Maurizio Seracini the US diagnostician of Italian art specializing in non destructive analyses of art and architecture is investigating the whereabouts of a lost Leonardo da Vinci fresco, possibly hidden behind another wall painting in Florence. Seracini has adopted medical and military technologies to conduct diagnostics of art with minimal destruction of the artwork itself. Kate Deimling has published an article on ArtInfo, stating “…after receiving permission from Florentine authorities, Seracini and his team drilled six holes in the wall painting that may conceal da Vinci’s “Battle of Anghiari.” …to insert endoscopic probes and search behind it. …locations were chosen that were cracked or previously restored, so that there would be no damage to Vasari’s original work. …analysis of red, beige, and black pigment samples retrieved by the probes suggests that they are traces of paint, and the black material in particular shows “a chemical composition similar to black pigment found in brown glazes on Leonardo’s ‘Mona Lisa’ and ‘John the Baptist.’” Diemling in her article discusses the significant opposition Seracini and his backers are confronting from various scholars and researchers in the quest to locate the missing work after 450 years.

 

Inspired by Kate Deimling http://ow.ly/a6XSH image source Wikimedia http://ow.ly/a6XKq