Book description
How an oddly attributed ,000 picture proved to be a 0 million work by
Leonardo da Vinci-a true art-world detective story
In late 2010, art collector Peter Silverman revealed that a
"German, early 19th century" portrait he had bought for ,000
was, in fact, a previously unknown drawing by Leonardo da Vinci-an
exquisite depiction of Bianca Sforza, rendered 500 years ago. In
Leonardo's Lost Princess, Silverman gives a riveting
first-person account of how his initial suspicions of the portrait's
provenance were confirmed repeatedly by scientists and art experts. He
describes the path to authentication, fraught with opposition and
controversy. The twists and turns of this fascinating, decade-long
quest lead from art history to cutting-edge science, and from a New
York art gallery to Paris, Milan, Zurich, and ultimately a Warsaw
library where the final, convincing evidence that the portrait was
indeed by da Vinci was found.
- Takes an up-close look at the workings of the art world and at
figures ranging from dealers and connoisseurs to a suspected forger
- Discusses current scientific techniques used to investigate and
authenticate works of art, such as carbon dating and cutting-edge
photography
- Uses Silverman's drawing as an entree into Leonardo da Vinci's
world: his studio, his style, and his methods
- Explores the intersection of art and science in the authentication
process, involving the work of a man who embodied that intersection
Unearthing the secrets almost lost to history, the book is ideal
reading for art lovers and anyone interested in an astounding case of "whodunit."
PETER SILVERMAN
is a noted art collector. Among his significant discoveries are three
miscatalogued works by Van Dyck and a wooden cross attributed to Michelangelo.
CATHERINE WHITNEY has written or cowritten more than fifty
books in a variety of fields.
