Attention Dan Brown, Dan Brown to the front counter please, we think may have found a missing Da Vinci. That sneaky little artist Giorgio Vasari may have thought he had the last laugh by hiding Leo’s masterpiece behind his “Battle of Marciano” fresco but those experts in Florence are on to you.The only problem, is the mural is hidden behind a friggin brick wall and the only way to get to it is through Vasari’s painting. Art experts are pretty sure it’s the Leonardo’s long lost work “The Battle of Anghiari” after discovering that grit removed from the wall contained black pigment and lacquer, which is very similar to what Leo used in his brown glazes (hmm, straw clutching?).
The missing painting was commissioned by Piero Soderini in 1502 and depicted the Italian knights defeating Milanese forces in 1440. Leonardo decided it was an opportune time to do a bit of experimenting with a new oil painting technique but from all accounts it was a bit of a failure so he left it unfinished. Anywho, as rumor has it when Vasari, in the 1550s, was commissioned to remodel the hall and paint over Da Vinci’s unfinished work he built a fake wall to protect it instead. Varsari then left a cryptic clue within his mural for Dan Brown like people to discover ….. “cerca trova,” (seek and you shall find). See, artist were so much cooler back then!!!
Psst They are already calling it a masterpiece when it was pretty clear Leonardo hated the stupid thing!!!












