Da Vinci's Tiger

For fans of rich and vivid historical novels like Girl with a Pearl Earring and Code Name Verity, Laura Malone Elliott delivers the stunning tale of real-life Renaissance woman Ginevra de' Benci, the inspiration for one of Leonardo da Vinci's earliest masterpieces. 

The young and beautiful daughter of a wealthy family, Ginevra longs to share her poetry and participate in the artistic ferment of Renaissance Florence but is trapped in an arranged marriage in a society dictated by men.

The arrival of the charismatic Venetian ambassador, Bernardo Bembo, introduces Ginevra to a dazzling circle of patrons, artists, and philosophers. Bembo chooses Ginevra as his Platonic muse and commissions a portrait of her by a young Leonardo da Vinci.

Posing for the brilliant painter inspires an intimate connection between them, one Ginevra only begins to understand.

In a rich and vivid world of exquisite art with a dangerous underbelly of deadly political feuds, Ginevra faces many challenges to discover her voice and artistic companionship—and to find love.

But in a city of secrets and ambition, can a woman truly control her own story?

A Renaissance Woman: Meet Ginevra de’ Benci, a teenaged poet whose sharp mind and defiant spirit challenge the rules of a society run by men. Medici-Era Intrigue: Step into a vibrant and dangerous world of pageantry and deadly political rivalries where a single misstep could prove fatal for Ginevra and her family. A Portrait of Power: Commissioned as the Platonic muse of a powerful ambassador, Ginevra becomes both the talk of the city and a pawn in a game of art and ambition. The Birth of a Genius: Witness the creative fire of a young Leonardo da Vinci as he forms an intimate connection with his subject, capturing not just her likeness but the “motions of her mind.”