Mystery Image from the Porter Collection, April 9, 2012

Do you recognize me?

Oversize Photography Books at Jackson Library

Quite by accident this past semester, the VRL staff, while perusing the Library Stacks, found that the Library has decided to shift all the books in the Fine Arts section. After years of being so familiar with where books were, the shift came as a bit of a 'geeky' shock. However, last week, the VRL staff was pleasantly surprised to find that the oversize books of Photography had been moved to the 4th floor from a far corner in the basement.

On more than one occasion, the VRL staff have had difficulty in locating books on Photography in the basement stacks for reasons unknown. Perhaps it is the inhospitable atmosphere of that particular corner of the basement? All the same, it is nice to find that the Jackson Library may move the Fine Arts and Photography onto one floor. Yet, coming across the oversize book move was by accident...the question is this: will the Libraries get around to telling Art students and faculty?  The world may never know, and until then, be sure to find an updated floor assignment!

EDIT: As of today, all Library of Congress books designated "T" (photographic arts is TR) are now on the 4th floor of the Jackson Library!

New to MDID, March 20-23, 2012

Here is a selection of images we have recently uploaded to MDID!

Gherardo di Giovanni del Fora's 'Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici,' 1488 (MDID: FEL8511)

Jan Gossaert's 'A Young Princess,' c. 1530 (MDID: FEL8798)

Antony Gormley's 'Home,' 1984 (MDID: FEL8859)

Catacomb of Saint Callisto (MDID: FEL8941)

Mystery Image from the Porter Collection, March 19-20, 2012

Since we missed updating on Monday, it is a 'Two for Tuesday' deal!

Of course, if you recognize these works, please comment!

Mystery Image from the Porter Collection, March 16, 2012

Do you recognize this work?

Can you identify this work? Can you identify the creator or its medium? If so, please comment!

Mystery image from the Porter Collection, March 15, 2012

Do you recognize this sculpture?

Can you identify this work? Can you identify the creator or its medium? If so, please comment!

Lost da Vinci Masterpieces found?

Palazzo Vecchio, scaffolding before Vasari's 'The Battle of Marciano' (photo National Geographic)

In the past few weeks, media outlets have been reporting that at least two new works by Leonardo da Vinci or his pupils have been either identified or discovered.

Given the fame Leonardo has garnered during his lifetime and into the 21st Century, people who may have no background in art, have found these discoveries newsworthy. Of course, with Dan Brown's 'Da Vinci Code,' Leonardo has become very much a 'household name,' but with these recent discoveries, comes new questions.

Right: Prado copy, left: Louvre copy

First, the Prado has uncovered a copy of da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa,' believed to be painted contemporaneously with the version in the Louvre. The painter, possibly a pupil of Leonardo, made subtle changes to the composition, but it is clear to be a copy. While the Louvre may never clean their version of the Mona Lisa, the Prado version is crisp, almost new, after being uncovered.

From the Art Newspaper:

"Conservators at the Prado in Madrid recently made an astonishing discovery, hidden beneath black overpaint. What was assumed to be a replica of the Mona Lisa made after Leonardo’s death had actually been painted by one of his key pupils, working alongside the master. The picture is more than just a studio copy—it changed as Leonardo developed his original composition.

The final traces of overpaint are now being removed by Prado conservators, revealing the fine details of the delicate Tuscan landscape, which mirrors the background of Leonardo’s masterpiece. Darkened varnish is also being painstakingly stripped away from the face of the Mona Lisa, giving a much more vivid impression of her enticing eyes and enigmatic smile."

The world will always find a fascination with the Mona Lisa, but should we look to the Prado copy as a cleaner version of the Louvre version? This, of course, is a somewhat veiled critique of the Louvre's conservation processes, but the question remains: is the Prado copy, which has been attributed recently by scholars as being painted by one of two of Leonardo's pupils (either Andrea Salai or Francesco Melzi), better than the Louvre version?


The other, more recent Leonardo news, is the belief that another work by Leonardo has been located in Florence. Place emphasis on the word 'belief.'


Researchers believe that behind Giorgio Vasari's 'The Battle of Marciano' are traces of another work possibly by Leonardo. This believe stems from the discovery black pigments beneath Vasari's work that are chemically identical to that used by Leonardo in the 'Mona Lisa.'

Giorgio Vasari's The Battle of Marciano, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence

From the BBC article:

"These [sic] data are very encouraging," said the project's leader Maurizio Seracini.

But historians at a press conference in Florence stressed their research was "not conclusive".

They added that further chemical analysis needed to be carried out.

"Although we are still in the preliminary stages of the research and there is still a lot of work to be done to solve this mystery, the evidence does suggest that we are searching in the right place," said Seracini, who works at the University of California in San Diego.

Some have dismissed the search for the fresco by Leonardo Da Vinci as a publicity stunt

The probes also discovered red lacquer and brown pigment on the hidden wall.

The research has been controversial, with some art experts signing a petition to stop the investigation because the drilling is damaging Vasari's existing work."

Peter Paul Rubens' copy of 'The Battle of Anghiari'

What are researchers hoping to find under Vasari's work? Maurizio Seracini believes that Leonardo's unfinished fresco of 'The Battle of Anghiari' may lie beneath Vasari's work. Vasari had built a wall 1 to 3 cm before another wall, possibly covering Leonardo's work. However, short of removing the wall and possibly destroying Vasari's work, finding the fact of the matter may be difficult. The discovery of pigment may lead to researchers finding this lost Leonardo work, or it may lead to uncovering simple markings on the wall--grafitti, perhaps?

In conclusion, as long as there is interest in Leonardo, there will always be new discoveries. Considering the breadth of Leonardo's interests, the range of his life, and the sheer volume of his work, who knows how many 'new' masterpieces may be floating out in the world.

Interested in learning more about Leonardo da Vinci? Go here to read the English translation for free of Leonardo's Notebooks, or go here to read a biography by Maurice Walter Brockwell.