Chapter summaries Table for Two Amor Towles

The DiDomenico Fragment: Chapter 6 Summary and Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning – This page reveals key plot points and character outcomes for Chapter 6.

Summary

Retired Sotheby’s expert Percy Skinner, living modestly on the Upper East Side, receives a visit from Mr. Sarkis, an agent seeking a DiDomenico Renaissance painting fragment. Percy recalls his family’s tradition: the original Annunciation by Giuseppe DiDomenico was quartered by his great-grandfather Valentine, and subsequent generations further divided the pieces. Percy once owned a small fragment but sold it to a Texan. He learns from his cousin Billy that Billy’s fragment is tiny, so Percy turns to his nephew Peter, who possesses a larger fragment showing the Virgin’s face. By manipulating Sharon, Peter’s wife, Percy arranges a potential sale. But tech billionaire Michael Reese tracks the painting, offers Peter $500,000 plus a college stipend for Lucas, and cuts Percy out of the finder’s fee. The painting is restored, and Percy ends the year with a regular place at Peter and Sharon’s Thanksgiving table, content in his family role.

Key Events

  • Mr. Sarkis approaches Percy Skinner at his apartment, seeking a DiDomenico fragment for a collector.
  • Percy explains his family history: the original painting has been divided for generations.
  • Percy visits his cousin Billy at the Yale Club and wins his fragment in a backgammon game, but it is too small to be valuable.
  • Wearing his old school tie, Percy gains entry to the Yale Club to meet Billy.
  • Percy turns to his nephew Peter, whose fragment is large and depicts the Virgin’s face.
  • During a visit to Brooklyn, Percy manipulates the household’s fuse box to create darkness, then privately suggests to Sharon that they could sell the painting for $100,000–$150,000.
  • Sharon agrees to help, and a Thanksgiving dinner is planned.
  • Before the deal can be made, Michael Reese arrives at Peter’s house, having traced the painting through the Met encounter.
  • Reese offers $500,000 for the fragment, plus a stipend for son Lucas’s education and two copies for the family.
  • The deal goes through; Percy loses his potential commission but is invited to become a regular at family gatherings.

Character Development

Percy Skinner emerges as a charming but morally flexible schemer. He exploits family nostalgia and electrical breakdowns to orchestrate a sale that would restore his fortunes. His defeat – Reese’s direct approach – forces him to accept a new role: not as a broker, but as a beloved uncle and regular at his nephew’s table.

Sharon changes from a skeptical, overwhelmed mother into a pragmatic co-conspirator. Her willingness to sell the painting for family stability shows her prioritising present needs over sentimental legacy.

Lucas grows from a shy boy fascinated by his uncle’s stories into a clever young man who suggests the restoration duplicates – inadvertently foiling Percy’s scheme while preserving the painting’s spirit.

Michael Reese appears as a foil: he has the means and directness to acquire the painting without intermediaries. His offer includes provisions for the family’s well-being, contrasting Percy’s self-interested approach.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Fragmentation and legacy – The physical division of the DiDomenico painting mirrors the dilution of family wealth and memory. Each generation further disassembles the art until it becomes a curiosity above a toilet or a three-inch square. The final restoration by Reese symbolises reintegration, though under external ownership.

Appetite and aging – The chapter opens with Percy’s reflection on losing appetites after sixty-five, yet his entire plot is driven by a desire for money and a lavish trip to Les Baux-de-Provence. This contradiction reveals that his appetites have not faded; they have merely narrowed to financial security.

Manipulation through domestic detail – Percy weaponises household inconveniences (fuse blowing, broken water heater) to create opportunity. The pantry scene where he offers a “way out” to Sharon is a masterclass in indirect persuasion.

The value of art – The chapter contrasts sentimental value (family heirloom) with market value ($500,000) and utilitarian value (paying for electrical upgrades, a baby’s nursery). Reese’s offer includes both monetary and non‑monetary benefits (a stipend for Lucas, copies for the family), suggesting a holistic approach to worth.

Why This Chapter Matters

“The DiDomenico Fragment” serves as a capstone to the collection’s exploration of how people navigate second acts in life. Percy’s failed scheme dramatises the tension between self-interest and family bonds. The chapter also celebrates the art of the long con – and its inevitable limits when up against genuine altruism and wealth. By ending with Percy seated at the Thanksgiving table beneath the restored (copied) painting, Towles offers a wry resolution: sometimes losing a deal wins you a home.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Percy choose to approach Sharon instead of Peter directly about selling the painting?
Percy senses that Sharon, worn down by a malfunctioning home, cramped space, and financial strain, will be more receptive to a pragmatic solution. He engineers a fuse outage, then privately suggests the sale as a way to upgrade the house and reduce stress. Peter, on the other hand, is portrayed as sentimental about family legacy, so Sharon becomes the easier path.

2. How does Michael Reese discover the location of Peter’s DiDomenico fragment?
Percy’s visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art with Lucas leads to an encounter with a museum attendant, whom Percy dismisses. Reese had hired that man (the “wrangler in blue jeans”) to follow Percy after he learned of Percy’s interest in DiDomenico fragments. The tailing leads Reese directly to Peter’s house.

3. What does Percy gain by the end of the chapter, even though he loses the finder’s fee?
He gains a literal seat at the family table. The last paragraph shows him at Thanksgiving with Peter, Sharon, and the children, with the restored painting on the wall behind him. His acceptance into the family’s inner circle – as Uncle Percy – offers a form of wealth more durable than money.