Leonardo da Vinci news stories on Newser

On Da Vinci's To-Do List: 'Find Human Skull'

Kevin Spak — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:28:05 CDT

A never-before-seen page of Leonardo da Vinci's famed notebook is set to go on display next month at the Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace, and it represents an interesting look into the genius' mind—because it's his to-do list. Scholars believe the list was written right before da Vinci made...

Experts: We're Close to Finding Lost Da Vinci

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 00:31:00 CDT

Indefatigable art experts believed they've discovered the location of a long-sought Leonardo Da Vinci masterpiece hidden behind another painting in Florence. A California team searching for the masterpiece Battle of Anghiari are convinced it's painted on a wall of the Palazzo Vecchio—behind another painting by Giorgio Vasari. They sampled...

'Sister' Mona Lisa Found

Rob Quinn — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:40:00 CST

A stunning art find means that we can now see what Mona Lisa really looked like, say experts at Madrid's Prado Museum. The museum's researchers found that a painting in its vaults long thought to have been just one of dozens of replicas of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece was actually...

At Louvre, a Brawl Over a da Vinci

Kate Schwartz — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:48:46 CST

Who knew art historians could duke it out like this? The Louvre finds itself embroiled in a big brouhaha regarding its recent restoration of a Leonardo da Vinci painting. Two of France's preeminent art experts, who sit on the museum's 20-person committee tasked with overseeing art restoration, have resigned, furious...

Did 'Lost' Da Vinci Sell for Only $21K?

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:10:00 CDT

Christie's auction house let a "lost" Leonardo Da Vinci portrait fly out the door for a mere $21,000, according to some art experts. The portrait was from a 500-year-old book about the duke of Milan and likely features an illegitimate daughter, according to Oxford art historian Martin Kemp. "We...

Long-Lost Leonardo Painting Resurfaces

Matt Cantor — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:43:57 CDT

For the first time in a century, a major “new” Leonardo da Vinci piece has emerged. This time, it’s a painting called “Salvatore Mundi,” discovered in a private American collection and confirmed as the master’s work. It’s a long-missing painting that once belonged to Charles I and Charles II, the...

Team to Unearth Bones... of Mona Lisa?

Mary Papenfuss — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 02:58:42 CDT

Florence researchers are about to excavate the bones of the woman they believe served as the model for Mona Lisa . Their hope is that facial reconstruction will prove once and for all if Lisa Gherardini was the subject of the Leonardo da Vinci portrait that has mesmerized viewers for centuries....

Mona Lisa Was Da Vinci's Gay Lover: Expert

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 07:14:33 CST

No wonder she has such a mysterious smile: the lady was a scamp. Mona Lisa isn't the portrait of a local merchant's wife, but was inspired instead by a beautiful boy apprentice who later became Leonardo da Vinci's lover, argues an art expert. Silvano Vinceti, the head of an Italian...

Art Historian Identifies Mona Lisa's Home Town

Kevin Spak — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 12:35:05 CST

Bobbio, Italy, should probably brace itself for a wave of tourists. Art historian Carla Glori has identified the tiny northern town as the place depicted in the background of the Mona Lisa , based on a numerical code hidden within the painting. In the past, many assumed the background was plucked...