King Henry II has ordered his Mistress of the Art of Death, Adelia Aguilar, to accompany his daughter on her lavish marriage procession to Sicily. Also travelling with them is the carefully concealed sword Excalibur, Henry's gift to his future son-in-law. But as the Princess Joanna and her party set sail from England, they are unaware that a mad assassin lurks in their midst, and his target is Adelia. Soon terrible misfortune begins to strike the travellers, and as the procession witnesses Adelia's unusual talent for healing there are dangerous mutterings of witchcraft. This killer could strike at any time, but he wants Adelia to suffer first . . .
Three cities compared : urbanism - The design of town halls - Duccio's Maesta - The Arena Chapel - Effigies: human and divine - Design of Siena and Florence Duomos - Paintings of the Sala dei Nove in the Palazzo Pubblico, Siena - Funerary chapels - Marian altarpieces - Artistic schemes in Florence - Women as patrons: nuns, widows and rulers.
Celebrating the Virgin Mary as both an object of religious affection and a focus of civic pride, artists of fourteenth-century Siena established for their city a vibrant tradition that continued into the early decades of the next century. Such celebratory portraits of the Virgin were also common in Siena’s extensive subject territories, the contado. This richly illustrated book explores late medieval Sienese art―how it was created, commissioned, and understood by the citizens of Siena. Examining political, economic, and cultural relations between Siena and the contado, Diana Norman offers a new understanding of Marian art and its political function as an expression of civic ideology.Drawing on extensive unpublished archives, Norman reconstructs the circumstances surrounding the commission of Marian art in the three most prestigious locations of fourteenth-century the cathedral, the Palazzo Pubblico, and the hospital of Santa Maria della Scala. She analyzes similarly important commissions in the contado towns of Massa Marittima, Montalcino, and Montepulciano. Casting new light on such topics as the original site for the reliquary tomb of Saint Cerbone, patron saint of Massa Marittima, and the identity of the patrons of the Marian frescoes in the rural hermitage of San Leonardo al Lago, the author deepens our insight into the origins and meanings of Sienese art production of the late medieval period.
Twelfth-century anatomist, Adelia Aguilar must once again examine the dead as gruesome events are beginning to unfold... Henry II's favourite mistress, Rosamund Clifford, has been poisoned - and, rumour says, by his jealous wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. If Henry believes the stories, England will be torn apart as King battles Queen. In a race against time to prove Eleanor's innocence, and with a dangerous assassin on the loose, Adelia has never faced greater danger. The armies that might cause civil war lie behind her. The icy winds of a dreadful winter blow around her. And ahead she must brave the thorns of the impenetrable labyrinth that surrounds Fair Rosamund's tower, and decipher the mystery of the dead woman who lies frozen within.
The thrilling sequel continues the fast-paced adventure established in A Catch of Consequence, exploring new challenges and developments faced by the characters. With gripping twists and a compelling narrative, the story promises to engage readers with its blend of suspense and rich character dynamics. The author, known for her captivating storytelling, delivers another exciting chapter that keeps the momentum alive.
Struggling with unreciprocated love in London, Philippa opts for a pragmatic marriage to a kind but prudish man. Meanwhile, the Reign of Terror in France threatens her friend, the Marquis de Condorcet, with execution. Determined to save him, Philippa discovers her own bravery amidst the chaos and danger. Unexpectedly, she finds love in the most unlikely circumstances, challenging her initial plans and leading her on a path of courage and romance against the backdrop of political turmoil.
On hearing of this momentous discovery, King Henry II demands evidence that the legendary Arthur is dead. So he calls upon his Mistress of the Art of Death, anatomist Adelia Aguilar, to examine the bones. But someone doesn t want the ske
A cultured city scarred by war. . . . An eastern émigré with scars and secrets of her own. . . . A young woman claiming to be a Russian grand duchess. . . . A brazen killer, as vicious as he is clever. . . . A detective driven by decency and the desire for justice.. . . A nightmare political movement steadily gaining power. . . .This is 1922 Berlin.One of the troubled city's growing number of refugees, Esther Solomonova survives by working as secretary to the charming, unscrupulous cabaret owner "Prince" Nick, and she's being drawn against her will into his scheme to pass a young asylum patient off as Anastasia, the last surviving heir to the murdered czar of all Russia. But their found "princess," Anna Anderson, fears that she's being hunted—and this may turn out to be more than paranoia when innocent people all around her begin to die.
Adelia Aguilar is a rare thing in medieval Europe -- a woman who has trained as a doctor. Her specialty is the study of corpses, a skill that must be concealed if she is to avoid accusations of witchcraft.
'An absorbing re-creation of the 12th Century . . . this is a fast-moving story of humbler folk caught up in cruel battles' The Independent âe~Original, atmospheric and genuinely moving . . . captures the imagination and does not let goâe(tm) Giles Kristian Itâe(tm)s 1141 and freezing cold. Gwil, a battle-hardened mercenary, is horrified to stumble across a little girl close to death. She has been attacked, just one more victim in a winter of atrocities. Clutching a sliver of parchment, she is terrified âe" but Gwil knows what he must do. He will bring her back to life. He will train her to fight. And together, they will hunt down the man who did this to her. But danger looms wherever they turn. As castle after castle falls victim to siege, the icy Fens ring with rumours of a madman, of murder âe" and of a small piece of parchment with a terrible secret to tell, the cost of which none of them could have imagined . . .
