Lost da vinci Painting Discovered
In 1998, a vellum-sheet portrait sold for £11,400 at Christie's. Today, the bidder who bailed at £11,399 is kicking himself. This painting, thought at the time to be a 19th-century pastiche by a German unknown, is now being accredited to one of the great masters of all time, Leonardo Da Vinci. (How much does a long-lost masterpiece go for these days? The Guardian reckons about £100 million.)
Art historian Martin Kemp is the main proponent of the painting's authenticity. The investigation began when Kemp identified the unknown woman in the portrait as "Bianca Sforza, the daughter of Leonardo's patron Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan (1452-1508), and his mistress Bernardina de Corradis." He discussed his findings in the book 'La Bella Principessa: The Story of the New Masterpiece by Leonardo Da Vinci.' A key facet of the unfolding mystery was the left margin of the work, which had three holes in it, as if bound in a book.
Continue reading HERE.
Art historian Martin Kemp is the main proponent of the painting's authenticity. The investigation began when Kemp identified the unknown woman in the portrait as "Bianca Sforza, the daughter of Leonardo's patron Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan (1452-1508), and his mistress Bernardina de Corradis." He discussed his findings in the book 'La Bella Principessa: The Story of the New Masterpiece by Leonardo Da Vinci.' A key facet of the unfolding mystery was the left margin of the work, which had three holes in it, as if bound in a book.
Continue reading HERE.