Da Vinci `self portrait' not done by master himself: Italian experts

Rome, Sept. 4 (CNA) A so-called "self portrait" of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) on show in Taipei was not painted by the famous Italian master himself, contrary to the claims of the organizer of the exhibition, according to Italian experts.

The organizer of the "The Face of Leonardo, Images of a Genius" exhibition, currently being held in Taipei's Huashan 1914 Creative Park, has said that the painting has been verified by an Italian official research team as Da Vinci's work.

However, Alessandro Vezzosi, an expert on Da Vinci and curator of the Museo Ideale Da Vinci in Tuscany, told CNA that it was painted after 1715, so it would be preposterous to assume that it could have been created by the master himself.

The painting was discovered in Lucania in southern Italy, earning it the name of "Tavola Lucania."

The Uffizi Gallery Museum in Florence has kept what is described as the self- portrait of Da Vinci since 1715, but in 1939, it was found that although the board on which it is painted is old, the work was completed after 1600, so that it could not possibly have been the work of Da Vinci himself.

Vezzosi said that the person portrayed in the Tavola Lucania is taken from the Uffizi portrait, so that it could only have been completed after 1715.

Tomaso Montanari, an Italian professor of art history, also said that Tavola Lucania is a copy, produced after Da Vinci's death. He described the quality as poor, and said it could not possibly be a creation of the the master himself.

Montanari also said that he had not heard anything about the research team that verified the authenticity of the painting, and surmised that the organizer's claim could possibly only be a marketing ploy.

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