripted to work with the Nazis in the theft of Europe’s art treasures. Contrasted to Edith’s experiences during the war under the thumb of the Nazis is another story about an American soldier and part-time artist, Dominic, who ends up working with the Monument Men whose mission it is to find the Nazi horde of stolen art and repatriate everything to the rightful owners.The Night Portrait is a worthy historical read.

An interesting tale of two eras, enough history to hold attention. Love how the two Cecelia’s bookend the story, and good to read of he Monuments Men (and women) again.

A great readCapturing story with great characters10 hours of reading and well worth the timeEnjoy the time

"Imagine a world without art, without music, dancing, without the things we do not really need. It would not be a world worth living in.” The dual time line, and four main characters kept me totally immersed throughout the book. I connected with this book on so many levels; it's emphasis on the importance and preservation of the arts, the story of the woman Leonardo da Vinci painted in Lady with an Ermine, and the incredible work of the Monuments Men during World War II. The author focuses on the many atrocities in World War II, both perpetrated and intended by Hitler and the Third Reich. Through Dominic and Edith, she focuses on various aspects of World War II, from D-Day to Hitler's final defeat. The author skillfully blends the two timelines, and also brings life to the resilient, beautiful woman portrayed by Leonardo da Vinci in his famous painting, as well as a glimpse of the genius and personality that was Leonardo! I thoroughly enjoyed the book!!

I enjoyed this book sooo much… I have purchased several times to give as gifts! 4 main characters, 4 great stories!!!

This story covers several characters and how they intersect at the end. Edith, who is German and forced to cooperate with the Nazi's in identifying priceless works of art in Poland (from museums and from private residences), so they can steal them for personal use, or for Hitler's proposed museum. Edith keeps a secret log/inventory of the pieces so they can some day, be re-united with orginal owners. The Monuments Men (appointed by FDR) to recover the art; statues, paintings, sculptures etc., taken by the Nazi's from churches, museums etc. are part of the story, along with a solider, (an amateur artist) who survived Normandy, and was chosen to protect the Monuments Men on their recovery mission. In 1945, Edith and the soldier meet and have the same appreciation and love of one particular painting by DaVinci (Lady with an Ermine). They both work to save that painting. In the background, is juxtaposed, DaVinci, painting the lady and getting to know the subject. Fascinating story. I could NOT put this book down. Laura Morelli, the author wrote this, as well as "The Giant" about Michelango and his The David creation...also a great book.

I was drawn into the fascinating world of Leonardo DaVinci and couldn't stop reading! I loved the descriptions of court life, and especially the portrayal of what it took for a strong woman to achieve security and wealth during the 1490s. DaVinci was (to say the least) a complex man, and I doubt anyone could really understand how his mind must have worked well-enough to reproduce his thoughts for a novel. But I did enjoy Morelli's descriptions of the techniques he used to create his now famous paintings. Her degree in Art History was well-evident in this respect and the details of how he worked made me feel like I was truly observing someone special. It was difficult for me to skip from the 1490s into the 1940s every other chapter, so solved this problem by reading the chapters for each century in order, from beginning to end, finishing the 1490s first and then the 1940s. Maybe not the way the author intended, but it worked well for me. I would recommend this book for anyone fascinated by DaVinci's world and the world of art.

This was my first Laura Morelli novel and I enjoyed it immensely. I am an Italophile who lived in Milan for three years, love art history and particularly admire The Lady with the Ermine so I was a pushover for this book.Ms Morelli's research is as meticulous as one would expect from someone with a PhD in Art History and I loved learning more about the story behind Da Vinci's painting as well as the huge scale theft of artworks from across Europe by Nazi Germany and the efforts to recover it by the Monuments Men.I'm not overly fond of dual timeline books but the fifteenth and twentieth century stories were skilfully interwoven and, as well as the two time periods, we had a range of different voices – Cecilia the subject of Lady with the Ermine, and Da Vinci himself (the only first person narrative), Dominic an American GI supporting the Monuments Men, and Edith an art conservator at the Munich Pinakotheck. But it is the painting itself which is the true hero of the book, hauntingly beautiful, ageless and captivating all who look on it. Cecilia herself was an ordinary woman, musically gifted, appealing on the eye, but in the final analysis someone who would otherwise have been justifiably forgotten. Faced with incarceration in a convent, she made certain to catch the eye of Ludovico il Moro in the naive hope that once she had secured her place as his mistress, she would graduate to wife and duchess. Were it not for the mastery of Da Vinci she would not even have earned a footnote in history. Thanks to him she endures, and I hope her painting will do so for centuries more.It's good to have a WW2 novel from a different angle and have no hesitation in recommending this.

A clever and insightful story centering on characters from different time lines, concerning the history of the painting Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo da Vinci. From the 1490s we jump to the 1930s and trace its fortunes during the rise of the Nazis and through WW2. The main protagonists are Cecilia, who sat for the portrait, and the German art conservator tasked with recording works of art for Hitler's museums. Her dawning realisation of the terrors of Nazism is handled very well, as are her personal problems resulting from her situation and the moral questions it poses. Tremendous research has obviously gone into this novel, and it is enlightening about the role of the Monuments Men in saving thousands of invaluable works of art.

This fictional book centering on a famous portrait by Leonardo da Vinci was fascinating, taking the reader from the 15th century through to the 20th century and Hitlers wish to gather all the european art pieces in one place, namely Berlin and destroy many other places of historical importance. The authors passion for Italy came through inn the writing. A short tutorial by Laura Morelli on Da Vinci's portraits to follow the book is well worth a look.

I'm a fan of Leonardo, but WW2 isn't usually a topic I read about.But the dual layer timeline is brilliantly done.The 3 main characters are expertly written and they felt like friends by the end of the book.The historical facts all seem to be accurate.I will be looking for more books by this author

Da Vinci always fascinated me, Lady with Ermine a favourite painting so I was drawn to this book. Well written, believable characters, a fascinating book.