14 DAY TRIAL // A painting recently found inside a vault at a Swiss bank might be the work of Leonardo da Vinci, evidence suggests.
Art historians and experts who have had the chance to examine the painting say that it very much resembles a sketch that da Vinci is known to have made back in 1499.
The sketch in question is a pencil portrait of an Italian noblewoman by the name of Isabella d'Este, and is presently on display at the Louvre Museum.
For many years, art historians were unable to say whether or not Leonardo da Vinci did in fact paint the portrait of this noblewoman, or if maybe he settled for merely creating the pencil drawing.
According to Live Science, it is possible that the painting discovered inside the bank vault and which is currently owned by an unnamed Italian family is the portrait that da Vinci made based on said sketch.
Thus, specialists working with the University of Arizona say that, with the help of carbon dating technology, they have been able to determine that the portrait was painted sometime between the years 1460 and 1650.
In light of these findings, and also based on the fact that the portrait resembles da Vinci's sketch of Isabella d'Este, Professor Carlos Pedretti with the University of California Los Angeles said that, “There are no doubts that the portrait is the work of Leonardo.”
Other specialists disagree and point out the fact that, whereas Leonardo da Vinci preferred working on wooden boards, this particular portrait is painted on canvas.
“Canvas was not used by Leonardo or anyone in his production line,” Professor Martin Kemp with the Oxford University in the United Kingdom argued, as cited by CBS News. “Although with Leonardo, the one thing I have learned is never to be surprised,” he nonetheless said.
For the time being, art historians are still debating the painting's authenticity. The moment they reach a conclusion, be sure you will learn about it here.