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A newfangled technique could assist save a famous Leonardo da Vinci drawing that is vanishing with each passing twenty-four hours .
The cryptical da Vinci portrait , widely look at to be aself - portrayal of the artist , was drawn with red meth on paper in the early 1500s and has since been fade .
This chalk drawing by da Vinci is believed to be a self portrait.
The new analysis could be used to serve preservationists assess the damage to the picture and , in turn , aid them decide which restoration proficiency are most appropriate . [ Anatomy Meets Art : See Da Vinci ’s Drawings ]
ageing chef-d’oeuvre
The enigmatic red - chalk - and - paper drawing has fueled speculation for century . The word picture of an old man with flowing blank locks and a long beard was in all likelihood first complete in Turin , Italy , sometime between 1510 and 1515 . While many think the house painting depictsda Vinci , the Renaissance man was only in his mid-50s at the clock time of the drawing , whereas the portrait ’s subject looks nearer to 80 year old . That has direct many experts to question whether the drawing is of da Vinci ’s uncle or Father of the Church .
The ice portrait was drawn on newspaper publisher composed of linen paper and cotton fiber and hemp rags , the researchers said . Once complete , the portrait ’s history was a enigma , until it was acquired by a Sardinian king in 1839 for the Royal Library of Turin . For decades in the twentieth hundred , it was framed and display publicly , where it was reveal to sunlight , study co - author Mauro Missori , a investigator at the National Research Council in Italy , told Live Science in an electronic mail .
Centuries of poor conditions have led to the characteristic yellowing that is so unwashed inancient deeds of art . The yellowing reduces direct contrast with the flushed - chalk of the painting , making the image seem to vanish over time .
As a solution , the portrayal was too thin for general screening , and since 1998 has been lock away in a temperature- and humidness - control burial vault at the Royal Library of Turin .
New proficiency
In 2012 , the authors have a rare chance to scrutinize the chef-d’oeuvre . The researchers quantified the level of chromophores , or light - absorb compounds , in the cellulose that forms the paper . chromophore preferentially absorb blueish and violet light , and tend to scatter , or reflect , scarlet and yellow - imbue lighting , which give honest-to-god papers a yellowish tint .
So the team measured how much light was speculate and occupy from the ancient painting atdifferent wavelengths of light , which correspond to unlike gloss . They then compare those values with 1 from forward-looking and ancient pieces of newspaper aged in various conditions .
The squad found that the extreme yellowing likely resulted from the portrayal ’s storage in a moist surroundings — perhaps a closed , dank distance . As a follow - up , they ’d like to do a second depth psychology to see whether the painting is continuing to degrade , or whether its attenuation has stabilized now that it is kept in better condition , Missori say .
By quantifying the tier of damage , the new study can help oneself preservationists represent out the practiced road to save this disappearing masterpiece . It could also serve scientist appraise damage to andpreserve other ancient documents .
For now , the destiny of the secret portrait is up in the air travel .
" A alert public debate among scientists , conservators and restorers is taking place about the chance of performing a restoration intervention on Leonardo da Vinci ’s ego - portrait , " Missori said . Some want to avoid further damage by treating the portrait with chemicals or water - ground resolution to remove chromophore and other byproducts of aging . But others are afraid that current methods for restoring ancient works of artistry are still too unproved , and would prefer to hold back until conservation proficiency ameliorate , he said .
The raw technique was detailed online today ( June 3 ) in the diary Applied Physics Letters .
