Three near-invisible drawings discovered on back of Da Vinci masterpiece [Times UK] [Art Daily]
In what the Times UK described as a scene out of the Da Vinci code, a curator at the Louvre accidentally uncovered a group of never-before seen drawings on the back of “The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne,” one of Leonardo’s most renowned works, as the painting was being removed temporarily for cleaning/restoration purposes. The barely-visible sketches were at first mistaken to be stains on the wooden surface by which the work is painted, but at a closer look, began to reveal the markings of a horse’s head and a skull. Infrared tests by the Louvre have since concluded that there are three drawings within these markings, one of which appears to be a composition of the infant Jesus with a lamb. A solid attribution to Leonardo, however, is still pending; ongoing research by the museum is looking into settling this matter.
FBI’s Top Investigator Involving Art Theft and Art Fraud, Robert Wittman, Retires [Art Daily] [Art Knowledge]
Robert Wittman, a top detective for cases involving art crime for over 20 years at the FBI, has recently retired, after helping to recover over $225 million dollars of stolen works. One highlight from his career came in 2000, when Wittman led an undercover sting operation in Denmark to recover a trio of priceless paintings (two Renoirs and a Rembrandt), stolen from the Swedish National Museum that Summer. Wittman met with four men at a hotel in Copenhagen, agreeing to buy the Rembrandt self portrait valued at an estimated $36 million, before taking them down.
MORE on Mr. Wittman:
Missing A Masterpiece? Call FBI’s Art Crime Team Dina Temple-Raston, NPR]
[...] Louvre curator discovers new Leonardo drawings on the back“The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne” [...]