It's a discovery that could become a real treasure. The teams of Valençay Castle in the Indre have found in their archives an alleged portrait of the Italian thinker Machiavelli. And it could well be that Leonardo da Vinci is the author.
The archives of Château de Valençay, which belonged in particular to the famous Prince Talleyrand, are full of works of art, and this could certainly have a place in the collections.
An alleged portrait of the Italian thinker Machiavel!
A note from 1874, found by the archives service, states that a painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the sixteenth century was in Valençay.
The teams of the castle have found the work in question, which corresponds to the dimensions described in the note, or 55 centimeters in height and 42 centimeters in width. The painting represents the famous Machiavelli, rather old, bearded, and dressed in black, all on a dark background. The canvas is now carefully preserved.
The artwork was shown for the first time to the public this weekend at meetings of " Les Diplomatiques #2".
"Les Diplomatiques # 2" is a weekend of meetings of arts and diplomacy at the time of the Renaissance with conferences, round tables, readings, concerts, dinners.October 26 & 27, 2019
They are looking this year on the legacy of Machiavelli.
A study in progress
The research on the painting has now begun to determine whether it is a canvas painted by Leonardo da Vinci himself. An investigation is underway; the painting is entrusted to a restorer, as well as the departmental archives of Indre to answer the various historical and technical questions surrounding this discovery.
Once the research is complete, the study could lead to expertise if the study proves successful. The potential discovery of a new painting by Leonardo da Vinci would give a priceless value to this portrait. For the moment, only about twenty works are attributed to the Renaissance painter.
Radio France Bleue
Comments