Leonardo's Lost Princess

How an oddly attributed $19;000 picture proved to be a $100 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 $19;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.''