Rogue Angel: A Novel of Fra Lippo Lippi

In 15th-century Florence, a frenzy of artistic creativity produced some of the world's greatest masterpieces in architecture, sculpture, and paintings. Many Italians were inspired and influenced by the new ideas of humanism, which placed man at the centre of the universe, making them believe they could be masters of their own fate. Artists found eager customers, first with the Catholic Church, and then among the families who rose to prominence and wealth through the growing silk, wool, and banking industries. Artists also found demanding customers within the church whose members were frequently divided between the passively restrictive Middle Ages and the actively expansive world of the Renaissance. Brother (Fra) Filippo Lippi, the great painter called Lippo, was a reluctant monk who never belonged in a monastery, and certainly never should have been allowed entrance into any convent. Unhappy in monasteries, he found himself more than comfortable in convents where he chose the prettiest of nuns as models and lovers. One became his wife. This everlasting virgin -- mother of several children, served as inspiration to his many beautiful madonne. It is believed that Fra Lippo's paintings adorn more bedrooms than any other artist.