Imagine finding a masterpiece in a dusty cupboard. It sounds like a cliché from a bad movie, but that is exactly how the Lucan portrait of Leonardo da Vinci resurfaced in 2008. History is messy. We like to think we know what the greats looked like—think of that iconic red chalk drawing of a wise, long-bearded old man—but half the time, we're just guessing based on tradition rather than hard evidence. The Lucan portrait changed the conversation because it wasn't just another "maybe" found in an attic; it came with a trail of scientific breadcrumbs that actually led somewhere.
Nicola Barbatelli, a medieval history expert, stumbled upon the painting in a private collection in Salerno. At the time, the owners thought it might be Galileo. Or maybe just a random aristocrat. It was covered in layers of grime and old varnish. Honestly, it looked a bit rough. But Barbatelli saw something in the eyes. He saw the potential for a lost piece of history.
What is the Lucan Portrait of Leonardo da Vinci anyway?
The painting is a tempera grassa on a wood panel made of poplar. That’s a big deal. Poplar was the go-to choice for Italian Renaissance painters. It measures roughly 60 by 44 centimeters. It shows a man in three-quarter view, wearing a dark hat and looking slightly annoyed. He has blue eyes and a long, flowing beard. It isn't the idealized "God-like" Leonardo we see in later statues. It's a man who looks like he’s had a long day.
For a long time, the "Self-Portrait in Red Chalk" in Turin was the undisputed face of Leonardo. But lately, scholars have started to doubt it. Some think it’s actually a drawing of his father or a philosopher. This creates a vacuum. If the Turin drawing isn't him, who is? That’s why the Lucan portrait of Leonardo da Vinci matters so much. It offers a tangible alternative.
The back of the panel contains a Latin inscription: Pinxit Mea. It’s written in "mirror writing." If you know anything about Leonardo, you know mirror writing was his signature move. He was left-handed and found it easier to write from right to left. Of course, anyone can fake mirror writing. A forger in the 18th century could have easily added that to bump up the price. So, scholars had to dig deeper than just some cool-looking text.
The Science: Fingerprints and Pigments
The investigation into this painting wasn't just art historians squinting at brushstrokes. It was high-tech. They used carbon-14 dating. They used X-ray fluorescence. They even brought in a guy named Peter Hohenstatt from the University of Parma.
Here is where it gets weird.
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During the restoration, researchers found a fingerprint. Not just any smudge, but a partial print located on the left side of the painting. In the Renaissance, artists often used their fingers to smudge paint, especially when blending shadows or textures. This technique is called sfumato. They compared this print to the ones found on the Lady with an Ermine, a confirmed Leonardo masterpiece.
The results? It wasn't a 100% match—that’s almost impossible with old, degraded paint—but it was "compatible."
Then there’s the physical age. Carbon dating placed the wood panel between 1459 and 1523. Leonardo died in 1519. The timeline fits perfectly. The pigments used were also consistent with the period. No "Prussian Blue" or other modern inventions were found. It was all lapis lazuli, ochre, and lead white. It’s the kind of stuff you’d find in a 16th-century workshop, not a 19th-century forgery.
Why the hat matters
Take a look at the hat in the portrait. It’s a bonnet style popular in the early 1500s. Critics initially argued that the hat looked like a later addition. However, infrared reflectography showed that the hat was part of the original composition. It wasn't painted over centuries later to make the subject look "more like Leonardo." The artist intended for him to look exactly like that.
The Controversy: Is it really him?
Not everyone is convinced. Art history is a contact sport.
Martin Kemp, one of the world’s leading Leonardo experts and an Emeritus Professor at Oxford, has been skeptical. He has argued that the painting lacks the "divine" quality of Leonardo’s undisputed works. To some, the anatomy looks a bit stiff. The way the eyes are set doesn't have that eerie, lifelike quality found in the Mona Lisa.
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But here’s the counter-argument: What if Leonardo didn't paint it to be a masterpiece? What if it was a quick study? Or, more likely, what if he started it and a student finished it?
We know Leonardo’s workshop was a hive of activity. Artists like Salaì and Francesco Melzi were constantly copying his style. Even if the Lucan portrait of Leonardo da Vinci isn't a "self-portrait" in the sense that he held the brush for every single stroke, it is almost certainly a contemporary likeness. It’s how people who actually knew him saw him.
- The nose is long and straight, matching descriptions from 16th-century biographies.
- The blue eyes align with historical accounts (though some say they were grey).
- The beard is long and well-kept, which was Leonardo’s "brand" in his later years.
Alessandro Vezzosi, the director of the Museo Ideale Leonardo da Vinci, has been a major proponent of the painting’s authenticity. He pointed out that the portrait actually resembles a drawing of Leonardo attributed to Francesco Melzi. If you overlay the two, the features align with startling precision. It’s hard to call that a coincidence.
A Grittier Version of History
Most people want Leonardo to be this untouchable genius. The Lucan portrait gives us something else. It gives us a guy who looks human.
The painting spent years in the collection of the noble Lucano family (hence the name). They lived in Acerenza, a small town in southern Italy. For centuries, it just sat there. It wasn't in the Louvre or the Uffizi. It didn't have a gold frame or a security guard. It was just a family heirloom.
There’s something refreshing about that.
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The Lucan portrait of Leonardo da Vinci reminds us that history isn't settled. New things are still being found. In 2019, the painting was exhibited in Spain and Italy, drawing massive crowds. People are fascinated by it because it feels like a bridge to the past that we haven't quite finished crossing.
You’ve got to wonder how many other "Galileos" or "anonymous noblemen" hanging in grandmothers' houses are actually lost titans of the Renaissance.
Actionable Insights for Art Enthusiasts
If you're heading to Italy or just want to dive deeper into the mystery of the Lucan portrait of Leonardo da Vinci, keep these things in mind.
First, check the current location of the painting. It is primarily housed at the Museo delle Antiche Genti di Lucania in Vaglio Basilicata. It isn't always on display because it travels for special exhibitions, so always check their official schedule before making a pilgrimage.
Second, compare it yourself. Open a tab with the Melzi drawing of Leonardo and the Lucan portrait. Look at the bridge of the nose and the set of the jaw. Even to an untrained eye, the similarities are striking. It helps you understand why Barbatelli got so excited when he first saw it.
Lastly, read the scientific reports if you can find them. The "Cavaliere" report and the findings from the Circe (Center for Isotopic Research on Cultural and Environmental heritage) provide the data behind the hype. It’s one thing to say a painting "looks right," but it’s another to see the chemical breakdown of the wood it’s painted on.
History is rarely a closed case. Whether you believe it’s a self-portrait, a student’s tribute, or a very lucky find, the Lucan panel has earned its place in the Leonardo canon. It challenges our assumptions. It makes us look closer. And honestly, it makes the world of art history a lot more interesting.