Modern Mysteries

Lost Da Vinci painting found in bank vault

By T.K. Randall
October 6, 2013 ·  10 comments

Da Vinci's original pencil sketch of Isabella d’Este. Image Credit: Leonardo Da Vinci Art historians had long suspected that the painting existed because an incomplete pencil sketch of it ( that currently hangs in the Louvre Museum in Paris ) had already been found. Years of futile searching for the whereabouts of the painting however had lead some experts to question whether Da Vinci had ever actually created the finished work at all.

These concerns have now all but disappeared thanks to the sudden and unexpected discovery of the original Isabella d'Este painting in a private collection of 400 works stored in a Swiss bank vault. Scientific testing conducted on the piece has confirmed that it is indeed the work of Da Vinci himself and not a fake or forgery."There are no doubts that the portrait is the work of Leonardo," said Prof Carlo Pedretti, an expert in identifying Da Vinci's painting style. "I can immediately recognise Da Vinci's handiwork, particularly in the woman's face."

As one of only a handful of authentic Da Vinci paintings in the world it is believed that the newly discovered work is likely to be worth tens of million of pounds.

Source: Telegraph | Comments (10)

Tags: Leonardo Da Vinci