Da Vinci's Tiger

For fans of rich and vivid YA historical fiction 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 the art history mystery behind 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 intrigue, Ginevra faces many challenges to discover her voice and artistic companionship—and to find love.

Her portrait will make her immortal, but the woman in the painting must navigate a treacherous world of genius, politics, and passion to define her own destiny.

• A Strong Female Protagonist: Meet Ginevra de' Benci, a gifted young poet who sees herself as a “mountain tiger” trapped in a world that wants to keep her in a gilded cage.
• Biographical Fiction: Discover the meticulously researched story behind the real woman who inspired Leonardo da Vinci's first masterpiece and the only one on display in the Americas.
• Slow Burn Romance: An intimate, intellectual connection sparks between Ginevra and the brilliant young artist hired to paint her, Leonardo da Vinci, a bond that challenges them both.
• 15th Century Italy: Experience the dazzling but dangerous world of the Florentine Renaissance, from magnificent jousting tournaments to the deadly political conspiracies of the Medici and Pazzi families.