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The Painted Souls #1
Grandfather's Pigments
Seventeen times he has scraped the face of Judas off the wall. Seventeen times it has come back wrong.
Milan, 1497. Leonardo da Vinci cannot finish The Last Supper. The plaster will not keep the traitor's face. The pigment dries wrong overnight. And something on the far side of that wall has learned to speak in his own voice.
Then a letter arrives from Vinci, in his grandfather's hand, written a month after the old man was buried.
It calls Leonardo home to a box that went into the ground with Antonio da Vinci: seven pots of pigment that should not exist, a half-finished portrait wearing the wrong smile, and a journal naming every keeper who came before him.
Seven names. Seven cities. Seven deaths.
Antonio was the eighth keeper. Leonardo is the ninth.
The colours work. That is the horror of them. Ground from things taken out of unconsecrated ground, they hold more than light and shadow. They hold a presence. They can build a prison a soul cannot leave.
But every pot has a price, and the price is never money. It is a memory. A face. A colour a boy will never see again. Something a man loves and will not miss until the moment he reaches for it and finds a warm and empty space where it used to be.
And whatever is taken leaves a room behind.
Something is already learning how to live in it.
Some colors were never meant to exist.
Now a full novel. Expanded from the original novella with five new movements and more than twenty thousand new words.
Free, always. Start the Painted Souls series here, then step into The Mona Lisa Cage.
Read it slow. Read it at night. Trust nothing in the corners.
Milan, 1497. Leonardo da Vinci cannot finish The Last Supper. The plaster will not keep the traitor's face. The pigment dries wrong overnight. And something on the far side of that wall has learned to speak in his own voice.
Then a letter arrives from Vinci, in his grandfather's hand, written a month after the old man was buried.
It calls Leonardo home to a box that went into the ground with Antonio da Vinci: seven pots of pigment that should not exist, a half-finished portrait wearing the wrong smile, and a journal naming every keeper who came before him.
Seven names. Seven cities. Seven deaths.
Antonio was the eighth keeper. Leonardo is the ninth.
The colours work. That is the horror of them. Ground from things taken out of unconsecrated ground, they hold more than light and shadow. They hold a presence. They can build a prison a soul cannot leave.
But every pot has a price, and the price is never money. It is a memory. A face. A colour a boy will never see again. Something a man loves and will not miss until the moment he reaches for it and finds a warm and empty space where it used to be.
And whatever is taken leaves a room behind.
Something is already learning how to live in it.
Some colors were never meant to exist.
Now a full novel. Expanded from the original novella with five new movements and more than twenty thousand new words.
Free, always. Start the Painted Souls series here, then step into The Mona Lisa Cage.
Read it slow. Read it at night. Trust nothing in the corners.
170 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 23, 2026
About the author
Leo Di Lux
9 books4 followersLeo Di Lux writes gothic supernatural thrillers about the things hidden inside masterpieces.
The Painted Souls reimagines Leonardo da Vinci as the last of a hidden line of keepers, artists whose paintings are not works of art at all, but prisons. The series begins with Grandfather's Pigments, a full novel and free everywhere, and continues in The Mona Lisa Cage and The Collector's Tithe. A standalone, The Mona Lisa Cipher, follows in November 2026.
In October 2026 a second series, The Gallery Chronicles, opens on Kickstarter: four finished gothic novels about the collection kept beneath the museum.
Some colors were never meant to exist.
Newsletter and free fiction: leodilux.com
The Painted Souls reimagines Leonardo da Vinci as the last of a hidden line of keepers, artists whose paintings are not works of art at all, but prisons. The series begins with Grandfather's Pigments, a full novel and free everywhere, and continues in The Mona Lisa Cage and The Collector's Tithe. A standalone, The Mona Lisa Cipher, follows in November 2026.
In October 2026 a second series, The Gallery Chronicles, opens on Kickstarter: four finished gothic novels about the collection kept beneath the museum.
Some colors were never meant to exist.
Newsletter and free fiction: leodilux.com
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 20, 2026
4☆
1497 Leonardo da Vinci is painting The Last Supper, the Cenacolo. It has taken him months to complete because he can not paint the face of Judas. He has tried seventeen times.
The face mocks Leonardo. It changes. It talks to him. It haunts him. There is something pushing to be released, something hungry, something that can destroy the world.
After Leonardo's grandfather dies a box with special pigments is put into Leonardo's hands. The pigments can create a cage to keep the entity living within the masterpiece at bay. But, to use the pigments comes at a price. Leonardo, like his ancestors before him, is a keeper.
After the prequel is complete there is another bonus section entitled, "The Blank Space of the Mona Lisa Cage." Leonardo faces more supernatural episodes with the entity and how it attempts to affect his paintings. This bonus section is more intense, but the time-lines are not in conjunction with the previous story. Hopefully this will be cleared up by the publication of the first book of the series.
1497 Leonardo da Vinci is painting The Last Supper, the Cenacolo. It has taken him months to complete because he can not paint the face of Judas. He has tried seventeen times.
The face mocks Leonardo. It changes. It talks to him. It haunts him. There is something pushing to be released, something hungry, something that can destroy the world.
After Leonardo's grandfather dies a box with special pigments is put into Leonardo's hands. The pigments can create a cage to keep the entity living within the masterpiece at bay. But, to use the pigments comes at a price. Leonardo, like his ancestors before him, is a keeper.
After the prequel is complete there is another bonus section entitled, "The Blank Space of the Mona Lisa Cage." Leonardo faces more supernatural episodes with the entity and how it attempts to affect his paintings. This bonus section is more intense, but the time-lines are not in conjunction with the previous story. Hopefully this will be cleared up by the publication of the first book of the series.
August 15, 2026
GRANDFATHER’S PIGMENTS is a prequel in The Painted Souls series by Leo Di Lux.
Keeper-lore states -
Some paintings were never meant to be admired.
They were meant to keep monsters locked away.
And in 1497, as Leonardo di Vinci is working to finish his commissioned masterpiece, The Last Supper, he discovers that his grandfather was a keeper and now the position has been passed down to him.
This gothic supernatural novella in 92 pages, describes in lyrical language, the entity that has been trapped since before Leonardo was born. It tempts with promises of art knowledge and help to finish those things uncompleted.
“…Together, you and I, could complete the work of your life.”
“What is the price?”
The dream-room is silent for a long moment.
“What it has always been, Maestro. The same price your grandfather refused to pay.”
“And what did the other seven pay?”
The added bonus is the character of Salai who is very intelligent, is very supportive, and loyal to Leonardo. Salai is seventeen and has lived many years with Leonardo as apprentice. Through his eyes, the reader is shown a different perspective which readily explains what is going on without having to go into long details.
The story has the essence of a dark entity and tells the horror story without and gore which I think opens the book up to more readers. This title in the series could be referred to more as supernatural than horror – that might change with the next title in the series.
The novella as includes the prologue from MONA LISA CAGE and is in similar format and voice as this one. I will be looking for the title so that I can finish.
Very eye-catching cover that I found online after reading. I was given access to a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. I would have loved to have seen the cover up close and personal. ISBN-13 979-8182277525
I gave this title 4 stars.
My rating system:
5 STARS – own/personal collection; will read again
4 STARS – good read; highly recommended
3 STARS – good write; solid read
2 STARS – some merit; limited audience
1 STAR – some merit; I tried
Not Recommended – put the book down and walk away
I was given access to a free ebook copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Keeper-lore states -
Some paintings were never meant to be admired.
They were meant to keep monsters locked away.
And in 1497, as Leonardo di Vinci is working to finish his commissioned masterpiece, The Last Supper, he discovers that his grandfather was a keeper and now the position has been passed down to him.
This gothic supernatural novella in 92 pages, describes in lyrical language, the entity that has been trapped since before Leonardo was born. It tempts with promises of art knowledge and help to finish those things uncompleted.
“…Together, you and I, could complete the work of your life.”
“What is the price?”
The dream-room is silent for a long moment.
“What it has always been, Maestro. The same price your grandfather refused to pay.”
“And what did the other seven pay?”
The added bonus is the character of Salai who is very intelligent, is very supportive, and loyal to Leonardo. Salai is seventeen and has lived many years with Leonardo as apprentice. Through his eyes, the reader is shown a different perspective which readily explains what is going on without having to go into long details.
The story has the essence of a dark entity and tells the horror story without and gore which I think opens the book up to more readers. This title in the series could be referred to more as supernatural than horror – that might change with the next title in the series.
The novella as includes the prologue from MONA LISA CAGE and is in similar format and voice as this one. I will be looking for the title so that I can finish.
Very eye-catching cover that I found online after reading. I was given access to a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. I would have loved to have seen the cover up close and personal. ISBN-13 979-8182277525
I gave this title 4 stars.
My rating system:
5 STARS – own/personal collection; will read again
4 STARS – good read; highly recommended
3 STARS – good write; solid read
2 STARS – some merit; limited audience
1 STAR – some merit; I tried
Not Recommended – put the book down and walk away
I was given access to a free ebook copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
September 29, 2026
>b>Painted Wonderfully
Grandfather’s Pigments is a look into da Vinci’s past and how it affects his present and future self through memories of his grandfather, Antonio. Leonardo da Vinci is so well known, and I have read quite a few books about him. This is a wonderful take on the famous artist. I enjoyed the character – his thoughts and actions read as if they could have really been da Vinci’s. I also liked Salai – he seemed to anchor Leonardo, and their relationship came across as sincere and real.
The writing is easy to read and flows well throughout the book. I easily got into the story and was able to complete the book in one sitting.
The section where Leonardo and Salai open the box and inspect the contents is described in such a way that I was able to picture each item as Leonardo removed them from the box.
I enjoyed this story and look forward to The Mona Lisa Cage.
I received this book as an ARC and this is my honest review.
Grandfather’s Pigments is a look into da Vinci’s past and how it affects his present and future self through memories of his grandfather, Antonio. Leonardo da Vinci is so well known, and I have read quite a few books about him. This is a wonderful take on the famous artist. I enjoyed the character – his thoughts and actions read as if they could have really been da Vinci’s. I also liked Salai – he seemed to anchor Leonardo, and their relationship came across as sincere and real.
The writing is easy to read and flows well throughout the book. I easily got into the story and was able to complete the book in one sitting.
The section where Leonardo and Salai open the box and inspect the contents is described in such a way that I was able to picture each item as Leonardo removed them from the box.
I enjoyed this story and look forward to The Mona Lisa Cage.
I received this book as an ARC and this is my honest review.
July 4, 2026
So much atmosphere, and so much is shown not told. All in such a short story. Impressive.
July 10, 2026
This is a very unusual tale of supernatural horror involving the creation of a very famous artwork. I found it to be equally well written and disturbing.
July 14, 2026
I'll never look at the paintings in my house the same way never again. I loved this story.
Currently Reading
July 19, 2026I don't think I've read an adult horror story. Let's see how this goes.
If you're a horror fan and know some books with art/artist themes, please recommend.
If you're a horror fan and know some books with art/artist themes, please recommend.
September 10, 2026
Dark, creepy, and thought provoking. It's fun, and a little scary to imagine the thought process behind the genius. I will definitely be continuing the series.
September 21, 2026
This book was okay. It's a me thing Historical Fiction just sometimes doesn't hit for me.
But if u enjoy Mona Lisa and Leonardo Da Vinci this book is rather interesting.
But if u enjoy Mona Lisa and Leonardo Da Vinci this book is rather interesting.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews