Wall may hide da Vinci fresco

A RESEARCHER searching for a lost Leonardo da Vinci fresco claims a hidden wall in Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio contains colours consistent with those used by the Renaissance master.

Maurizio Seracini is an Italian engineer leading the hunt for Battle of Anghiari, an unfinished mural by da Vinci. Mr Seracini announced the first results of the technological sleuthing, saying an analysis showed the red, black and beige paint found were consistent with organic paint the artist used for his frescoes.

The suspected fresco is concealed behind a more recent wall, so researchers had to take samples for lab analysis.