O Sacred Head
O Sacred Head by Nicholas Kilmer, published by Henry Holt and Company in 1997, is a work of fiction that unfolds against the backdrop of a late winter snowstorm that paralyzes the city. The story follows Fred Taylor, who responds to an emergency police summons to identify a seventeenth-century painting of Christ in agony. This painting is linked to a murder scene involving a decapitated John Doe found in a luxury condo, raising questions about authenticity and the dark undercurrents of the art world.
As the narrative progresses, readers will encounter themes of art collection and the complexities surrounding the acquisition of Old Master paintings. Fred’s employer, Clayton Reed, becomes entangled in a web of intrigue as he considers purchasing a collection with a mysterious and violent provenance. Assisted by his lover, Molly Riley, Fred navigates the challenges posed by the murder of an art dealer and the implications of a potentially fake painting. This edition spans 241 pages and is presented in English, offering a detailed exploration of the intersections between art, crime, and morality.
Official synopsis Publisher
A late winter snow paralyzes the city. Fred Taylor answers an emergency police summons to identify a seventeenth-century painting of Christ in agony. The painting highlights a murder scene – a decapitated John Doe found crucified in a Charles River luxury condo, upriver from Harvard. Meanwhile, Fred’s employer, the collector Clayton Reed, has been offered the opportunity to buy a number of Old Master paintings from a collection whose provenance becomes increasingly mysterious, tantalizing, and tainted with violence. The lust for acquiring this art threatens to engulf Clay, who seems equally enamored of the seductive agent through whom it is offered. Fred – ably assisted by his lover, Molly Riley – must grapple with issues concerning authenticity, Italian painting of the Baroque era, and the murder of an art dealer on parole, as well as with the question of whether a fake painting can be responsible for miracles. Fred’s maneuvering to gain a clear understanding of the fabulous collection leads him in pursuit of the identities both of the headless corpse and of the killer.
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