Battle of Anghiari: summary of the five-year search for the lost Leonardo

by Federico Giannini, Ilaria Baratta , published on 16/08/2012
Categories: News Focus / Disclaimer
An article briefly summarizing the five years of research of Leonardo da Vinci's Battle of Anghiari in Florence's Palazzo Vecchio

The news is recent: the mayor of Florence Matteo Renzi, in a polemical letter sent to the minister of culture, has suspended work on the search for the Battle of Anghiari, the work by Leonardo that would be found under Giorgio Vasari ’s Battle of Marciano della Chiana on one of the walls of the Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio. Months have passed since the search began, and having arrived at this point we would like to give an unbiased summary of the events that have happened in the last few months, both to make a brief point of the situation and to give our readers the faculty to judge the matter without conditioning. We already have our own idea on the matter and many are familiar with it, but today we do not want to comment, we just want to set out what has happened with this brief summary but which we have tried to make as complete as possible.

1. Prologue, Maurizio Seracini’s discovery.

We are in June 2005, five hundred years after Leonardo da Vinci ’s attempt to complete a work depicting the Battle of Anghiari on one of the walls of the Sala Grande of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence: Leonardo did not use the fresco technique but executed a mural. Unfortunately, however, Leonardo had to abandon his intentions because he could not get the painting’s colors to dry optimally, with the result that they dripped, irreparably ruining the work. The artist then gave up completing his work. Coming back to us, in June 2005 engineer Maurizio Seracini of the University of California, San Diego, announced to the world the discovery of a “secret wall” behind Giorgio Vasari ’s fresco depicting the Battle of Marciano della Chiana. According to Seracini, the Vasari fresco may conceal the remains of Leonardo’s Battle of Anghiari. A few days later, the idea of piercing Vasari’s fresco to hunt for Leonardo became apparent.

In-depth articles:

  1. ’Secret wall’ discovered in Palazzo Vecchio: perhaps it defended a Leonardo fresco for centuries, from Rai News 24, June 6, 2005
  2. Pierluigi Panza, A ’secret wall’ by Leonardo discovered, from Corriere della Sera, June 7, 2005
  3. Lattes Wanda, Two words and a TV probe for the lost Leonardo, from Corriere della Sera, June 17, 2005

2. The committee

It is beginning to “get serious.” It is 2007, and following another year of research by Seracini, it is decided to officially search for Leonardo’s lost painting. In May, the committee charged with finding the work was established: it included, among others, Maurizio Seracini, the then mayor of Florence Lorenzo Domenici, Superintendent Cristina Acidini and scholars Antonio Paolucci and Carlo Pedretti. And even then the figure of Matteo Renzi loomed on the horizon: he too was part of the committee, as president of the Province of Florence.

In-depth articles:

  1. Battle of Anghiari. Here’s the committee to look for it, from The Nation, May 18, 2007

3. Off we go!

In October 2007, in the presence of the then Minister of Cultural Heritage Francesco Rutelli, the hunt for the painting was kicked off. Rutelli announced that the work would be finished within a year and the “mystery” would then be revealed. The costs of the operation would be covered by private sponsors.

In-depth articles:

  1. Battle of Anghiari, nuclear hunt for fresco, from Il Messaggero, Oct. 22, 2007
  2. Leonardo’s enigma toward solution, from La Repubblica, Oct. 22, 2007

4. The agreement between the City of Florence and National Geographic.

March 2008: the Municipality of Florence signs an agreement with the National Geographic Society, which pledges to guarantee the municipality a contribution of fifty thousand euros per year for five years in order to promote, through documentaries, films and presentations, the artistic heritage of the city with a focus precisely on the Battle of Anghiari. And, of course, the National Geographic Society’s contribution will be used to send research on the painting forward. Meanwhile, Maurizio Seracini’s research continues.

In-depth articles:

  1. The search for the ’Battle of Anghiari’ told in a documentary, from La Nazione, March 3, 2008
  2. Leonardo da Vinci’s Battle of Anghiari: agreement between City of Florence and National Geographic Society, from Nove di Firenze, March 3, 2008
  3. Chiara Dino, Battaglia di Anghiari, Leonardo’s colors discovered: deep blue is sought, from Corriere Fiorentino, March 4, 2008

5. Enter Matteo Renzi, the search continues

In June 2009 Leonardo Domenici leaves the chair as mayor of Florence to Matteo Renzi, who immediately proves to be among the most enthusiastic promoters of the search. The newly elected mayor pledges full support for the search, hoping that the mystery will be solved as soon as possible.

In-depth articles:

  1. Elysa Fazzino, Leonardo’s masterpiece hidden in Palazzo Vecchio?, from Il Sole 24 Ore, March 3, 2008

6. Early doubts and difficulties

While Maurizio Seracini’s research is beginning to fascinate the general public and the mainstream media who see the hunt for the Battle of Anghiari as a new (but this time real) Da Vinci Code, there are already those who, on the contrary, are beginning to raise doubts: Giorgio Vasari’s fresco may be damaged. These are mostly isolated voices, however. But Seracini’s work does not stop: nevertheless, despite the payment of the first tranche of National Geographic’s contribution, in October the engineer complains about a shortage of resources, hoping for contributions from foreign investors, since, according to him, there would not be enough interest in Italy. In November Seracini also communicates the amount of money he believes is needed to complete the research: two and a half million dollars. In 2011, however, the research is expected to advance: the date is therefore for the following year.

In-depth articles:

  1. At risk is the "Battle of Scannagallo," from Foiano in Piazza, Feb. 3, 2010
  2. Claudio Castellacci, Leonardo detective and the real Da Vinci Code, from Leiweb, June 4, 2010
  3. Battle of Anghiari, $50,000 for the ’hunt,’ from La Nazione, Sept. 22, 2010
  4. Hunting for Leonardo’s Battle of Anghiari in Palazzo Vecchio’s Salone dei Cinquecento, from Gonews, Sept. 23, 2010
  5. Leonardo, research in 2011 for the Battle of Anghiari, from La Nazione, Oct. 4, 2010
  6. Battle of Anghiari needs $2.5 million, from Il Giornale, Nov. 18, 2010

7. Operational phase begins

August 2011: the operational phase of the research begins. Scaffolding is installed in the Salone dei Cinquecento, and the team led by Seracini begins probing the wall with radar in order to detect thecavity that the engineer says conceals Leonardo’s lost painting. The results bode well for Matteo Renzi, who following triumphalist announcements (“we will unravel the riddle over the Battle of Anghiari”) travels to Washington in September to seek additional funding.

In-depth articles:

  1. ’Battle of Anghiari’ A radar to find Leonardo’s masterpiece, from La Nazione, Aug. 23, 2011
  2. Radar in the Salone dei Cinquecento searching for Leonardo, from Firenze Today, Aug. 24, 2011
  3. Search for the ’Battle of Anghiari’ created by Leonardo reaches final stage, from Tafter, Aug. 25, 2011
  4. Hunting for the ’Battle of Anghiari,’ radar work began yesterday, from Firenze Today, Aug. 27, 2011
  5. Renzi and da Empoli in Washington, "Funds for the Battle of Anghiari," from Corriere Fiorentino, Sept. 19, 2011
  6. Leonardo: Renzi and da Empoli in Washington, from La Nazione, Sept. 19, 2011
  7. Renzi: "We will unravel the riddle over the battle of Anghiari," from Gonews, Sept. 22, 2011

8. End of non-invasive searches: green light for holes

The most excited phase of the search begins in October. Maurizio Seracini, following radar searches, is certain that there is a cavity behind Giorgio Vasari’s fresco: however, it is necessary to know more, that is, to know what this cavity conceals. To do this, the engineer proposes two solutions: a scanner that has the disadvantage of costing two million dollars, or an endoscope to be introduced directly into the wall frescoed by Vasari to go in search of Leonardo. The endoscope, a method also preferred by National Geographic, is opted for. However, the method requires that Vasari’s fresco be pierced: however, the team is not worried about this, and on November 29 the endoscopic search officially begins, to conduct which Giorgio Vasari’s fresco will have to be pierced in seven different places. At the same time, Cecilia Frosinini, one of theOpificio delle Pietre Dure ’s top experts who had been entrusted with the scientific supervision of the operations, renounces her assignment to supervise the operations, refusing to pierce an intact and well-preserved fresco: it is a matter of professional ethics. Meanwhile, the triumphalist announcements by an increasingly convinced Matteo Renzi that he is close to finding Leonardo’s painting continue.

In-depth articles:

  1. Marco Ferri, Battle of Anghiari: plot twist. Endoscope instead of scanner?, from Il Giornale della Toscana, Oct. 4, 2011
  2. It “punctures” Vasari’s fresco looking for lost Leonardo, from Corriere Fiorentino, Nov. 29, 2011
  3. Battle of Anghiari, the truth after five centuries, from La Nazione, Nov. 29, 2011
  4. Michele Bocci and Laura Montanari, Clash over the Battle of Anghiari. Maybe today the hole on Vasari, from La Repubblica, Nov. 29, 2011
  5. Hunting for the “Battle of Anghiari,” radar work began yesterday, from Firenze Today, Aug. 27, 2011
  6. Battle of Anghiari, no to Vasari ’sacrifice’. But seven holes will be drilled for research, from Gonews, Nov. 29, 2011

9. The clash between the scholars and the research team.

It is early December 2011. After the announcement of the holes on Vasari’s fresco and Cecilia Frosinini’s rejection, the art history world is in turmoil: Italia Nostra lodged a complaint with the Florence prosecutor ’s office to block the search (the crime of damage to Vasari’s fresco is alleged), and a group of scholars “captained” by Salvatore Settis, Tomaso Montanari andFrancesco Caglioti (joined by important names such as those of Keith Christiansen, Charles Dempsey, Paola Barocchi and several others) is launching a public appeal to express concern about the fate of Vasari’s fresco and to share perplexities about the research believing “totally improbable that Vasari sealed something still legible under a wall,” as the text of the appeal reads. The latter will be signed by dozens of people: among them internationally renowned scholars, professors, researchers, art historians, students as well as ordinary art enthusiasts, all united by concern for the possible end of the Battle of Marciano della Chiana fresco. On the other side of the barricade, Maurizio Seracini expresses his bitterness about the situation, while Carlo Pedretti (one of the few scholars who approve of the research) tries to vouch for the seriousness of the project and Matteo Renzi defends himself by attacking the scholars who signed the appeal and assuring the scientific nature of the research. However, following the complaint to the prosecutor’s office, the research is halted, although Pedretti hopes for a quick resumption.

In-depth articles:

  1. Sergio Momesso, Save Vasari at the Palazzo Vecchio! Collecting signatures, from Storie dell’Arte, Dec. 4, 2011
  2. Sergio Momesso, Appeal for Vasari’s fresco, from Storie dell’Arte, Dec. 5, 2011
  3. Battle of Anghiari: complaint against research, from intoscana.it, Dec. 5, 2011
  4. Battle of Anghiari: "Stop the search," from Il Tirreno, Dec. 6, 2011
  5. Battle of Anghiari, Renzi: "We are not vandalizing the Vasari," from Firenze Today, Dec. 6, 2011
  6. Battle of Anghiari: investigation is regular. Unqualified appeal against the investigation, from La Nazione, Dec. 8, 2011
  7. Battle of Anghiari, Pedretti to Renzi: "The investigation should be resumed without delay," from Gonews, Dec. 13, 2011

10. Search continues: results of chemical analysis of findings

Despite the appeal, with the start of the new year, searches in the Salone dei Cinquecento in the Palazzo Vecchio resume. Seracini’s team finds some traces of color in the cavity, and at the same time the end of the search is announced for March, with the subsequent removal of the scaffolding. However, the controversy does not subside, which also continues because the results of the chemical investigations on the samples taken by Seracini are delayed. These will arrive in March: the announcement is made that a pigment was found having a chemical composition similar to that of a pigment used for the Mona Lisa. And while Matteo Renzi becomes convinced that he has finally found Leonardo, scholars continue to criticize the methods: Tomaso Montanari in particular complains that the chemical analysis was conducted by a private laboratory in Pontedera and not by a public institution such as theOpificio delle Pietre Dure, and furthermore, the chemical composition of the pigment alone would not serve to prove that Leonardo’s lost painting lies behind Vasari’s fresco.

In-depth articles:

  1. Battle of Anghiari, scaffolding until March, from La Nazione, Jan. 20, 2012
  2. Last week to search for the Battle of Anghiari, from La Repubblica, Jan. 22, 2012
  3. Hunt for the Battle of Anghiari, Seracini does not reveal results and findings, from La Repubblica, Feb. 1, 2012
  4. Federica Sanna, In search of the lost Leonardo: “There is the same black as the Mona Lisa,” from Corriere Fiorentino, March 12, 2012
  5. Laura Montanari and Michele Bocci, Researching the Battle of Anghiari, Renzi: "We have found Leonardo," from Repubbica, March 12, 2012
  6. ’Battle of Anghiari,’ under Vasari’s black Mona Lisa: it’s Leonardo’s signature, from ADN Kronos, March 12, 2011
  7. Tomaso Montanari, The (scientific) proof that is still missing, from Corriere Fiorentino, March 13, 2012

11. The latest developments

Florence prosecutor’s office in June files file on Vasari’s fresco because the work would not have been damaged: therefore the crime hypothesis falls. The controversy continues, and while the Opificio delle Pietre Dure still complains that the research team has not received any material for analysis, the mayor of Florence tries to establish a dialogue with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage in order to get permission to conduct new investigations. However, if there is a yes from the superintendence, with Cristina Acidini agreeing to Matteo Renzi’s requests, the response from the ministry is slow to arrive. This brings us to August 14, with the news with which we opened this post: following continued delays on the part of the ministry, Renzi decides for the suspension of the research. Is this the end of the story? We really think not. But together with you we will be watching developments.

In-depth articles:

  1. Marco Gasperetti, The ghost of the “Battle of Anghiari”: still no assignment for the Opificio, from Corriere della Sera, June 4, 2012
  2. Battle ofAnghiari, damage hypothesis falls, from Il Giornale dell’Arte, June 11, 2012
  3. Renzi continues his battle of Anghiari. By the end of the week, the project to search for the painting will arrive at the Superintendence’s table, from Exibart, June 20, 2012
  4. Battle ofAnghiari, Acidini: “I will involve specialists,” from Repubblica, June 20, 2012
  5. Battle of Anghiari: Renzi requests authorization for new investigation. Acidini responds, from Quotidiano Arte, July 20, 2012
  6. Battle of Anghiari, Acidini: “I proposed yes to the research,” from Repubbica, July 28, 2012
  7. Renzi writes to Minister Ornaghi: “Research on the Battle of Anghiari is suspended for now,” from La Nazione, Aug. 14, 2012


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