BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a discovery by Boston art scholar, and Harvard Art Museum Fellow James Constable, a metalcut with indications that it may be the earliest version of Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Last Supper” has been identified. After eight years of scientific testing, Constable has determined the Plate is one of the original works of Leonardo Da Vinci.
Constable’s research has been conducted at Chicago-based McCrone Group, which specializes in materials identification. The McCrone Group tested the three ½ by six inch Plate via materials identification, x-ray and infrared to determine the Plate dates more than 500 years and is made up of metal materials and chemicals containing a mineral purity that links it to mines used by Da Vinci.
“After years of testing and careful analysis on this incredible piece of art, I am very excited to be sharing our findings with the rest of the world,” said Constable. “The “Last Supper” Plate represents the true work of Da Vinci and shows 100% of the detail of the original “Last Supper” painting. I am honored to bring forward this new information about one of the world’s most well-known masterpieces.”
Through chemical testing at The McCrone Group and additional analysis, designs, images and chemicals attributed to Da Vinci are revealed:
- The symbol of Lodovico Sforza who commissioned Da Vinci’s “ Last Supper “ painting is found;
- The decorations on the sides and top are mirrored in the architecture of the Saint Maria delle Grazie Church in Milan, home of the “Last Supper” mural;
- The metalcut’s 500-year-old casting and refining techniques, along with the presence of alunite (mined near Allumiere, Italy where Da Vinci worked) are all present.
About James Constable, Fine Art Scholar and Researcher
Constable began his art career by gathering art prints of John Constable, 18th century English painter and member of his ancestral family. After years of collecting the prints, Constable brought his work to the Harvard University Fogg Art Museum, where the Art Proofs and Prints are now on display in the Harvard Art Museum Online Collections.
Additionally, Constable is a 2015 Harvard Art Museums Patron Fellow, Harvard University Fellow, Visiting Researcher at Harvard College Library and Member, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard Art Museums Collections Online.