National Geographic would like to thank our partners:
With special thanks to:
The Honorable Matteo Renzi, Mayor of Florence
Mr. Loel Guinness and The Kalpa Group, Crown Sponsors
Mr. Gianluca Tenti and Ms. Federica Rotondo for their invaluable assistance
The Kalpa Group: Supporting Seracini Since 1999
The association between Mauricio Seracini/Editech and Loel Guinness/Kalpa in the field of diagnostic studies started in 1999 and continues today. Their first project was the quest to locate Leonardo's lost “Battle of Anghiari.” The project was devised as a dual-purpose endeavor, the first objective being to re-create the Hall of the 500 and adjacent rooms in the Palazzo Vecchio as these existed in 1503, the date the battle scene was conceived by Leonardo. The goal of doing so was to identify the location of the “Battle of Anghiari,” the project’s second objective. Technologies used included thermal imagery, laser scanning, and geo-radar. In addition, a significant study of Renaissance archives, records, letters, and other material was launched with the purpose of gathering information on the location and the character of the “Battle of Anghiari.”
Both these objectives were met, and the gap that separates the Leonardo wall and the Vasari wall was successfully identified in 2008. It is in this location that the 2011 research took place.
The second project Seracini/Guinness undertook was a diagnostic study of the “Adoration of the Magi” in 2004. The results revealed a spectacular underdrawing and controversial facts on the nature of the painting. Soon after, they completed a study of Leonardo's “Annunciation.”
During the lengthy course of these projects, the field of architectural and artistic diagnostic studies, particularly on Leonardo masterpieces, attained international acclaim. These discoveries generated significant print and video media coverage, a documentary on the U.K.'s Channel 4, a segment on the television program 60 Minutes, and, more recently, National Geographic’s Finding the Lost da Vinci. The Kalpa Group remains, to date, the “crown sponsor” of the “Battle of Anghiari.”
Today, Seracini/Guinness are planning the diagnostic study of yet another masterpiece.
Protecting the Vasari
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Behind the Vasari
Restorers find existing gaps in the Vasari mural that can be used to search for "The Battle of Anghiari."
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Behind the Science
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Visualizing Data
The team gathers visible, LIDAR, and radar data and now must place them in a virtual environment.
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Extraction Operation
Incision instruments, sampling tools, and methods for the sample extraction were designed for this project.
Il Leonardo Perduto
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Dietro il Vasari a Firenze
Tra scienza e alta tecnologia, le immagini che raccontano momento per momento la ricerca de la Battaglia di Anghiari.
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Detective dell'arte
Breve intervista a Dave Yoder, autore delle immagini
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"La Battaglia di Anghiari"
Il capolavoro di Leonardo è nascosto dietro l'affresco del Vasari nel Salone dei Cinquecento a Firenze?
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Cronaca di un capolavoro annunciato
Dietro le quinte della trentennale ricerca della "Battaglia di Anghiari"
