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The Borgherini Enigma Page: 1 / 179 The Borgherini Enigma Page: 1 / 179 The Borgherini Enigma René Jean-Paul Dewil Copyright © René Dewil Version 2 Number of words: 108230 July 2009 The Borgherini Enigma Page: 2 / 179 Copyright Clause Copyright © René Jean-Paul Dewil 2009 René Jean-Paul Dewil is identified as the sole author of this work. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be altered without the written permission of the author. The ebook may be copied in electronic or other forms for personal use only. It may not be printed, introduced in any retrieval system, electronic or otherwise, photocopied or otherwise recorded without the prior written permission of the author. The only system where the ebook may be retrieved from is the Internet website www.theartofpainting.be, which holds the only and original text acknowledged by the author. This publication remains under copyright. Copyright © René Dewil Version 2 Number of words: 108230 July 2009 The Borgherini Enigma Page: 3 / 179 Table of Contents Prologue. Florence. April, 8 of 1498. ......................................................................................... 5 Chapter One. Florence, August 1512. Pierfrancesco Borgherini ............................................... 7 Chapter Two. Early September 1512. Margherita Acciaiuoli .................................................. 21 Chapter Three. Sunday February, 13 1513. Carnival in Florence. ........................................... 39 Chapter Four. Friday June, 24. Saint John the Baptist’s Day. The Calcio Fiorentino. ............ 61 Chapter Five. Saturday July, 2 1513. The Company of the Cauldron. .................................... 76 Chapter Six. Sunday July, 17 1513. Santa Maria Novella. .................................................... 101 Chapter Seven. Sunday July, 24 1513. Castello di Gabbiano ................................................ 124 Chapter Eight. Monday July, 25 1513. San Jacopo sopr' Arno .............................................. 136 Chapter Nine. Wednesday, July 27 1513. Santa Maria Novella. ........................................... 152 Chapter Ten. Epilogue. ........................................................................................................... 159 Historical Notes ...................................................................................................................... 162 Appendix - The Borgherini Panels – A short description ...................................................... 166 The Granacci paintings ................................................................................................... 168 The panels of Bachiacca ................................................................................................. 170 The panels of Andrea del Sarto ...................................................................................... 173 The four paintings of Jacopo Pontormo ......................................................................... 175 Copyright © René Dewil Version 2 Number of words: 108230 July 2009 The Borgherini Enigma Page: 4 / 179 The Characters Age in 1513 Pierfrancesco dei Borgherini, a young nobleman of Florence 19 Margherita dei Acciaiuoli, a young lady of Florence 18 Francesco d’Andrea di Marco Granacci (1469-1543), painter 44 Francesco Ubertini called Bachiacca (1494-1557), painter 19 Andrea del Sarto (1486-1531), painter 27 Lucrezia del Fede, a young woman 24 Jacopo Carucci called da Pontormo (1494-1557), painter 19 Bartolomeo Baglioni called Baccio d’Agnolo (1462-1543), 51 a wood sculptor and architect Niccolò di Bernardo dei Macchiavelli (1469-1527), a statesman 44 Giovanni Francesco dei Rustici (1474 – 1554), painter and sculptor 39 Roberto di Donato dei Acciaiuoli, family head of the Acciaiuoli 51 Salvi di Francesco dei Borgherini, family head of the Borgherini 53 Baccio della Porta called Fra Bartolommeo (1472-1525), painter 41 Giovanni de’Medici, Pope Leo X (1475-1521) 38 Cardinal Francesco dei Soderini (1453-1524) 60 Copyright © René Dewil Version 2 Number of words: 108230 July 2009 The Borgherini Enigma Page: 5 / 179 Prologue. Florence. April, 8 of 1498. The sun stood low and red, dying over the roofs of the city. Evening came rapidly, but the abbey that should at this time have stood calm and quiet, humming only with the evening prayers of the monks gathered in the church, was now filled with the angry shouts of very many running men. Steel swords and halberds sang their metallic tings, silver breastplates clang against mails, and the heavy bells sounded ominous tones from the tower high above. Not only monks hurried in the cloister yards. Men dressed in all shades of grey, but not wearing a specific uniform or any badge that could testify to their allegiance, all wearing arms, ran to the walls, climbed on the roofs of the abbey building, and formed ranks in the cloister grounds. Torches were being lit. The Abbey of San Marco of Florence was not very large, for it stood almost in the middle of the thriving merchant town, well within the city walls, and space was expensive in this town even for Medici money. Many men still poured in through the main gate of the abbey, near the church, yet other men already prepared to close the large oak panels, and monks drew large wooden beams along to help secure the doors of the gate. A few men, all very young, were in command. Their shouts were louder and steadier than the cries of the crowd. These were captains, no monks. The monks fled in panic to all sides, some tearing at their hair, throwing their arms in the air, crying out of despair, lost and in shock, fearing for their lives. They knew not what to do, where to flee to. They ran from out of one hall into another, from one courtyard into another, looking for escape and salvation although knowing none could be found here and now. One monk ran up the stairs of the dormitory, walked rapidly along the narrow corridor to a cell and opened a door. At the other end of the small room he saw before him, a hooded monk sat on a chair at a table. The monk was writing a letter at the light of a single candle. The man did not look up at the intrusion, seemingly unaware or untouched by the noise in the abbey. The monk at the door said, ‘Father, the time has come. The Signoria has gathered enough men!’ The Signoria was Florence’s elected Council of wise men who ruled over the city, eight Priors from prominent families, two for each quarter of the town, led by their Gonfaloniere della Giustizia, the Standard-Bearer of Justice, the highest official of the town. The monk continued, ‘the Signoria kills our followers in the streets. Blood flows! More men of Florence are joining them by the moment. Few support us anymore. Soon, the Signoria’s horde of warriors will be here. I heard their drums and saw their banners at the end of the Via Larga. We will be besieged!’ The writing monk did not turn to the voice. He continued writing calmly for a while, then signed and set his quill meticulously down next to the velum on the table. He still did not move. He sighed, bowed his head more, then looked at the small wooden Crucifix that hung on the wall, and said, ‘Your Will must be done.’ He prayed. Then he said, only now addressing the monk who stood, nervously wringing his hands, at the door, ‘yes, Father Carlo, yes, I know. We have been expecting this, haven’t we? This will be our end, my friend, the end of the Reign of God in this town. Have the gate closed. We must gain some time. Has all been done as I ordered?’ Copyright © René Dewil Version 2 Number of words: 108230 July 2009 The Borgherini Enigma Page: 6 / 179 ‘Yes, Father. Our Brother …’ ‘Don’t tell me any names!’ cried the hooded monk. ‘I will be tortured! Just tell me whether all was done, as I asked!’ ‘Our Brother delivered the three keys, as you ordered, Father, to the three families that are immune to our power. A reliable monk of our abbey was given one part of the message. I set him on his way out of the back door a moment ago. He will escape. He knows the way. A Father of the other abbey has the second part of our message. These two know only they have a message, not much more. Our Brother knows what to do with the message, with time, and God helping. He will return to our abbey when all is calm again. I still doubt however a chosen one will ever be found. Captain Niccolò and I transferred the object two days ago, and we did as you told. All was prepared. Only we two, Niccolò and I, know where our power is now.’ ‘Do not doubt a chosen one will ever rise, though he will not be one of us. God’s Providence is in charge now. You and Captain Niccolò are the only people who know! Even I do not know where our most treasured secret is hidden. I will be tortured, soon. I will not be able to reveal anything. But you, my friend Carlo, and our loyal Niccolò, you know! You must meet your Lord tonight!’ ‘I know, Father, I shall have to do that. If the moment has come, I, we, are ready. How should I die, however? If I kill myself, my eternal soul will be stained, and I will not be allowed to sit at the side of the Lord!’ ‘The Signoria will come. When all our enemies are assembled before our walls, you must fight. Do not kill, you, leave the killing to Niccolò. When the siege starts, open the gate and sally with twenty men. You and Niccolò must lead that sally. You will meet death. Have the gate closed behind your group. We must resist a while still, give our young monk some more chance to escape from the town, draw all our enemies to here. We will surrender later.’ ‘So we lost, Father, our cause, God’s cause is lost forever! The hope of Italy is gone!’ The hooded monk glanced fiercely over the man at the door. ‘Our cause is never lost! Large upheavals will shake this town, but in the end the Judgement will be on the sins of Florence. Do as I told you, and you will dwell in Heaven! Go now!’ The hooded monk stood, went out of his cell, and pushed the monk called Carlo in front of him. They went down the stairs.
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