About Cupid and the Silent Goddess, by Alan Fisk
(The novel is a fictional account of the creation of the painting called “Allegory with Venus and Cupid”, which hangs in the National Gallery in London.)
Florence, 1544. Giuseppe, a 17-year-old apprentice to the painter Bronzino, is forced to model as Cupid in the painting, while Duke Cosimo de Medici forcibly abducts an autistic young woman, Angelina, to model as Venus. Giuseppe is entrusted with the care of Angelina, and believed that he has established a kind of relationship with the mute and baffling Angelina.
As work on the painting progresses, Giuseppe discovers that the Duke has further plans to exploit Angelina’s beauty, and tries to devise a way to rescue both her and himself from the Duke’s power.
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Author Bio:
I have had many occupations, including economist, Air Force officer, technical writer, fruit picker, editor, and unemployment benefit claimant (not in that order). I began seriously trying to write at the age of 19, and over the many years since I have published five historical novels, several short stories, and many magazine articles.