What is it? That strange symbol appearing in the bottom left corner of the work.. I don't know. Despite hours of research, it remains a complete mystery to me. The enigmatic symbol is one of five objects portrayed in pietra dura on the Montici mosaic "Cat Boot." Richard gifted the art piece to my mother in the late 1960s to thank her for helping him market his artwork through her Farnam Hill Antiques shop. It's an unusually large mosaic at 14.25 x 18.25 inches, signed by Renzo Fracassini, one of Blow's favorite stone masters. Four of the objects in the surrealistic, black-spotted, assemblage are recognizable -- a fish, a sinuous snake, a reclining cat, and a lady's old-fashioned button-up boot. All five objects are decorated with odd, black spots. But what in the devil is the fifth object? The top half of a human figure, with arms raised? a crescent moon with appendages? Or maybe it's not an object but an occult symbol, or letter from some arcane alphabet? I welcome any and all suggested solutions from our Montici Society members. Whatever it is, I'm determined to unravel this mystery. It's driving me crazy.

Michael Schmicker