The paintings on the walls of the Countess' gallery are by Soutine, Man Ray, Leger, and Per Krogh. They're drawn from actual paintings of a mysterious woman named Maria Lani. In November 1930, Lani suddenly appeared in Paris and persuaded over fifty artists (who would later become quite famous) to paint her portrait. She held an exhibition, printed a catalogue with a preface by Jean Cocteau, sold some works, then took the remaining paintings and disappeared from the face of the Earth. Was she a time traveler? I told this story to Chronos writer John Moore, and he was intrigued enough to incorporate it into the storyline.