Epilogue

Rome, 1513

Cardinal Guglielmo Tosonotti was just preparing to draft a letter on behalf of Pope Leo X to the French cardinals. The election of Giovanni de Medici to the papacy had come as something of a shock to Cardinal Tosonotti. He had been certain that Cardinal Riario would carry the day. Although the selection of a layman as pope was not without precedent, in this case it was rather unusual in that he was already a member of the College of Cardinals.

Elected to the papacy on March 9, Giovanni was ordained a priest a priest just six days later and consecrated as a bishop just two days after that. A traditionalist, Cardinal Tosonotti did not approve, but he held his tongue.

Still, he had to admit that Giovanni was extremely bright. Because of his family and their influence, Giovanni had been named a cardinal-deacon at age 13 and a full cardinal three years later. The world was changing, Tosonotti thought, and he didn’t care for the direction in which it was headed.

He was just about to put pen to paper when there was a knock at his door. Grasping any excuse to put off the writing, he asked, “Who is it?”

A young priest came into the cardinal’s study. “I am sorry to disturb you, your Holiness.”

“What is it Father Bruno?”

“There is a woman at the door who insists upon seeing His Holiness.”

“Did she give her name?”

“No, your eminence. She says she has something to give the pope and she will allow no intermediaries.”

“Is she a noblewoman?” asked the cardinal.

“I believe she is. She arrived in a fine carriage with footmen, and her clothing is quite splendid.”

“Show her in. Perhaps I can handle this without disturbing His Holiness, but tell her that she must give you her name.”

A moment later, there was a knock on the door. Father Bruno reappeared with the woman. “Your Eminence, may I present the Duchess of Ferrera.”

Cardinal Tosonotti found himself staring at an old acquaintance. “Lucrezia? Is that you?”

She curtseyed and kissed his ring, “Your Eminence, it has been a long time, has it not?”

“What brings you to Rome, my dear?”

“A promise that I made my father on his deathbed.”

“And what did you promise him?”

“That I would deliver a package to His Holiness,” she answered.

“Let me see if the pontiff is free.”

Cardinal Tosonotti returned a few minutes later. “He will see you now, Lucrezia.”

As she entered the room where Pope Leo X was waiting, her mind flashed back to that incredible night when she had been a spectator at the “Ballet of Chestnuts.” “Lucrezia,” exclaimed the pope, “I haven’t seen you since you were a teenager. You look wonderful.”

“You are too kind, Thank you, Your Holiness. And thank you for seeing me.”

“As if I could refuse the daughter of a pope. Tell me, my child, what brings you to Rome?”

She looked about the room. “I promised my father that I would tell only you.”

Waving his hand, the pope dismissed Cardinal Tosonotti, “Leave us, Guglielmo. I do not think Lucrezia poses a threat.”

After Tosonotti had departed, the pope looked at her and said, “I understand that you have something you wish to give me.”

“Yes, Your Holiness,” she said as she handed him the box she had been carrying.

Opening it, he looked inside. “My god,” he exclaimed. “Are these the cameos that Michelangelo executed for your father?”

“They are, your Holiness.”

“You know, he came to me before he even began working on them. My family owned a very old bowl that is carved on both sides. It’s called the scutella di calcedonio.”

“I have heard of it,” she said, “but I have never seen it.”

“It is breathtaking,” said the pope.

“And you said it was carved on both sides?”

“I did,”

“So are these,” she said. Taking a chain from around her neck, she took the cameo that depicted her father as humility personified, inserted the keys, and flipped it, so that the pope was now gazing at the image of a naked Pope Julius II.”

“That is obscene,” exclaimed the pope. After a pause, he took another look and, having regained his composure, remarked, “And yet, it looks just like him.”

“I know that you and my father had your differences. I also know that my father came to love Michelangelo, seeing in him an undeniable genius. My father came to regard him as a gift from God. Although he could not bring himself to destroy these, my father was afraid of what Cardinal della Rovere and others might do to Michelangelo if they learned of their existence.”

“Shortly before he died, he gave me the cameos and this letter and made me promise that I would give them to a pope after della Rovere had died - as long as the new pope was an man of integrity.”

She continued, “You know that I was at that ball and so was Cardinal Piccolini, your predecessor. That eliminated him as far as I was concerned.”

She stepped back, looked at him, intently and asked, “Are you honorable, Your Holiness?”

“I try to be my child.”

“Then here is a letter from my father, and the key that allows you to choose between virtue and vice. I entrust them to you, Your Holiness because I believe you and because I believe in you.”

Choosing his words carefully, the pope said, “Michelangelo and I grew up together. He has been one of my closest friends since childhood. I have watched with pride as he has labored in the service of the Lord these many years.”

He continued, “I have no doubt that the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is God speaking through man. Were the existence of these cameos - and more important their subjects - to become known, it might well mean his life.

“I promise you, Lucrezia. Your secret is safe with me.”