A long-lost fresco by Leonardo da Vinci may have been found this week at the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. The unfinished work Battle of Anghiari appears to have beeen hidden behind the fresco Battle of Marciano by Giorgio Vasari. Da Vinci is thought to have started the depiction of the 1440 battle during the 16th century.
Scientific researchers sent tiny probes into the Vasari fresco to get paint samples from underneath. They are said to have found they have found a type of black pigment that was also used in Da Vinci’s great work, the Mona Lisa. Da Vinci pained the Mona Lisa around the same time as The Battle of Anghiari.
Art historians think Vasari may have created a wall in front of Da Vinci’s fresco in order to preserve the work of the great master. The scientific investigation has not been without controversy. Many in the art community are fearful that Vasari’s fresco will be destroyed in order to uncover the fresco beneath – which is still not yet proven to be Da Vinci’s.
While you can’t view Da Vinci’s Battle of Anghiari – yet – you can see some of the world’s best art on some of these Florence day tours.
By Kathy McCabe
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