Newly discovered portrait of Leonardo?
Italian art experts say they have discovered a portrait of Leonardo da Vinci, painted by an unknown artist.
The painting shows him as a middle-aged man, with serious eyes and long, flowing hair. It was displayed at a news conference in Rome on Thursday and will be exhibited in the town of Vaglio from April 8 through Aug. 31
Medieval historian Nicola Barbatelli discovered it last December while studying the art collection of a family from southern Italy. Barbatelli said carbon-14 analysis of the wood around the canvas dates the painting to the late 15th or early 16th century. Leonardo lived 1452 to 1519.
However, experts cautioned that more tests must be done as the age of the wood doesn’t always correspond to when the portrait was painted. The 60-by-45 cm painting shows Leonardo wearing dark robes and a black, feathered hat, but is damaged by scratches to the paint.
Alessandro Vezzosi, the director of a museum dedicated to Leonardo in his hometown of Vinci, said the image is consistent with a depiction of the artist found in a 17th-18th century portrait kept at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Experts say it is unlikely that it is a self-portrait, but so far, the painter is unknown. CBS.ca
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