Oil and Marble: A Novel of Leonardo and Michelangelo

An Italian polymath whose talents spanned painting, science, engineering, anatomy, and invention, Leonardo da Vinci is best known for masterpieces such as the fresco The Last Supper and the painting Mona Lisa, both of which appear in Oil and Marble. By the time the novel begins, however, Leonardo has already entered a reflective period of his life. Though he revels in his celebrity and allows himself to feel young through his romantic partnership with Salaì, he’s beginning to wonder what he’ll leave behind in the world. Leonardo presented as a bisexual man, interested in romantic relationships with both men and women. However, his relationship with Salaì is the only one that endures. Despite all his romances, all his celebrity, and all his scientific innovation, he fears that he won’t leave a lasting legacy. Children seem almost out of the question, while he’s almost notorious for his inability to truly finish any piece of art. When Leonardo looks at the crumbling fresco The Last Supper, he begins to worry about his legacy. Though one of the world’s most famous people, he can’t enjoy his status because he’s increasingly aware of the ephemeral nature of his existence. He fears that his reputation, like his fresco, may inevitably crumble into nothingness.