Zoia’s Gold by Philip SingtonMarcus Elliott, an art dealer who has lost his wife and his business and is in danger of losing custody of his daughter, is invited to write the catalogue for a sale of Zoia’s work in Russia. Travelling to her snow-bound Swedish home he is immersed, even obsessed, by his research through her many love letters and correspondence left after her death the previous year.
Marcus is fictional, but Zoia is real. Known as the “painter on gold” she was the last-known survivor of the Romanov court. Her father and stepfather died in World War I and she escaped with her mother to Moscow post-Revolution. She was imprisoned in Lubyanka, but was saved by a Swedish Communist, who was to become her second husband. She led a bohemian life, scattered with lovers and admirers across Europe. Her great accomplishment was to master the art of painting on gold, producing works with have an amazing luminescence and detail.
The book elegantly merges together fact and fiction, quoting directly from letters Zoia left and interweaving the resolution of Marcus’ past: his failed marriage, his mother’s death and his collapsed business. The book is pacey and mysterious, a fascinating insight into the real life of an enigmatic artist as well as the psychological mess that ties up the fictional Marcus. It is a masterpiece of fact and fiction creating a wholly believable story and highlighting a largely unknown 20th century artist. All together an exciting and worthy read.
Available from Amazon, your bookshop or your local library!
