Portrait of Bianca Sforza Leonardo da Vinci's Lost Masterpiece

would not only expand da Vinci's already extraordinary oeuvre, but also change our understanding of his work during the late 15th century. The portrait's journey into the limelight began when Canadian art collector Peter Silverman acquired it. At first glance, the delicate image seemed like a typical Renaissance portrait. However, certain details - the subtle shading of the sitter's face, the exquisite treatment of her hair, and the ethereal quality of the gaze - suggested a hand far more skilled than the German artist to whom it had previously been attributed. Suspecting something greater, Silverman enlisted the help of leading da Vinci expert Martin Kemp. Kemp, emeritus professor of art history at Oxford University, had spent decades studying Leonardo's techniques. Upon examining the portrait, he was struck by several features. The sitter's hairstyle and costume matched Milanese fashion of the 1490s, and the fine lines of the drawing displayed Leonardo's characteristic sfumato technique - the subtle blending of tones without abrupt edges. Moreover, the use of vellum - a material made from calfskin - was consistent with Leonardo's known experiments during his Milanese period.