Possible da Vinci Found in Scotland

French expert Michel Fraisset believes the background is the mountain of St Victoire by the city of Aix-en-Provence.

Indications of a da Vinci: 1. A similarity between the boy and child in his famous piece Madonna of the Rocks, 2. A distinctive 'v' shape in the middle of the woman's hairline reminiscent of that shown in the last supper, 3. The fleur-de-lys is often said to be a hidden emblem of the secretive Priory of Sion, 4. The area by the woman's shoulder is unfinished, common in da Vinci works, 5. A tracing of the figure in the Last Supper matches exactly the outline of the woman in this painting, 6. The baby's second toe is longer than the big toe - another classic da Vinci feature

(SALEM) - In Scotland, a long ignored painting turns out to possibly be a lost work of Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci. If it is the real thing, this oil painting depicting a woman holding a young child that has been collecting dust in Fiona McLaren's home for decades, could be worth more than $150 million, The Daily Mail reported.

It was only when faced with financial difficulties that Ms. McLaren, who is 59, decided to take it to "Sotheby's" auction house for evaluation.

Voice of Russia reports that for the present, experts' opinions are divided. Some believe that da Vinci himself was involved in the creation of this painting. Others argue that it was only written in his studio.

Auctioneer Harry Robertson, the director of Sotheby's in Scotland, gasped when he saw the art 23ins by 28ins work which had hung on a landing and in a bedroom in London for decades, before being transferred to Scotland when Ms McLaren and her mother moved into a farmhouse

'I showed it to him [Mr Robertson] and he was staggered, speechless save for a sigh of exclamation,' said Ms McLaren, according to The People.

French expert Michel Fraisset believes the background is the mountain of St Victoire by the city of Aix-en-Provence.

Another significant aspect is the papal bull – an order from the pope. It is attached to the back of the painting and has been confirmed as belonging to Pope Paul V who was headed the Catholic Church in the early 17th century.

Although much of the wording on the Papal Bull has now disappeared, Fiona confirmed to the Daily Mail that the word for Magdalene is visible.

The Daily Mail explains that McLaren’s father, a physician, was given the painting as a gift from one of his patients in the 1960′s. He passed away in 1979, and his wife took possession of the possible da Vinci creation. She later gave the piece to Fiona as a present on her 40th birthday.

Presently, Cambridge University and the Hamilton Kerr Institute are evaluating the painting to determine whether it did actually originate from the brush of Leonardo da Vinci. Even if the work wasn’t crafted by da Vinci, it was probably created by one of the his students during the 16th century.

According to various reports, the painting could contain a depiction of Mary Magdalene holding a young child, .

McLaren believes that the word “Magdalene” can be seen on scrap, which may ultimately help authenticate the picture.

McLaren's plan for the artwork ,if it turns out da Vinci, would be to sell the piece to a museum. McLaren also plans to donate a percentage of the earnings she would receive if the picture heads to auction.

Sources:

Daily Mail

Voice of Russia

TASS

The People