Merchants of Light by Maretich Marta
Can human creativity triumph over human destruction? Germany, 1945. Monuments Man John Skilton arrives in the bombed-out city of Wurzburg with orders - and a personal mission - to rescue art from the ravages of war. Among the ruin, he discovers a series of magnificent frescoes that have miraculously survived the devastation. But who painted them? More importantly, how will Skilton save them from total destruction? The answers will bring him face to face with the Tiepolos: Giambattista, the Venetian painter whose vibrant, witty style catapulted him to fame in the 18th century and made him the most successful painter if his day. And Cecilia, his beautiful, clever wife, mother to their tribe of talented children and the model for the lush, leonine beauties that appear everywhere in her husband's works. Set largely against the background of the Venetian Republic in its final flowering, this is the true story of a family that lives, loves and dies by painting, revealing the human passion and hard-nosed business dealing that lie just beneath the surface of some of the world's most heavenly works of art. And it tells the story of a modest curator-turned-soldier whose struggle to save Tiepolo's masterpiece is itself an act of creativity, one that turns him into a new kind of hero for our times.
"The immensely gifted Marta Maretich recreates with unerring eloquence the world of Tiepolo, his family, his patrons and his artFew writers bring such skill to writing about art and these glittering pages, like the masterpieces Maretich describes, are full of life and passion. I felt that I too was walking the streets of eighteenth century Venice, a privileged visitor at Tiepolo's studio. The result is a wonderfully absorbing and exciting novel." Margot Livesey, author of The Flight of Gemma Hardy; "Smart, elegant, earthy, and assured, Marta Maretich transports us to eighteenth-century Venice, rendering the world of exuberant Baroque master Giambattista Tiepolo and his family - especially his canny wife Cecilia Guardi - with vivacity and grace. The lasting power of Tiepolo's work shines through the true story of Monuments Man John D. Skilton's race against time to save the painter's astonishing frescoes from ruin after the Second World War." Ellis Avery, author of The Last Nude; "Maretich inhabits the genius and interweaving passions of painters, art dealers, and conservators - those who create, those who know and connect, those who attempt to preserve. Focusing on the Tiepolo family Maretich changes the way we think about Art while she illuminates the world. A major work, full of brilliant glimpses, surprises, pleasures." Grace Dane Mazur, author of Hinges: Meditations on the Portals of the Imagination; "The Merchants of Light chronicles the remarkable marriage between the Venetian painter Tiepolo and his wife, business partner and life-long muse, Cecilia Guardi and it testifies to the enduring power of art to uplift, transform and illuminate the dark. Maretich evokes Venice on the eve of Enlightenment with remarkable immediacy - a city of great beauty and sudden loss, a place that seems both alluringly exotic and strangely familiar. Full of rich, sensual detail, humour, wisdom and an unforgettable cast of characters, The Merchants of Light made me fall in love with Tiepolo, his family and his world." Catherine Temma Davidson, author of The Priest Fainted
"The immensely gifted Marta Maretich recreates with unerring eloquence the world of Tiepolo, his family, his patrons and his art. Few writers bring such skill to writing about art and these glittering pages, like the masterpieces Maretich describes, are full of life and passion. I felt that I too was walking the streets of eighteenth century Venice, a privileged visitor at Tiepolo's studio. The result is a wonderfully absorbing and exciting novel." Margot Livesey, author of The Flight of Gemma Hardy "Smart, elegant, earthy, and assured, Marta Maretich transports us to eighteenth-century Venice, rendering the world of exuberant Baroque master Giambattista Tiepolo and his family - especially his canny wife Cecilia Guardi - with vivacity and grace. The lasting power of Tiepolo's work shines through the true story of Monuments Man John D. Skilton's race against time to save the painter's astonishing frescoes from ruin after the Second World War." Ellis Avery, author of The Last Nude. "Maretich inhabits the genius and interweaving passions of painters, art dealers, and conservators - those who create, those who know and connect, those who attempt to preserve. Focusing on the Tiepolo family Maretich changes the way we think about Art while she illuminates the world. A major work, full of brilliant glimpses, surprises, pleasures." Grace Dane Mazur, author of Hinges: Meditations on the Portals of the Imagination "The Merchants of Light chronicles the remarkable marriage between the Venetian painter Tiepolo and his wife, business partner and life-long muse, Cecilia Guardi and it testifies to the enduring power of art to uplift, transform and illuminate the dark. Maretich evokes Venice on the eve of Enlightenment with remarkable immediacy - a city of great beauty and sudden loss, a place that seems both alluringly exotic and strangely familiar. Full of rich, sensual detail, humour, wisdom and an unforgettable cast of characters, The Merchants of Light made me fall in love with Tiepolo, his family and his world." Catherine Temma Davidson, author of The Priest Fainted
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781910533062 |
| ISBN 10 | 1910533068 |
| Title | Merchants of Light |
| Author | Maretich Marta |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Nine Elms Books |
| Year published | 2015-03-01 |
| Number of pages | 400 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |