London: A self-portrait attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, previously thought by its owners to be a copy, has now been identified as an original work after forensic analysis found matching fingerprints on the piece.
A team led by Luigi Capasso, an anthropology professor at Italy’s Chieti University, examined the artwork—reported to have been discovered in 2008—and concluded it was drawn by da Vinci. The key evidence was three fingerprints detected on the portrait.
Investigators compared the prints with fingerprint traces found on another da Vinci artwork and determined they belonged to the same person. Experts also carried out additional checks with the support of art specialists and historians, including radiocarbon dating and pigment analysis.
The team said their conclusion is based on scientific verification rather than art-historical opinion. Tests suggest the portrait was created sometime between 1478 and 1520, and researchers also noted the presence of da Vinci’s signature and markings on the work.
