A large collection of stories where one of a pair of separated lovers retains a portrait or some other image of the absent beloved, all discussed with vivid intelligence and zestful appreciation for their emotional punch and tonal variety.

A picture of deception . . . Annabelle Lawson knew nothing about the breathtaking stranger she met on the train—only that he'd make an ideal model for the budding young artist . . . and that she desired him more than she believed possible. But after she'd been seduced, she learned that she'd also been betrayed. The man she thought she loved was really Magnus Wallis—a scoundrel like his father before him, the loathed cousin of Annabelle's benefactor, the honorable Earl of Whitby. A landscape of love . . . No longer the naively romantic girl who would tumble for a rogue, Annabelle cannot avoid a reunion with the despicable Magnus, who wants to include her portraits in his new London gallery. She means to show him her coldest face—but upon seeing him again, her every intention melts from the heat of his touch. It is clear that Magnus still burns with love for her. But is he still the villain he once was, or can he be reformed into a man Annabelle can dare to love?

Museum researcher Zelda Richardson is swept into the mystery surrounding artwork hidden from the Nazis during World War II. But Zelda's not the only one searching for the missing paintings - and her rival would kill to find them first...

Honoria Keyes isn't the gawky, impressionable fifteen-year-old girl she was when she first met Simon Fairchild. Twelve years have passed, and she's a successful artist, enjoying her independence to the fullest. Simon has changed, too. Gone is the beautiful, gentle boy of Honoria's dreams. In his place is a dangerous, damaged man intent on avoiding human contact-and emotions. It would be unthinkable to fall for this difficult, wounded recluse. But then again, Honoria has never been one to do things the easy way ... Simon returned from Waterloo a bitter, broken shell of the man he once was. As if his scarred body and mind aren't bad enough, he's also financially dependent on his brother, the duke, while he convalesces. The duke's fondest wish is for Simon to marry and produce an heir-something Simon has no intention of doing. The one thing he never anticipated? All the unwanted feelings the lovely, talented, and infinitely intriguing Honoria would awaken in him ... Can Honoria and Simon heal the wounds of the past and build a life together? Or will their attempt at happily ever after end up a portrait of failure? Praise for Minerva Spencer's books: "Lovers of historical romance will be hooked on this twisty story of revenge, redemption, and reversal of fortunes." ★Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW of THE FOOTMAN "Spencer serves up an irresistible cocktail of smart characterization, sophisticated sensuality, and sharp wit-all while orchestrating her own clever spin on the popular bluestocking-and-rake trope." ★Booklist STARRED REVIEW of NOTORIOUS "Spencer's characterizations are nuanced and believable, and the passion between the protagonists scorches the pages. Readers will be hooked." ★Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW of THE MUSIC OF LOVE "Spencer's brilliant and original tale of the high seas bursts with wonderfully real protagonists, plenty of action, and passionate romance." ★Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW of BARBAROUS "Fans of Amanda Quick's early historicals will find much to savor." ★Booklist STARRED REVIEW "Sexy, witty, and fiercely entertaining." ★Kirkus STARRED REVIEW "[A] suavely sophisticated hero with sex appeal to spare, and a cascade of lushly detailed love scenes give Spencer's dazzling debut its deliciously fun retro flavor." ★Booklist STARRED REVIEW

There are a surprising number of stories from antiquity about people who fall in love with statues or paintings, and about lovers who use such visual representations as substitutes for an absent beloved. In a charmingly conversational, witty meditation on this literary theme, Maurizio Bettini moves into a wide-ranging consideration of the relationship between self and image, the nature of love in the ancient world, the role of representation in culture, and more. Drawing on historical events and cultural practices as well as literary works, The Portrait of the Lover is a lucid excursion into the anthropology of the image. The majority of the stories and poems Bettini examines come from Greek and Roman classical antiquity, but he reaches as far as Petrarch, Da Ponte, and Poe. The stories themselves—ranging from the impassioned to the bizarre, and from the sublime to the hilarious—serve as touchstones for Bettini's evocative explorations of the role of representation in literature and in culture. Although he begins with a consideration of lovers' portraits, Bettini soon broadens his concerns to include the role of shadows, dreams, commemorative statues, statues brought to life, and vengeful statues—in short, an entire range of images that take on a life of their own. The chapters shift skillfully from one theme to another, touching on the nature of desire, loss, memory, and death. Bettini brings to the discussion of these tales not only a broad learning about cultures but also a delighted sense of wonder and admiration for the evocative power and endless variety of the stories themselves.

"Most often, portrait miniatures were painted in watercolor on thin disks of ivory. They were sometimes worn as jewelry, sometimes framed to be viewed privately. Many were painted by specialists, although renowned easel artists - including Benjamin West, John Singleton Copley, and Charles Willson Peale - also created them to commemorate births, engagements, marriages, deaths, and other joinings or separations. The book traces the development of this exquisite art form, revealing the close ties between the history of the miniature and the history of American private life."--BOOK JACKET.

"An allegory about The Holy Trinity, the role of Mary of Nazareth in Their divine designs, and the meaning of the acceptance of Jesus Christ as the centre of one's life. The richest man with the best art collection in the world shares his consuming interest with his superlatively good son, who is ably assisted in his benefiscence by their Kindly female estate keeper, who is more than mother to him. The son is called to war, and dies saving his comrades, mirroring the redemptive action of Christ's sacrifice for humanity. The father grieves his son, but is heartened when the estate keeper wheels in the chair of a wounded soldier from the foreign war. The young man presents the father with a portrait depicting the suffering son. As the soldier relates to the father all the insights the son has revealed about the art collection, which actually represents the created world, and especially, his great love for human beings, the pieces are transformed with potential and possibility for restoration to their intended ideal. The father decides to offer his art at auction, but stipulates that the first piece to be on the auction block is to be the portrait of the son. None of the learned bidders condescend to bid on the portrait, but a poor old man who had often been the recipient of the fathers and son's beneficence bids on it and wins. The auctioneer ends the auction, informing the irked would-be bidders that, according go the wishes of the father, the person who takes the portrait of his son wins his entire, vast collection"--