Is It a Leonardo?

Indications of a da Vinci: 1. A similarity between the boy and child in his famous piece Madonna of the Rocks, 2. A distinctive 'v' shape in the middle of the woman's hairline reminiscent of that shown in the last supper, 3. The fleur-de-lys is often said to be a hidden emblem of the secretive Priory of Sion, 4. The area by the woman's shoulder is unfinished, common in da Vinci works, 5. A tracing of the figure in the Last Supper matches exactly the outline of the woman in this painting, 6. The baby's second toe is longer than the big toe - another classic da Vinci feature (click photo for larger image)Yet another master painting, possibly a lost Leonardo da Vinci, has been discovered, this time hanging on a farmhouse wall in Scotland, "gathering dust"; it could be worth £100m.

Needless to say, the painting will need to undergo a variety of tests to confirm its age, materials, and so forth. The caption below the image, however, will give you an idea of the kinds of conventions art historians look at that go beyond the strictly formal properties of a painting.

Researchers in Florence May Have Discovered Lost Mural By Leonardo Da Vinci

Peter Paul Rubens, Copy after Leonardo's 'Battle of Anghiari', c. 1604 - Black chalk, pen and ink, highlights in grey and white  45.2cm x 63.7cm. Louvre Paris. ➤ This work by Rubens, dating from 1603 and known as The Battle of the Standard, was based on an engraving completed in 1553 by Lorenzo Zacchia, which was taken either from Leonardo’s ‘Battle of Anghiari’ painting, or possibly derived from a cartoon (preparatory drawing) by the master. The original painting by Leonardo was believed to be lost. But...it may be hidden behind a painting completed years later--by Giorgio Vasari.From ArtDaily.org:

FLORENCE (AP).- Researchers may have discovered traces of a lost mural by Leonardo da Vinci by poking a probe through cracks in a 16th-century fresco painted on the wall of one of Florence's most famous buildings. The latest findings Monday still leave much mystery in the hunt for the "Battle of Anghiari," a wall mural painted by Leonardo in Florence's storied Palazzo Vecchio, and possibly hidden behind a fresco done by Giorgio Vasari decades later.

Read more...

This Sunday, National Geographic Channel will be airing "Finding the Lost DaVinci" (9pm, PDT), a documentary detailing one man's thirty-year search for the lost masterpiece.

Did You Know?

Leonardo da Vinci was a vegetarian and an animal rights activist. He would buy caged birds and set them free. He also liked to be able to draw them while in flight. He was very interested in flying. It is said, however, that one of his servants died when Leonardo insisted that he (the servant) test the machine. The servant was neither seen nor heard of again. Apparently...Leonardo was NOT a human rights activist!

French Scientists Crack Secrets of Mona Lisa

AP – This recent undated photo provided Friday July 23, 2010, by the CNRS (National Center of Scientific Research)By ANGELA DOLAND, Associated Press Writer

PARIS – The enigmatic smile remains a mystery, but French scientists say they have cracked a few secrets of the "Mona Lisa."

French researchers studied seven of the Louvre Museum's Leonardo da Vinci paintings, including the "Mona Lisa," to analyze the master's use of successive ultrathin layers of paint and glaze — a technique that gave his works their dreamy quality.

Specialists from the Center for Research and Restoration of the Museums of France found that da Vinci painted up to 30 layers of paint on his works to meet his standards of subtlety...

Read the rest of the story here...

Restored Leonardo Masterpiece Goes Back on Display at the National Gallery in London

The Virgin Mary is seen from the artwork "The Virgin on the Rocks" by Leonardo da Vinci (1491-1508), at the National Gallery in London July 14, 2010. An 18-month project to restore Leonardo da Vinci's "Virgin of the Rocks" revealed the Renaissance artist likely painted the entire work himself rather than, as previously thought, with the help of his assistants. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett.

LONDON.-  Leonardo da Vinci’s Virgin of the Rocks is to go back on display in the National Gallery (afternoon of 14th July) after an 18-month restoration project which started in November 2008.

The decision to restore the painting came after several years of intensive study of Leonardo’s work and that of his Milanese associates and assistants – the so-called leonardeschi – from within the Gallery’s collection. The experience gained from examining these pictures reinforced the view that 'The Virgin of the Rocks' could not be appreciated as originally intended. The cleaning process began because some varnish that was applied in 1948–9 was particularly unstable and prone to yellowing. Fine cracking in that varnish, and atmospheric dirt which had become absorbed in its waxy surface, meant that the ability of the varnish to fully saturate the picture had become seriously compromised. As a result the subtlety of shading and the sense of space were markedly reduced, and the impact of this great work significantly lessened.

Read the rest of the article here...