Author: Jean-Pierre Isbouts (Ed )
Publisher: Fielding University Press
ISBN: 9780986393037
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 182
Book Description
Art historians have long debated the question why sources about the origin of the Mona Lisa portrait provide conflicting information. This monograph presents a solution for this quandary: these 16th century sources don't agree because they are not talking about the same painting. If we consider this possibility, that Leonardo painted not one, but two versions of the Mona Lisa, then all of these problems begin to resolve themselves. In fact, throughout his life Leonardo would often return to a motif or composition for a variety of reasons. Thus we have at least two versions of The Virgin of the Rocks, painted by Leonardo with the De Predis brothers in Milan, and two versions of the Madonna of the Yarnwinder, painted by Leonardo with his assistants in Florence. In other words, the proposition that Leonardo may have painted not one, but two versions of the Mona Lisa is by no means far-fetched. Nonetheless, it also raises an important question. If Leonardo did paint an earlier version in addition to the Louvre Mona Lisa, where is this portrait today? And how can we determine whether this painting is indeed an autograph, rather than one of the many Mona Lisa versions and copies that are still extant today?The answers to these questions are provided in this book, based on contributions by scholars from around the world. They include Prof. John Asmus of the University of California at San Diego; Prof. Vadim Parfenov at the State Electrotechnical University in St. Petersburg, Russia; Prof. Átila Soares da Costa Filho of the Universidade Cândido Mendes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Prof. Jason Halter of the University of Michigan; and Prof. Robert Meyrick of Aberystwyth University. In addition, this monograph includes contributions by noted art critic Gérard Boudin de l'Arche and two prominent artists, Albert Sauteur and Joe Mullins. The book is edited by Prof. Jean-Pierre Isbouts of Fielding Graduate University at Santa Barbara, CA. His previous publications on Leonardo da Vinci include The Mona Lisa Myth; Young Leonardo: The Evolution of a Revolutionary Artist; and The Da Vinci Legacy, co-authored with Dr. Christopher Brown.
Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa
Author: Jean-Pierre Isbouts (Ed )
Publisher: Fielding University Press
ISBN: 9780986393037
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 182
Book Description
Art historians have long debated the question why sources about the origin of the Mona Lisa portrait provide conflicting information. This monograph presents a solution for this quandary: these 16th century sources don't agree because they are not talking about the same painting. If we consider this possibility, that Leonardo painted not one, but two versions of the Mona Lisa, then all of these problems begin to resolve themselves. In fact, throughout his life Leonardo would often return to a motif or composition for a variety of reasons. Thus we have at least two versions of The Virgin of the Rocks, painted by Leonardo with the De Predis brothers in Milan, and two versions of the Madonna of the Yarnwinder, painted by Leonardo with his assistants in Florence. In other words, the proposition that Leonardo may have painted not one, but two versions of the Mona Lisa is by no means far-fetched. Nonetheless, it also raises an important question. If Leonardo did paint an earlier version in addition to the Louvre Mona Lisa, where is this portrait today? And how can we determine whether this painting is indeed an autograph, rather than one of the many Mona Lisa versions and copies that are still extant today?The answers to these questions are provided in this book, based on contributions by scholars from around the world. They include Prof. John Asmus of the University of California at San Diego; Prof. Vadim Parfenov at the State Electrotechnical University in St. Petersburg, Russia; Prof. Átila Soares da Costa Filho of the Universidade Cândido Mendes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Prof. Jason Halter of the University of Michigan; and Prof. Robert Meyrick of Aberystwyth University. In addition, this monograph includes contributions by noted art critic Gérard Boudin de l'Arche and two prominent artists, Albert Sauteur and Joe Mullins. The book is edited by Prof. Jean-Pierre Isbouts of Fielding Graduate University at Santa Barbara, CA. His previous publications on Leonardo da Vinci include The Mona Lisa Myth; Young Leonardo: The Evolution of a Revolutionary Artist; and The Da Vinci Legacy, co-authored with Dr. Christopher Brown.
Publisher: Fielding University Press
ISBN: 9780986393037
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 182
Book Description
Art historians have long debated the question why sources about the origin of the Mona Lisa portrait provide conflicting information. This monograph presents a solution for this quandary: these 16th century sources don't agree because they are not talking about the same painting. If we consider this possibility, that Leonardo painted not one, but two versions of the Mona Lisa, then all of these problems begin to resolve themselves. In fact, throughout his life Leonardo would often return to a motif or composition for a variety of reasons. Thus we have at least two versions of The Virgin of the Rocks, painted by Leonardo with the De Predis brothers in Milan, and two versions of the Madonna of the Yarnwinder, painted by Leonardo with his assistants in Florence. In other words, the proposition that Leonardo may have painted not one, but two versions of the Mona Lisa is by no means far-fetched. Nonetheless, it also raises an important question. If Leonardo did paint an earlier version in addition to the Louvre Mona Lisa, where is this portrait today? And how can we determine whether this painting is indeed an autograph, rather than one of the many Mona Lisa versions and copies that are still extant today?The answers to these questions are provided in this book, based on contributions by scholars from around the world. They include Prof. John Asmus of the University of California at San Diego; Prof. Vadim Parfenov at the State Electrotechnical University in St. Petersburg, Russia; Prof. Átila Soares da Costa Filho of the Universidade Cândido Mendes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Prof. Jason Halter of the University of Michigan; and Prof. Robert Meyrick of Aberystwyth University. In addition, this monograph includes contributions by noted art critic Gérard Boudin de l'Arche and two prominent artists, Albert Sauteur and Joe Mullins. The book is edited by Prof. Jean-Pierre Isbouts of Fielding Graduate University at Santa Barbara, CA. His previous publications on Leonardo da Vinci include The Mona Lisa Myth; Young Leonardo: The Evolution of a Revolutionary Artist; and The Da Vinci Legacy, co-authored with Dr. Christopher Brown.
The da Vinci Legacy
Author: Jean-Pierre Isbouts
Publisher: Apollo Publishers
ISBN: 1948062356
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 279
Book Description
For the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death comes an immersive journey through five centuries of history to define the Leonardo mystique and uncover how the elusive Renaissance artist became a global pop icon. Virtually everyone would agree that Leonardo da Vinci was the most important artist of the High Renaissance. It was Leonardo who singlehandedly created the defining features of Western art: a realism based on subtle shading; depth using atmospheric effects; and dramatic contrasts between light and dark. But how did Leonardo, a painter of very few works who died in obscurity in France, become the internationally renowned icon he is today, with the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper the most visited artworks in the world, attracting nearly a billion visitors each year, and Salvator Mundi selling as the most expensive artwork of all time, for nearly half a billion dollars? This extraordinary volume, lavishly illustrated with 130 color images, is the first book to unravel these mysteries by diving deep into the art, literature, science, and politics of Europe from the Renaissance through today. It gives illuminating context to both Leonardo and his accomplishments; explores why Leonardo’s fame vastly overshadowed that of his contemporaries and disciples; and ultimately reveals why despite finishing very few works, his celebrity has survived, even thrived, through five centuries of history.
Publisher: Apollo Publishers
ISBN: 1948062356
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 279
Book Description
For the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death comes an immersive journey through five centuries of history to define the Leonardo mystique and uncover how the elusive Renaissance artist became a global pop icon. Virtually everyone would agree that Leonardo da Vinci was the most important artist of the High Renaissance. It was Leonardo who singlehandedly created the defining features of Western art: a realism based on subtle shading; depth using atmospheric effects; and dramatic contrasts between light and dark. But how did Leonardo, a painter of very few works who died in obscurity in France, become the internationally renowned icon he is today, with the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper the most visited artworks in the world, attracting nearly a billion visitors each year, and Salvator Mundi selling as the most expensive artwork of all time, for nearly half a billion dollars? This extraordinary volume, lavishly illustrated with 130 color images, is the first book to unravel these mysteries by diving deep into the art, literature, science, and politics of Europe from the Renaissance through today. It gives illuminating context to both Leonardo and his accomplishments; explores why Leonardo’s fame vastly overshadowed that of his contemporaries and disciples; and ultimately reveals why despite finishing very few works, his celebrity has survived, even thrived, through five centuries of history.
Mona Lisa and the Elusive Art of Leonardo Da Vinci's Paintings
Author: Jean-Pierre Isbouts
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
The Last Leonardo
Author: Ben Lewis
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 1984819267
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 402
Book Description
An epic quest exposes hidden truths about Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, the recently discovered masterpiece that sold for $450 million—and might not be the real thing. In 2017, Leonardo da Vinci’s small oil painting the Salvator Mundi was sold at auction. In the words of its discoverer, the image of Christ as savior of the world is “the rarest thing on the planet.” Its $450 million sale price also makes it the world’s most expensive painting. For two centuries, art dealers had searched in vain for the Holy Grail of art history: a portrait of Christ as the Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci. Many similar paintings of greatly varying quality had been executed by Leonardo’s assistants in the early sixteenth century. But where was the original by the master himself? In November 2017, Christie’s auction house announced they had it. But did they? The Last Leonardo tells a thrilling tale of a spellbinding icon invested with the power to make or break the reputations of scholars, billionaires, kings, and sheikhs. Ben Lewis takes us to Leonardo’s studio in Renaissance Italy; to the court of Charles I and the English Civil War; to Amsterdam, Moscow, and New Orleans; to the galleries, salerooms, and restorer’s workshop as the painting slowly, painstakingly emerged from obscurity. The vicissitudes of the highly secretive art market are charted across six centuries. It is a twisting tale of geniuses and oligarchs, double-crossings and disappearances, in which we’re never quite certain what to believe. Above all, it is an adventure story about the search for lost treasure, and a quest for the truth. Praise for The Last Leonardo “The story of the world’s most expensive painting is narrated with great gusto and formidably researched detail in Ben Lewis’s book. . . . Lewis’s probings of the Salvator’s backstory raise questions about its historical status and visibility, and these lead in turn to the fundamental question of whether the painting is really an autograph work by Leonardo.”—Charles Nicholl, The Guardian “As the art historian and critic Ben Lewis shows in his forensically detailed and gripping investigation into the history, discovery and sales of the painting, establishing the truth is like nailing down jelly.”— Michael Prodger, The Sunday Times
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 1984819267
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 402
Book Description
An epic quest exposes hidden truths about Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, the recently discovered masterpiece that sold for $450 million—and might not be the real thing. In 2017, Leonardo da Vinci’s small oil painting the Salvator Mundi was sold at auction. In the words of its discoverer, the image of Christ as savior of the world is “the rarest thing on the planet.” Its $450 million sale price also makes it the world’s most expensive painting. For two centuries, art dealers had searched in vain for the Holy Grail of art history: a portrait of Christ as the Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci. Many similar paintings of greatly varying quality had been executed by Leonardo’s assistants in the early sixteenth century. But where was the original by the master himself? In November 2017, Christie’s auction house announced they had it. But did they? The Last Leonardo tells a thrilling tale of a spellbinding icon invested with the power to make or break the reputations of scholars, billionaires, kings, and sheikhs. Ben Lewis takes us to Leonardo’s studio in Renaissance Italy; to the court of Charles I and the English Civil War; to Amsterdam, Moscow, and New Orleans; to the galleries, salerooms, and restorer’s workshop as the painting slowly, painstakingly emerged from obscurity. The vicissitudes of the highly secretive art market are charted across six centuries. It is a twisting tale of geniuses and oligarchs, double-crossings and disappearances, in which we’re never quite certain what to believe. Above all, it is an adventure story about the search for lost treasure, and a quest for the truth. Praise for The Last Leonardo “The story of the world’s most expensive painting is narrated with great gusto and formidably researched detail in Ben Lewis’s book. . . . Lewis’s probings of the Salvator’s backstory raise questions about its historical status and visibility, and these lead in turn to the fundamental question of whether the painting is really an autograph work by Leonardo.”—Charles Nicholl, The Guardian “As the art historian and critic Ben Lewis shows in his forensically detailed and gripping investigation into the history, discovery and sales of the painting, establishing the truth is like nailing down jelly.”— Michael Prodger, The Sunday Times
Who Stole Mona Lisa?
Author: Ruthie Knapp
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1408811588
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 42
Book Description
The famous painting, Mona Lisa, describes how she was painted by Leonardo da Vinci, taken to France, hung in the Louvre Museum, was stolen and then recovered. Suggested level: junior, primary.
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1408811588
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 42
Book Description
The famous painting, Mona Lisa, describes how she was painted by Leonardo da Vinci, taken to France, hung in the Louvre Museum, was stolen and then recovered. Suggested level: junior, primary.
Lives of the Most Eminent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects
Author: Giorgio Vasari
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Artists
Languages : en
Pages : 574
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Artists
Languages : en
Pages : 574
Book Description
The Stolen Lady
Author: Laura Morelli
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0062993607
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 458
Book Description
From the acclaimed author of The Night Portrait comes a stunning historical novel about two women, separated by five hundred years, who each hide Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa—with unintended consequences. France, 1939 At the dawn of World War II, Anne Guichard, a young archivist employed at the Louvre, arrives home to find her brother missing. While she works to discover his whereabouts, refugees begin flooding into Paris and German artillery fire rattles the city. Once they reach the city, the Nazis will stop at nothing to get their hands on the Louvre’s art collection. Anne is quickly sent to the Castle of Chambord, where the Louvre’s most precious artworks—including the Mona Lisa—are being transferred to ensure their safety. With the Germans hard on their heels, Anne frantically moves the Mona Lisa and other treasures again and again in an elaborate game of hide and seek. As the threat to the masterpieces and her life grows closer, Anne also begins to learn the truth about her brother and the role he plays in this dangerous game. Florence, 1479 House servant Bellina Sardi’s future seems fixed when she accompanies her newly married mistress, Lisa Gherardini, to her home across the Arno. Lisa’s husband, a prosperous silk merchant, is aligned with the powerful Medici, his home filled with luxuries and treasures. But soon, Bellina finds herself bewitched by a charismatic monk who has urged Florentines to rise up against the Medici and to empty their homes of the riches and jewels her new employer prizes. When Master Leonardo da Vinci is commissioned to paint a portrait of Lisa, Bellina finds herself tasked with hiding an impossible secret. When art and war collide, Leonardo da Vinci, his beautiful subject Lisa, and the portrait find themselves in the crosshairs of history.
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0062993607
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 458
Book Description
From the acclaimed author of The Night Portrait comes a stunning historical novel about two women, separated by five hundred years, who each hide Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa—with unintended consequences. France, 1939 At the dawn of World War II, Anne Guichard, a young archivist employed at the Louvre, arrives home to find her brother missing. While she works to discover his whereabouts, refugees begin flooding into Paris and German artillery fire rattles the city. Once they reach the city, the Nazis will stop at nothing to get their hands on the Louvre’s art collection. Anne is quickly sent to the Castle of Chambord, where the Louvre’s most precious artworks—including the Mona Lisa—are being transferred to ensure their safety. With the Germans hard on their heels, Anne frantically moves the Mona Lisa and other treasures again and again in an elaborate game of hide and seek. As the threat to the masterpieces and her life grows closer, Anne also begins to learn the truth about her brother and the role he plays in this dangerous game. Florence, 1479 House servant Bellina Sardi’s future seems fixed when she accompanies her newly married mistress, Lisa Gherardini, to her home across the Arno. Lisa’s husband, a prosperous silk merchant, is aligned with the powerful Medici, his home filled with luxuries and treasures. But soon, Bellina finds herself bewitched by a charismatic monk who has urged Florentines to rise up against the Medici and to empty their homes of the riches and jewels her new employer prizes. When Master Leonardo da Vinci is commissioned to paint a portrait of Lisa, Bellina finds herself tasked with hiding an impossible secret. When art and war collide, Leonardo da Vinci, his beautiful subject Lisa, and the portrait find themselves in the crosshairs of history.
Mona Lisa
Author: Martin Kemp
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198749902
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 288
Book Description
The true story of the Mona Lisa - the people behind it, how Leonardo painted it and what it meant to him, and its fortunes in the centuries since. Read this book and the world's most famous image will never look the same again.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198749902
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 288
Book Description
The true story of the Mona Lisa - the people behind it, how Leonardo painted it and what it meant to him, and its fortunes in the centuries since. Read this book and the world's most famous image will never look the same again.
The Thefts of the Mona Lisa
Author: Noah Charney
Publisher: Arca
ISBN: 9780615519029
Category : Art thefts
Languages : en
Pages : 142
Book Description
Leonardo da Vinci's portrait, called the Mona Lisa, is without doubt the world's most famous painting. It achieved its fame not only because it is a remarkable example of Renaissance portraiture, created by an acclaimed artistic and scientific genius, but because of its criminal history. The Mona Lisa (also called La Gioconda or La Joconde) was stolen on 21 August 1911 by an Italian, Vincenzo Peruggia. Peruggia was under the mistaken impression that the Mona Lisa had been stolen from Italy during the Napoleonic era, and he wished to take back for Italy one of his country's greatest treasures. His successful theft of the painting from the Louvre, the farcical manhunt that followed, and Peruggia's subsequent trial in Florence were highly publicized, sparking the attention of the international media, and catapulting an already admired painting into stratospheric heights of fame. This book tells the art and criminal history of the Mona Lisa. This extended essay in book form, prepared to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the 1911 theft, examines the criminal biography of Leonardo's Mona Lisa, with a focus on separating fact from fiction in the story of what is not only the most famous art heist in history, but which is the single most famous theft of all time. In the process this book also tells of Leonardo's creation of the Mona Lisa, discusses why it is so famous, and investigates two other events in its history of theft and renown. First, it examines the so-called "affaire des statuettes," in which Pablo Picasso and Guillaume Apollinaire were arrested under suspicion of involvement in the theft of the Mona Lisa. Second, there has long been a question as to whether the Nazis stole the Mona Lisa during the Second World War-a question that this book seeks to resolve. This book provides a strong introduction to the Mona Lisa and the thefts surrounding it. "Noah Charney is the Sherlock Holmes of art theft. Beyond his great sleuthing prowess, he writes with the simple grace of a novelist and the erudition of a scholar. Here his subject could be no more dramatic: the impossible-but-true story of the most famous of all paintings, the Mona Lisa. It is a tale that bounces along, implicating the likes of Apollinaire, Picasso, the Nazis, and Nat King Cole. It is easy to pick up and very hard to put down." -Mark Lamster, author of Master of Shadows: the Secret Diplomatic Career of the Painter Peter Paul Rubens "Deftly written and riveting to read." -Sidney Kirkpatrick, author of Hitler's Holy Relics "Few writers have brought the issue of art theft to the fore with the fervor of Noah Charney. With The Thefts of the Mona Lisa: On Stealing the World's Most Famous Painting, Charney has created a work that is equal parts lucid art history and thrilling true crime. Both the popular myths and the hidden truths surrounding the theft and recovery of Leonardo's seminal work provide art theft investigators and museum security directors with important lessons for solving-and preventing-art crime today." -Anthony Amore, art theft and security expert and author of Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists All profits from the sale of the print edition of this book support the charitable activities of ARCA, the Association for Research into Crimes against Art, an international non-profit research group on art crime and cultural heritage protection.
Publisher: Arca
ISBN: 9780615519029
Category : Art thefts
Languages : en
Pages : 142
Book Description
Leonardo da Vinci's portrait, called the Mona Lisa, is without doubt the world's most famous painting. It achieved its fame not only because it is a remarkable example of Renaissance portraiture, created by an acclaimed artistic and scientific genius, but because of its criminal history. The Mona Lisa (also called La Gioconda or La Joconde) was stolen on 21 August 1911 by an Italian, Vincenzo Peruggia. Peruggia was under the mistaken impression that the Mona Lisa had been stolen from Italy during the Napoleonic era, and he wished to take back for Italy one of his country's greatest treasures. His successful theft of the painting from the Louvre, the farcical manhunt that followed, and Peruggia's subsequent trial in Florence were highly publicized, sparking the attention of the international media, and catapulting an already admired painting into stratospheric heights of fame. This book tells the art and criminal history of the Mona Lisa. This extended essay in book form, prepared to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the 1911 theft, examines the criminal biography of Leonardo's Mona Lisa, with a focus on separating fact from fiction in the story of what is not only the most famous art heist in history, but which is the single most famous theft of all time. In the process this book also tells of Leonardo's creation of the Mona Lisa, discusses why it is so famous, and investigates two other events in its history of theft and renown. First, it examines the so-called "affaire des statuettes," in which Pablo Picasso and Guillaume Apollinaire were arrested under suspicion of involvement in the theft of the Mona Lisa. Second, there has long been a question as to whether the Nazis stole the Mona Lisa during the Second World War-a question that this book seeks to resolve. This book provides a strong introduction to the Mona Lisa and the thefts surrounding it. "Noah Charney is the Sherlock Holmes of art theft. Beyond his great sleuthing prowess, he writes with the simple grace of a novelist and the erudition of a scholar. Here his subject could be no more dramatic: the impossible-but-true story of the most famous of all paintings, the Mona Lisa. It is a tale that bounces along, implicating the likes of Apollinaire, Picasso, the Nazis, and Nat King Cole. It is easy to pick up and very hard to put down." -Mark Lamster, author of Master of Shadows: the Secret Diplomatic Career of the Painter Peter Paul Rubens "Deftly written and riveting to read." -Sidney Kirkpatrick, author of Hitler's Holy Relics "Few writers have brought the issue of art theft to the fore with the fervor of Noah Charney. With The Thefts of the Mona Lisa: On Stealing the World's Most Famous Painting, Charney has created a work that is equal parts lucid art history and thrilling true crime. Both the popular myths and the hidden truths surrounding the theft and recovery of Leonardo's seminal work provide art theft investigators and museum security directors with important lessons for solving-and preventing-art crime today." -Anthony Amore, art theft and security expert and author of Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists All profits from the sale of the print edition of this book support the charitable activities of ARCA, the Association for Research into Crimes against Art, an international non-profit research group on art crime and cultural heritage protection.
Young Leonardo
Author: Jean-Pierre Isbouts
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
ISBN: 1250129354
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 238
Book Description
"Jean-Pierre Isbouts and Christopher Heath Brown depict Leonardo's seminal years in Milan from an entirely new perspective: that of the Sforza court. They show that much of the Sforza patronage was directed on vast projects, such as the Milan Cathedral, favoring a close circle of local artists to which Leonardo never gained entry. As a result, his exceptional talent remained largely unrecognized right up to The Last Supper and the fresco of the Crucifixion on the opposite wall, a work that up to now has fully escaped public attention. Finally, they present a sensational theory: that two long-ignored, life-size copies of The Last Supper, now in Belgium and the UK, were actually commissioned by the French king Louis XII and painted under Leonardo's direct supervision."--Publisher's description.
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
ISBN: 1250129354
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 238
Book Description
"Jean-Pierre Isbouts and Christopher Heath Brown depict Leonardo's seminal years in Milan from an entirely new perspective: that of the Sforza court. They show that much of the Sforza patronage was directed on vast projects, such as the Milan Cathedral, favoring a close circle of local artists to which Leonardo never gained entry. As a result, his exceptional talent remained largely unrecognized right up to The Last Supper and the fresco of the Crucifixion on the opposite wall, a work that up to now has fully escaped public attention. Finally, they present a sensational theory: that two long-ignored, life-size copies of The Last Supper, now in Belgium and the UK, were actually commissioned by the French king Louis XII and painted under Leonardo's direct supervision."--Publisher's description.