Giorgio Vasari didn’t stint with his praise. ­Everything Leonardo does “clearly comes from God rather than from human art,” while Michelangelo, who was “graciously” sent down by “the benign ruler of heaven,” is the “perfect exemplar in life, work and behavior and in every endeavor.” Celebrating perfection, as Vasari’s gossipy “Lives of the Artists” does, is one thing — ­dramatizing it, quite another. Storey’s richly imagined tale of Leonardo and Michelangelo and their rivalry, as they conceive the Mona Lisa and the David in Florence at the turn of the 16th century, casts Vasari’s not-of-this-world paragons as men, and starkly different ones at that, as the title’s play on oil and water suggests.

Leonardo, at the height of his powers, is graceful and distinguished, with unbounded insights and interests. Michelangelo, more than 20 years Leonardo’s junior, is disheveled, obscure and single-minded. Storey’s heroic foils are convincing, as are the cameo appearances of the pair’s famous contemporaries Sandro Botticelli, Cesare Borgia and Niccolò Machiavelli.

Tremendously entertaining and “unapologetic” in its artistic license, “Oil and Marble” will remind an older generation of the pleasures of Irving Stone’s art historical fiction, particularly his chronicle of the Sistine Chapel ceiling commission, “The Agony and the Ecstasy.” Storey’s affection for the period is clear. Her narrative instincts are strong and her dialogue sharp; throughout, her exposition is adroit and informative. The only false note is struck, inevitably, in her depiction of Lisa del Giocondo, which involves the thankless task of divining the sitter’s “secret.” Sir Kenneth Clark called the Mona Lisa’s enigmatic smile “a quarry so shy” it must be approached “with every artifice.” Storey’s attempt, by no means clumsy, doesn’t come off. But then, one can hardly fault her for not being Leonardo’s equal. Vasari wouldn’t either.

Historical fiction at its best, this novel lays out the rivalry between the two great artists and brings them to life in Florence in the 16th century. Their feud runs deep as Leonardo is at the peak of his career (but has lost the commission for The David) and Michaelangelo is desperately trying to establish himself as a great artist while struggling to sculpt The David.

Leonardo’s and Michelangelo’s rivalry, and mutual dislike, is the basis for this smart historical novel. In an author’s note, Storey says she spent 20 years researching her subject, though the book is “unapologetically” a work of fiction.

Oil and Marble is a magnificent story brimming with an all-star cast of world famous artists conducted by the talent of author Stephanie Storey. The novel centers around two of the most extraordinarily relevant talents in history, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. As chapters are cleverly divided into Leonardo and Michelangelo, the reader visits Florence and delves into the triumphs and tragedies that are guided by a strong commitment to faith and art by both these men. Stephanie Storey has succeeded at weaving these two legends together as well as creating an intriguing unforgettable classic piece of historical fiction.