Battle of Anghiari found?

From wiki:

The Battle of Anghiari (1505) is a lost painting by Leonardo da Vinci at times referred to as, "The Lost Leonardo", which some commentators believe to be still hidden beneath later frescoes in the Hall of Five Hundred (Salone dei Cinquecento) in the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence. Its central scene depicted a fierce battle between two men riding raging war-horses.

Possible recovery

Maurizio Seracini, an Italian expert in high-technology art analysis, believes that behind one of these murals by Vasari, the �Battle of Marciano in Val di Chiana� (1563), is hidden the original fresco of Leonardo da Vinci. On top of Vasari�s fresco, 12 m above the ground, a Florentine soldier waves a green flag with the words �Cerca trova� (�He who seeks, finds). These enigmatic words seem to be a hint by Vasari, who always spoke highly of the fresco of Leonardo da Vinci.

Seracini believes it unlikely that Vasari would have destroyed the work of his predecessor during his renovation of the Hall of Five Hundred. Using non-invasive techniques, such as high-frequency, surface-penetrating radar and thermographic camera, Seracini made a survey of the hall. Among other conclusions, he found out that Vasari had built another wall in front of the east wall where the original fresco of Leonardo da Vinci was reported to be located. He found a gap of 1 to 3 cm between the two walls, large enough for the older fresco to be preserved.

Early 2007, the city council of Florence and the Italian Minister of Culture have given green light for further investigation.

Peter Paul Rubens's copy after The Battle of Anghiari

The "Cerca Trova" in Vasari's  �Battle of Marciano in Val di Chiana�




Edited by Spartakus - 09-Jan-2008 at 10:31