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researchers were able to view the wall behind the Vasari mural and obtain samples for analysis

data from chemical analysis, while not conclusive, suggest the possibility that the da Vinci painting, long assumed to have been destroyed in the mid-16th century when the Hall of the 500 was completely remodeled, might exist behind the Vasari.

Although we are still in the preliminary stages

data are very encouraging

still a lot of work to be done to solve this mystery

evidence does suggest that we are searching in the right place."

team report four lines of evidence supporting the hypothesis that the lost Leonardo painting is located behind the Vasari mural

sample containing a black material was analyzed with SEM-EDX

scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy), which identifies the chemical elements present in a sample

material found behind the Vasari wall shows a chemical composition similar to black pigment found in brown glazes on Leonardo's "Mona Lisa" and "St. John the Baptist," identified in a recently published scientific paper by the Louvre, which analyzed all the da Vinci paintings in its collection.

Flakes of red material were found

these samples seems to identify them as organic material, which could be associated with red lake (lacquer). This type of material is unlikely to be present in an ordinary plastered wall.

research team confirmed the existence of an air gap, originally identified through radar scans conducted of the Hall, between the brick wall on which Vasari painted his mural and the wall located behind

finding suggests that Vasari may have preserved da Vinci's masterpiece by building a wall in front of it at this location. No other location in the Hall presented this type of air gap.

opportunity to conduct an endoscopic investigation through the Vasari wall

identified 14 areas to be explored

six points of entry were ultimately implemented

chosen by the restorers of the Opificio delle Peitre Dure in areas free of original Vasari paint

including cracked or previously restored areas, to ensure that drilling would not cause any damage to the original Vasari mural

Testing on those samples was conducted with portable instruments on the scaffolding itself

The painting commemorated the 1440 victory of the battle on the plain of Anghiari between Milan and the Italian League led by the Republic of Florence

1503, da Vinci was commissioned

to paint the "The Battle of Anghiari"