Cupid and the Silent Goddess

Who were the models of Agnolo Bronzino’s An Allegory with Venus and Cupid?Florence 1544. Duke Cosimo de’ Medici has commissioned Agnolo Bronzino to paint An Allegory with Venus and Cupid. Intended as a diplomatic gift for King François of France the Duke demands the seemingly impossible: Bronzino’s painting is to be an even greater masterpiece than Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus. It will be the artist’s defining work: his reputation and ultimately his life will depend on its timely completion.. He finds the perfect model for Venus in Angelina a mute and vulnerable Florentine woman whose beauty is ethereal; a silent goddess oblivious to the dangerous new world that surrounds her. As the painting develops so too does the relationship between the central models. Can Giuseppe ordered to pose as the adult Cupid save Angelina from the cruel fate planned for her by the Duke?“... a brilliant imaginative novel” – BohèmeAlan Fisk is the author of The Strange Things of the World (1988) The Summer Stars (1992) Forty Testoons (1999) and Lord of Silver (2000). A member of the Historical Novel Society he has lectured on subjects including ‘Writing Historical Novels’ and ‘Story Theory’.. Praise for 'Cupid and the Silent Goddess': . “…a fascinating and often amusing tale weaving historical fact with fiction.”— Morag Liffen Felixstowe Library October 2022. “…a beautiful rendition of beauty love and intrigue.”— Jeyran Main Review Tales. “...a fiction which is as intriguing as the painting itself... an excellent read.”— The Historical Novels Review. “I was engaged by this novel from beginning to end.”— The Romance of History. “…a great historical fiction read with a high entertainment quotient.” – Goodreads. “It brought me into the 16th century Florentine life with all its warts humanity politics and art. A very enjoyable read.”— Candida Martinelli Italophile Book Reviews. “Fans of authors such as Susan Vreeland and Tracy Chevalier who enjoy these what-if forays into art history will also enjoy Alan Fisk’s imaginative story about how the painting ‘Allegory with Venus and Cupid’ came into being.”— Copperfield Review.