Veronese 1528–1588
del Verrocchio 1435–1488
Botticelli 1445–1510
“Excellent,” said Joanna. “Please now do the same for Leonardo da Vinci.”
I quickly jotted down the dates for the world’s most famous artist.
Born 1452, died 1519.
Joanna studied the dates carefully before commenting, “The timelines do not work for Veronese, but they do for del Verrocchio and Botticelli.”
“Which timelines are you referring to?” I asked.
“The ones that will show an association of some sort between Leonardo da Vinci and the three artists,” Joanna replied. “Da Vinci died before Veronese was born, so they never came in contact, which leaves us with del Verrocchio and Botticelli as the artists who painted angels.”
“Why all the emphasis on angels?” my father inquired.
“Because I firmly believe they will lead us to the hidden masterpiece,” Joanna replied.
“Based on what evidence?”
“Three most important clues which have now come to light,” Joanna disclosed. “These included the restored paintings of del Verrocchio and Botticelli, and the cryptic puzzle James Blackstone gave to Edwin Alan Rowe, which reads Angels to a Perfect Angel. When these three are aligned in the correct order, they will point to the masterpiece.”
“And how do we establish the correct order?”
“With the assistance of the Countess of Wessex.”
As if on cue, there was a soft rap on the door, and Miss Hudson, performing another half curtsy, showed the Countess of Wessex in and departed, quiet as a church mouse.
“Thank you for coming so promptly,” Joanna greeted.
“I did not wish to miss the opportunity to meet the daughter of Sherlock Holmes,” said the countess, giving my father and me cordial nods.
“And I, you,” Joanna replied warmly.
“I take it the gathering has to do with the scoundrel who ruined my Veronese,” said Lady Katherine.
“It does indeed, for I believe he is now within our grasp.”
“I would not be displeased to see him hanged, particularly after what he did to the Cromwell lad.”
“You have heard the unpleasant details, then.”
“His mother and I are close friends,” the countess informed. “And our sons are quite close as well.”
“Then you should be most interested in bringing the perpetrator to justice.”
“I would gladly do whatever is within my power,” the countess vowed, as her eyes went to our chalked blackboard. “You have a very impressive list here.”
“Are you familiar with them?”
“Quite so, particularly the Caravaggio, del Verrocchio, and Botticelli, for they are part of the Royal Collection at Windsor.”
“And that is the reason I have asked you here, for one of these paintings holds a concealed masterpiece.”
“Masterpiece?” Lady Katherine asked skeptically. “What sort of masterpiece?”
“One from the Italian Renaissance.”
Lady Katherine’s eyes widened. “How did you come by this information?”
“By deduction, which I shall clarify later,” Joanna responded, then went on. “I believe this masterpiece is concealed beneath either the del Verrocchio or the Botticelli.”
“And exactly what brings you to this conclusion, may I ask?”
“The presence of angels in their paintings.”
“No, no,” the countess objected at once. “There is a work by Caravaggio in the Royal Collection entitled Saint Matthew and the Angel which clearly depicts an angel.”
“Was this painting ever restored by Hawke and Evans?”
“Never.”
“Then we can discard its significance here.” Joanna dismissed the Caravaggio. “So let us concentrate on the works by Botticelli and del Verrocchio. Please be so kind as to summarize your knowledge of these two artists.”
“I shall start with Botticelli, for he was in a way connected to del Verrocchio,” the countess began. “Sandro Botticelli was an esteemed Florentine artist whose paintings were revered during his lifetime, but his posthumous reputation suffered until the nineteenth century. His works are now seen to represent the linear grace of the Early Renaissance paintings. By far, The Birth of Venus is considered to be his greatest work, and by a few to be a masterpiece. Nonetheless, the glory of his works was pushed aside by the arrival of other Renaissance artists, such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.”
“So even Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus was downgraded?”
“It was a fine work, but one that did not measure up to those painted by the Great Masters.”
“You mentioned that Botticelli’s works were pushed aside by Leonardo da Vinci,” Joanna probed. “Were they competitive?”
“More like close friends, it is believed, for both studied under the tutelage of Andrea del Verrocchio,” Lady Katherine replied. “There is an interesting story that involved all three men. Del Verrocchio admired both Botticelli and da Vinci, although he considered Leonardo to be the more talented. Yet he still wanted to compare the two side by side. So while del Verrocchio was painting The Baptism of Christ, he asked da Vinci to paint one angel and Botticelli the other. Both angels were quite good, but Leonardo da Vinci’s was beyond magnificent. It was so very excellent that it is now referred to as the perfect angel.”
Joanna smiled to herself. “Perfect angel, you say?”
“So it was called, and justifiably so.”
“I have heard the term used before by Edwin Alan Rowe. Do you know him?”
“Quite well, for he is a fine art historian.”
“Does his knowledge of Italian Renaissance art equal yours?”
“It would be a most interesting contest,” replied the countess. “But pray tell, in what contact did he mention the perfect angel?”
“A riddle that was presented to him by his close friend, James Blackstone, just prior to Blackstone’s death,” Joanna responded. “It was a game they played in an effort to outwit one another. The riddle was Angels to a Perfect Angel.”
The countess considered the brainteaser at length before saying, “No answer comes to mind immediately.”
“What if I mentioned that there were angels in the most recently vandalized Saint Francis of Assisi with Angels, which required restoration at Hawke and Evans?”
“I trust you are not under the impression that they also were perfect angels.”
“No, I am not,” said Joanna before giving another hint. “They were the angels leading to the perfect angel. And of course the perfect angel can lead to only one man.”
Lady Katherine’s jaw dropped as the answer came to her. “Is there a da Vinci behind it?” she asked breathlessly.
“You are almost there,”
