A "new" Leonardo painting
A Leonardo da Vinci painting lost for centuries has been authenticated by scholars at the Metropolitan Museum of Art after a collector named Simon acquired it at auction and brought it in for examination. The work had been heavily damaged by centuries of poor restoration attempts, including overpaint and artificial resin coatings that obscured Leonardo's original delicate brushwork underneath. Once conservators carefully removed these layers of damage, the painting's authenticity became clear to all the experts involved.