The Dante Death Mask's Journey

The mask is stolen, hidden, discovered, and eventually returned to its display case.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Theft

The Mask Removed The Secret Visit Langdon and Busoni secretly remove the mask from its case in the Palazzo Vecchio. They discover a hidden message on the back and decide to take it for further study. The Hiding Busoni hides the mask in the Baptistry of San Giovanni, inside the baptismal font, before his heart attack. The mask remains there overnight. The Discovery Langdon and Sienna retrieve the mask the next morning, wiping away the gesso to reveal the spiral poem. The mask becomes the key to the plague's location.

The Return

The Mask Restored The Package from Sinskey After the crisis, Langdon requests the mask be returned to Florence. Sinskey arranges for its shipment. Langdon receives it at his hotel in Florence. The Quiet Replacement Langdon enters the Palazzo Vecchio museum and places the mask back in its display case. He removes the closure signs, effectively returning the artifact to public view. The Closure This act symbolizes the end of the adventure. The mask is home, and the cycle is complete.

Night of March 17

After the Istanbul events