A painting attributed to Leonardo da Vinci of “inestimable value” was seized in Switzerland following a police of Italian police.
This oil painting portraying Isabella d’Este, attributed to Lenardo da Vinci was seized by Italian police in a safe in a bank in Lugano, Switzerland, on February 10, 2015. (photo credit: Courtesy)
The financial brigade of Pesaro and the special force on theft of artworks, Ancona division, announce having retrieved the painting, a Portrait of Isabella d’Este measuring 61 cm by 46.5 cm.
The painting was stored in a safe of a bank in Lugano, near the Italian border, and was “exported in a clandestine manner,” according to the statement.
Investigators succeeded in locating the painting after an Italian lawyer tried to sell the painting for a sum “not lower than 95 million euros,” the statement by Pesaro police said.
The painting is similar to a verified Leonardo drawing of Isabella d’Este and corresponds to his style in many respects. It is not however universally acknowledged as coming from the hand of the master and may have been drawn by an apprentice copying from the drawing.
AFP contributed to this report.
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From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
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