Every work of art hides behind it a story of love and inspiration. This book is devoted to the fates of women—muses, wives, and mistresses—whose names have been forgotten, but whose images have survived for centuries. Here you won’t find dry art-historical interpretations of artists’ intentions, genres, and their significance for the history of art, because all of that was invented after their time. Instead, the book presents romantic stories of love and inspiration without which those famous works of art would not have existed. You will discover the fates and names of women who inspired artists of different eras and countries—whose images are forever captured in the history of art, despite the fact that their names were unjustly forgotten. AST Publishing House, 2021.