In her brilliant debut, Storey brings early 16th-century Florence alive, entering with extraordinary empathy into the minds and souls of two Renaissance masters, creating a stunning art history thriller. From 1501 to 1505, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti both lived and worked in Florence. Leonardo was a charming, handsome fifty year-old at the peak of his career. Michelangelo was a … a temperamental sculptor in his mid-twenties, desperate to make a name for himself.
Michelangelo is a virtual unknown when he returns to Florence and wins the commission to carve what will become one of the most famous sculptures of all time: David. Even though his impoverished family shuns him for being an artist, he is desperate to support them. Living at the foot of his misshapen block of marble, Michelangelo struggles until the stone finally begins to speak. Working against an impossible deadline, he begins his feverish carving.
Meanwhile, Leonardo’s life is falling apart: he loses the hoped-for David commission; he can’t seem to finish any project; he is obsessed with his ungainly flying machine; he almost dies in war; his engineering designs disastrously fail; and he is haunted by a woman he has seen in the market–a merchant’s wife, whom he is finally commissioned to paint. Her name is Lisa, and she becomes his muse.
Leonardo despises Michelangelo for his youth and lack of sophistication. Michelangelo both loathes and worships Leonardo’s genius.
Oil and Marble is the story of their nearly forgotten rivalry.
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An colorful and detailed look at the rivalry between Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.
Enjoyed hearing how these famous artist might have talked and thought.
Informative/educational and entertaining. It was wonderful!
Ms Storey’s use of actual historical events, her use of practical imagination of events that would most likely have occurred, and the inclusion of events and character interactions are well thought out and presented in an easy to follow time table, that makes the book hard to put down, flows smoothly.
FACTUAL. EDUCATIONAL. IMAGINATIVE. ENTERTAINING I COULD ASK FOR NOTHING MORE!
This is historical fiction at it’s best! Leonardo DiVinci and Michaelangelo are rivals and their interaction during the times was great. Each competing for the same commissions and the story of how the statue of David became Michaelangelo’s work. I loved this book and didn’t want it to end. I will definitely read it again and I am not in the habit of rereading.
I really enjoyed this book so much it prompted me to read the biography of Leonard by Walter Isaacson – which was excellent.
Informative and entertaining. Interesting people well depicted.
This book was so much fun to read! I loved the contrasts between Davinci & Michaelango. I also appreciated the way the author laid out at the end of the book what was real and what was fiction. Very entertaining read!!
If you love Florence, the Renaissance, and art history, read Oil and Marble. The rivalry between Michelangelo and da Vinci is much less well-known than their works of art. Oil and Marble is a well-researched, if highly imagined, version of their antagonism. Author Storey depicts Leonardo as a sophisticated older, yet almost-ADHD man scattered between multiple projects, living in his head while the younger Michelangelo is more concrete in his thoughts and far less worldly. The reader alternates between rooting for one, then the other to succeed. Story has done a great job bringing their competitiveness to life and layers facts into her novel in an entertaining way, allowing the story to come to life without drowning the reader in obscure details. An enjoyable read.
Having visited Florence over the Christmas holidays I could totally relate to this excellent historical read. I could visualize what was being described as I had recently seen them. A great read.
Probably not very close to reality but a fun diversion.
Great book. Very informative in a historical way.
If you are interested in art and in history, that’s the book for you
Even though this is a work of fiction, I appreciated that the author did take the time to explain what elements are fact and what elements are fiction; otherwise, it would be difficult to discern history from fiction added to make a great story.
Good historical fiction with an insight into the lives of Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo.
A great book showing the relationship between two very famous artists and their personal struggles.
Good info even if it was fictional
What fun it is to spend so time with these two great geniuses. So well written… clever and inspiring. I feel like I’ve traveled in time.
Historic and yet imaginative.
A familiar cast of historical characters , that intwine with the sculpting the statue of David by Michaengelo. Wonderfully involving with its portrayal of Renaissance in Italy. If you like art and history, I highly recommend it.
With prose so vivid one can smell the paint on the Mona Lisa, or the sweat from Michelangelo’s tunic, Stephanie Storey’s Oil and Marble is an exciting look into the way good artists strive for greatness, all set in the turbulent days of the Italian Renaissance. Not only does the author honor the legends of Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo, but Storey brings these fathers of the art world to life with flaws, failures, and triumphs every bit as lifelike as the art they created. Oil and Marble explores the trappings of fame, the hungers of ego, the drive towards invention, the horrors of war, and the power of love with the careful keystrokes of a breakout novelist, every bit as practiced and heartfelt as Da Vinci’s brush or Michelangelo’s hammer.