As you can see, in this portrait which was placed behind the first one, Bessler is looking through a hole carefully cut into the second portrait. The text underneath has been subtly altered and it is difficult to read the original. Both pictures are apparently signed by C. Fritzsche, sculpter, a member of a family of engravers of the time.  Oddly, the style of the two drawing differs considerably and it seems unlikely that they were actually done by the same man.

I’ve placed both portraits side by side so that you can see the possibilities for extracting more coded information from them. I have extended the depth of the left (second portrait) to the same amount as the first one, but there is little to discover other than that both attain an angle of 72/108 degrees . This was probably another clue from Bessler about the pentagram. The square horizontal line is filled in in yellow because it crosses Bessler’s eyes as he looks through the hole. I feel that there is something significant about these portraits but I am unable to discover what it might be. On the face of it, Bessler appears to be saying that he can see through the eyes of an organ maker, but perhaps that is too simplistic. Anyway I thought I’d put them here in case it helps someone else to make some progress.

Copyright © 2011 John Collins.