Attributed to Tiziano Aspetti (1550 - 1606), Apostles Peter and Paul, Italy, Venice, circa 1600

Attributed to Tiziano Aspetti (1550 - 1606), Apostles Peter and Paul, Italy, Venice, circa 1600. photo Sotheby's

a pair, bronze; heights 35 7/8 in., 35 1/2 in.; 91 cm, 90 cm. Est. 300,000—500,000 USD. Lot Sold 542,500 USD

PROVENANCE: Baron Maurice de Rothschild, Paris; Mrs. Anna Thomson Dodge, Rose Terrace, Grosse Point Farms, Michigan; Sold Christie's, London, June 24, 1971, lot 4; Cyril Humphris, London

LITERATURE AND REFERENCES: Duveen 1938, vol.II

NOTE:

RELATED LITERATURE: Benacchio 1930-1939; Venturi 1937, pp.280-311; Kryza-Gersch 1999; Pincus 2001, pp. 142-157; Ceriana and Avery 2008, pp. 253-272

These grand and beautifully modeled figures have been variously ascribed to Alessandro Vittoria (1525-1608) and Girolamo Campagna (1549-1625), the latter based on similarities with Campagna's altar saints in S. Giacomo al Rialto in Venice and with the statues on the balustrade in S. Giorgio in Braida, Verona. The lively poses, exaggerated gestures, and soft drapery style, however, clearly point to the authorship of their Venetian contemporary Tiziano Aspetti. Aspetti probably apprenticed with Campagna and would have developed the foundation of his classical style under his influence; when Aspetti began his career in Venice in the 1590s, Vittoria had virtually stopped working and Campagna monopolized the major sculptural commissions. By 1593, however, Aspetti had defeated Campagna in the competition for the altar of S. Anthony in the Santo in Padua.

The over life-size figures of Justice (fig. 1) and Temperance in the Grimani Chapel in S. Francesco della Vigna, Venice, Aspetti's first attempts in bronze, were begun before 28 November 1592. Aspetti subsequently made the statues of Moses (fig. 2) and Saint Paul for the façade of the church. The drapery on these monumental bronzes, with V-shaped folds, an impractical and often playful way manner in which the hands grasp implements, and the slight torsion of the bodies are all manifest in the present bronze Apostles. Aspetti paid particular attention to the hands of his figures, which have long and slender fingers with meticulously manicured nails, usually featuring a slightly bent forefinger (Kryza-Gersch 2001, op.cit., p.148). This detail is visible in the right hand of his figure of Justice (1592/93) (fig.1) and in both of the present bronzes.

In recent communication, Kryza-Gersch has expressed no doubt that the present figures of Peter and Paul were modeled by Aspetti. He did not employ a proper workshop but seems to have contracted craftsmen for specific purposes, such as casting and finishing. While we do not have the original models with which to compare the present pair, these bronzes display a sense of freedom in the modeling and distinctive details which are unmistakably products of Aspetti's conception.

These two bronze figures of Peter and Paul probably stood high on an altar or balustrade, perhaps together with figures of the remaining ten Apostles (though pairs of saints were also popular around 1600). A pair of statues from Roccatagliata's workshop of Saints Peter and Anthony in the Chiesa di Miracoli in Venice (Kryza-Gersch 1998, op.cit.,figs. 229 and 230) are of similar size. Another pair of figures by Alessandro Vittoria, in the Basilica dei SS. Giovanni e Paolo, depict the Mater Dolorosa and St. John the Evangelist and are 10 to 20 cm. taller than the present pair (Kryza-Gersch 1999, op.cit., no.80).

Aspetti's first commission for the Santo in Padua, two bronze reliefs of the Martyrdom of Saint Daniel, were delivered in February of 1593. These scenes show a variety relief styles and an array of emotions, poses and textures. Due to their success, Aspetti received a highly prestigious and lucrative commission to design a new marble altar in the chapel of St. Anthony in the Santo and to adorn it with a large number of bronze statues including three saints, Saint Anthony, Saint Bonaventure and Saint Louis of Toulouse and four Virtues, Faith, Charity, Temperance and Hope. The Virtues were set in the choir in 1597 and are on the balustrade of the high altar. This was the last great ensemble commissioned by the Santo, after Donatello's high altar (completed 1450). The half life-size Virtues, with their small heads, elongated bodies, elegant drapery and distinctive hands (see Hope fig. 3), summarize Aspetti's figural style in that period. Furthermore, in the engraved design on the book held by Peter and on the diadem in the figure of Charity (1593/94) in the Santo (measuring 100 cm only 10 cm larger than the present figures) Aspetti employs the same type of linear decoration.

A pair of silver figures of Saints Peter and Paul (circa 1593/94) in the Boymans-van-Beuningen Museum, Rotterdam, previously ascribed to Vittoria, are now also given to Aspetti (Padua 2001, op.cit., no. 92). Raggio questioned the earlier attribution and proposed Aspetti, recalling the drapery, engraved details, and stances of his Virtues. Raggio also noted that these silver figures could be those referred to in a letter by the sculptor to Laura Gonzaga, duchess of Mantua.

Aspetti was a sculptor who returned to marble late in life, at an age when many sculptors forsake the physical strain of large-scale stone carving. We know him first and foremost as a designer of grand and powerful figures, and his focus on overall sculptural effect is manifest in the present bronzes.

Sotheby's. Important European Terracotta & Bronze Sculpture from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections. 29 Jan 10. New York www.sothebys.com

Kenneth J. Lane, Conch Shell on Coral Reef Brooch & Coral Reef Cuff bracelet @ Fabulous Facets

Kenneth J. Lane Conch Shell on Coral Reef Brooch

The black enamel conch shell is detailed with pavé-set, faceted, faux diamonds, placed into gold tone metal in the spiral form of the shell. A beautiful glass pearl cabochon is set at the center. The enameled coral reef sparkles with more crystals and gold tone accents. The brooch measures 2.25" high and 2.5"  wide. Signed "Kenneth Lane. Price $325.00

Kenneth J. Lane Coral Reef Cuff bracelet

Inside circumference measures 6" long, with the gap approx. 1" wide; one side arm of the cuff has a spring-loaded hinge so it opens and closes easily, with a firm hold. Cuff measures 1.5" wide. Marked "Kenneth Lane" on an oval plaque on the reverse, and  in perfect condition. Price $265.00

Available @ Fabulous Facets www.cooljools.com

Anish Kapoor prévoit de construire la 'tour olympique' de Londres

Anish Kapoor

LONDRES (ROYAUME-UNIS) [29.01.10] – Anish Kapoor a présenté son projet pour la « tour olympique » voulue par le maire de la capitale anglaise, Boris Johnson. Pour un coût de 15 millions de livres financé par le magnat de l'acier Lakshmi Mittal, cette tour doit faire plus de 400 pieds de haut. Si le nom du gagnant du concours n'a pas encore été annoncé, Kapoor semble le grand favori.

Un tour d'acier spiralée haute de 400 pieds (120 mètres) conçue par Anish Kapoor est en passe de gagner la compétition architectural pour un monument qui doit être l'emblème des Jeux Olympiques de Londres en 2012.

Selon le souhait du maire de Londres, Boris Johnson, cette tour est censée être la nouvelle Tour Eiffel de la capitale anglaise. Dotée d'un budget de 15 millions de livres (17,3 millions d'euros), cette œuvre architecturale doit devenir un passage obligé des touristes à Londres. Elle sera financée par le magnat indien de l'acier Lakshmi Mittal, l'homme le plus riche du Royaume-Uni.

Bien que le design détaillé d'Anish Kapoor, lauréat du Prix Turner en 1991, n'ait pas été dévoilé, la tour devrait néanmoins ressembler à « une grappe d'anneaux entrelacés et fracturés », en référence aux anneaux olympiques. Un ascenseur sera incorporé à sa structure, et un restaurant panoramique est prévu.

Assurer le financement de l'œuvre grâce à des dons privés est une victoire pour Boris Johnson, qui a fait appel à toutes les grandes fortunes du pays. Il avait suggéré l'idée à Lakshmi Mittal en 2009, qui a accepté de financer la majeure partie des travaux.

La structure olympique devrait s'illuminer de nuit, et devenir pérenne après 2012. L'architecture en acier reflètera «  l'industrie Mittal » selon le Guardian. Si Anish Kapoor n'a pas encore été déclaré gagnant de la compétition, son projet est de loin le favori, devant celui d'Arthur Gormley. Le vainqueur doit être annoncé d'ici les six prochaines semaines.

En tant qu'œuvre d'art, la tour sera la plus haute sculpture d'Europe, surpassant la sculpture de Pierre le Grand à Moscou, haute de 96 mètres, érigée en 1998 pour célébrer le 300ème anniversaire de la flotte russe.

Mais en tant que tour, elle sera loin derrière son inspiratrice, la Tour Eiffel, qui culmine à 324 mètres. www.artclair.com

Giovanni Antonio Canal, called Canaletto, Study of a Merchant Vessel & An Architectural Capriccio with a Pavilion

Giovanni Antonio Canal, called Canaletto (Venice 1697 - 1768), Study of a Merchant Vessel. photo Sotheby's

Pen and brown ink and gray and brown wash over black chalk; bears inscription in brown ink: Canaleto. 9 5/8 by 7 1/2 in; 244 by 191 mm. Estimate 200,000—300,000 USD. Lot Sold. 542,500 USD

PROVENANCE: Claudio Argentieri (L.486b);
Pier Giulio Breschi (L.2079b);
Sale, London, Sotheby's, 18 November 1982, lot 70;
Sale, London, Sotheby's, 4 July 1988, lot 104

LITERATURE AND REFERENCES: W.G. Constable, revised by J.G. Links, Canaletto, Oxford 1989, vol. II, p. 621, under no. 852, reproduced vol. I, pl. 223

NOTE: Drawings of boats by Canaletto are very rare. One other, showing an anchored Venetian sloop, was formerly in the collection of Sir Bruce Ingram, and is extremely similar in handling to the present work.¹ Also similar in conception, though apparently rather dryer in technique, is a Study of a War Galley, in Berlin, which Constable and Links catalogued as Canaletto with some reservations.²

The present drawing is, however, the only one of the three to include a figure, and the characteristic handling of this feature, together with the treatment of light on the water and of details such as the weeds hanging from the mooring ropes, confirm the traditional attribution to Canaletto. Particularly comparable in these respects are, for example, the View of Venice from the Punta della Mota, in the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle, and the London: the Thames, looking towards Westminster from near York Watergate, at Yale.³

A boat similar to the one seen here appears in Canaletto's painting of The Bacino di San Marco: looking East, in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.⁴

1. Sold, London, Sotheby's, 11 December 1974, lot 59; see A. Bettagno, et al., Canaletto, exhib. cat., Venice, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, 1982, cat. 23
2. Constable/Links, op. cit., cat. 852, reproduced pl. 161
3. Constable/Links, op. cit., cats 522 and 747
4. See Canaletto, exhib. cat., New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1989, cat. 51

Giovanni Antonio Canal, called Canaletto (Venice 1697 - 1768), An Architectural Capriccio with a Pavilion and a Ruined Arcade on the Water's Edge. photo Sotheby's

Pen and brown ink and gray wash over black chalk.

Signed or bears signature below the framing line: Antonio Canal del. 12 1/4 by 17 1/4 in.; 305 by 438 mm. Estimate 250,000—350,000 USD. Lot Sold. 302,500 USD

PROVENANCE: Sale, London, Sotheby's, 23 May 1922, lot 45 (£66);
with Parsons, London;
Sir Chester Beatty;
Viscountess Powerscourt, her sale and others, London, Sotheby's, 1 July 1971, lot 38 (£5800 to Tan Bunzl);
The Edinburg collection,
sale, New York, Sotheby's, 12 November 1987, lot 107

LITERATURE AND REFERENCES: W.G. Constable, in the Burlington Magazine, June 1923, p. 248, illus.;
idem, Canaletto, Oxford 1962, vol. I, pl. 155; vol. 2, pp. 558-59, no. 823;
Stefan Kozakiewicz, Bernardo Bellotto, 1972, vol. II, p. 488, under no. Z398;
W.G. Constable, revised by J. G. Links, Canaletto, 1976, vol. 1, pl. 155, vol. II, p. 608, no. 823;
André Corboz, Canaletto, 1985, vol. II, p. 737, no. D132, illus. (as between 1747-1755);
W.G. Constable, revised by J.G. Links, Canaletto, Oxford 1989, vol. I, pl. 155; vol. II, p. 608, no. 823

NOTE: As well as his well-known and admired precise topographical views of Italian and English locations, Canaletto produced many capricci, both drawn and painted, using fragments of ruined classical architecture in attractive compositions, often with watery settings. He often used the same elements in several works: for example, the pillared portico seen from the side, at the right edge of this study, appears in two other drawings, Constable nos. 824, 825. Another drawing of the whole composition, with some differences, and unknown to Constable, appeared on the London art market in 1984.¹ Constable identified two painted compositions, known in several versions, with the elements of this drawing: his cat. no. 511 which is very similar and of the same proportions, and no. 512 which extends to the left and includes a ruined colonnade.

Corboz dates the drawing between 1747 and 1755; Constable does not give a dating although he confirms that one of the related paintings (his no.512) was probably of 1754. Beddington proposes that the earliest version of the most closely related painting, now in Baltimore (Constable 511(c)) probably predates slightly Canaletto's arrival in England, in 1746, though there is no way of knowing whether the drawing was executed before or after the painting.²

Although Constable and Links did not consider the inscription on this drawing to be autograph, Charles Beddington has kindly pointed out that the name is in the form that Canaletto himself generally used (and no-one else), and that he believes this is very likely an autograph signature.

1. Sale, London, Christie's, 4 July 1984, lot 82; see J. G. Links, A Supplement to W.G. Constable's Canaletto, London 1998, p. 53, no. 825*, illus. pl. 240
2. C. Beddington, Canaletto in England, exhib. cat., New Haven, CT, Yale Center for British Art, and London, Dulwich Picture Gallery, 2006-7, p.173, under no. 59

Sotheby's. Old Master Drawings. 27 Jan 10. New York www.sothebys.com

Francisco de Zurbarán, Saint Dorothy, full-length, holding a basket of apples and roses

Francisco de Zurbarán (Fuente de Cantos, Badajoz 1598 - 1664 Madrid) Saint Dorothy, full-length, holding a basket of apples and roses. photo Sotheby's

oil on canvas, inscribed lower left: S. DOrOTEA. 71 by 40 in.; 180.2 by 101.5 cm. Est. 3,000,000—4,000,000 USD. Lot Sold 4,226,500 USD

PROVENANCE: Acquired in Spain in the 1920s by a New York collector;
Thence by family descent until sold, New York, Christie's, 29 January 1998, lot 120, where acquired by the present owner.

LITERATURE AND REFERENCES: A.G. Mayer, "Unbekannte Werke Zurbarans", in Zeitschrift fürbildende Kunst, 1927-28, vol. LXI, p. 292;
P. Guinard, Zurbarán, Paris 1960, p. 238, cat. no. 257 (as whereabouts unknown);
B. Navarrete Prieto, Zurbarán y su Obrador, exhibition catalogue, Madrid 1999, p. 153, reproduced p. 152, fig. 27.1;
O. Delenda, Francisco de Zurbarán 1598-1664, Madrid 2009, pp. 578-579, cat. no. 203, reproduced.

NOTE: This beguiling depiction of the virgin martyr Saint Dorothy, conceived by Francisco de Zurbarán with an exquisite charm and executed with such astonishing skill, is one of the most compelling works by the great Sevillian master left in private hands. Dorothea's enticing expression, her ample lips very slightly parted and her head tilted to one side, is offset by the sumptuously painted drapery that is bathed in a dramatic light and which emerges from the murky background to acquire an almost supernatural presence. The monumental figure, so fully formed and yet so simple in its design, flaunts the full force of Zurbarán's brush and achieves a modern sensibility that would be impossible from any other painter of the time.

Zurbarán painted numerous full-length figures, from virgin martyr saints, to kings, famous men and patriarchs. There was a huge demand for such works not only in Seville but also from the New World and, during the 1640s and after, Zurbarán's workshop produced a great deal for export to the Argentine and elsewhere; in 1647, for example, he received an order from the Abbess of the convent of La Encarnación in the city of Los Reyes (Lima), Peru, which included twenty-five life-size images of virgin saints.¹ Guinard, in his 1960 monograph, lists no fewer than sixty-four female martyr saints from Zurbarán and his workshop, amongst which are five Saint Dorothys, four Saint Agathas, six Saint Agneses and four Saint Catherines.²

Zurbarán had begun painting full length female saints as early as circa 1635 (according to Odile Delenda); see, for example, his two depictions of Saint Casilda in the Fundación Colección Thyssen-Bornemisza (Fig. 2) and Museo del Prado, Madrid.³ His concentration on specific saints popular in the Iberian peninsula, such as Dorothy, Casilda, Justa, Rufina and Elizabeth of Portugal, above those more commonly used in Spanish painting at this time, would suggest that he was sensitive to the nationalistic concerns of his patrons and besides that, their attributes gave him the opportunity to show off his skills as a still life painter.

Although rooted in the tradition established by Zurbarán in the 1630s and very much in a similar vein to the aforementioned depictions of Saint Casilda, Odile Delenda considers the present work to date from a subsequent period of production, in the late 1640s. Other works from this period, to which it may be closely compared on a stylistic basis, are the Saint Rufina in the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, and the St Margaret of Antioch in the National Gallery, London.⁴ A similarity, however, with a Saint Apollonia that Delenda dates to 1636-40 should also be noted, the facial type in particular being almost identical (Fig. 3);⁵ furthermore, the pose of Saint Dorothyalmost perfectly mirrors that of the Saint Agatha in Montpellier (Fig. 4),⁶ dated by Delenda to circa 1635-40, as well as that of the Thyssen Saint Casilda, although this latter is in the opposite sense.

Any attempt, however, to date or group these works on the basis of design alone is fruitless given that all Zurbarán's virgin martyr saints tend to follow very similar compositional lines; the figure, shown full-length, is turned three-quarters to the left or right. In most cases the foremost arm is bent at ninety degrees, the forearm providing a strong horizontal that somewhat divides the painting into two halves. At the end of the arm she holds her attribute, be it a basket of apples and flowers (Dorothy), a swag or roses (Casilda; Madrid, Museo del Prado and Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza), a pair of eyeballs (Lucy; New York, Hispanic Society of America and Chartres, Musée des Beaux-Arts) or a pair of breasts (Agatha; Montpellier, Musée Fabre). High demand meant Zurbarán often painted the same saint many times over, and while, as the decades elapsed, he clearly felt no need to drastically alter or evolve his basic conception of these saints (described above) he does not seem to have made slavish copies and instead created a new image for each new representation of the same saint, dressing her in new clothing and decorating her with fresh details (the several versions of Casilda being a case in point). While there do not appear to be any other autograph depictions of Saint Dorothy, the example from the famous series in the Museo de Bellas Artes in Seville (given to Zurbarán's workshop) shows her in similar pose, but dressed very differently and her head is turned in profile. Other than their similar composition, pose and structure all of Zurbarán's female martyr saints share the similarly dominant and starkly lit heavy folds of drapery that are bathed in a supernatural light befitting the subject, an oval shape to the face and a particular focus on incidental details, exemplified here by the belt of golden discs and the jewels that decorate Dorothy's hair.

It is very likely that this and indeed all of the above-mentioned saints were conceived as part of a series of such works. Unfortunately no complete autograph series has survived intact, although there is a group of works in the Museo de Bellas Artes in Seville, attributed to Zurbarán's workshop, which have remained together probably since their inception. The purpose of such series remains unknown, although Maria Luisa Caturla has suggested that they were designed to be placed at intervals along a church nave, an idea derived from the religious or theatrical processions that were common in Seville at the time. Such processions were part of the ever-popular Corpus Christi festivals and were populated by actors playing the roles of saints, parading through the streets; they were theatrical presentations of 'Autos Sacramentales' and 'Comedias de Santos'.⁷ Other than such processions, the source of these pictures might be, as Delenda has suggested, the engravings of the Prudent virgins of Martin Schongauer (Fig. 1). Contrarily, Orozco Díaz has proposed that some of the virgin martyrs may be allegorical portraits of noblewomen and cites contemporary literary evidence to support this view. ⁸ Certainly they are not so far removed from the tradition of portraiture in Spain 'a lo divino'.

Given the immense demand from both Spain and the New World for Zurbarán's full-length female saints, it is necessary to consider the extent, if any, of workshop collaboration in any part of these works. Certainly there are examples (such as those in Seville) which are entirely by students, but whether Zurbarán is responsible for each and every brushstroke in all the autograph versions is another matter entirely. Although the present work was considered by Paul Guinard as 'une très bonne oeuvre d'atelier' he knew it only from an old photograph from the 1920s. When it first came back to light, at the 1998 Christie's sale, it was correctly re-ascribed to Zurbarán himself. Since then it has been published by both Benito Navarrete y Prieto and Odile Delenda, both of whom argue for some minor workshop assistance, as they do for the vast majority of these saints. Mme. Delenda considers the workshop participation to be limited to the execution of the flowers and/or fruit in the basket and possibly to some of the facial features. However there does not seem to be any notable difference in terms of quality between the bodegón here and that in any of the other virgin martyrs; indeed, the still life here appears of equal- if not even higher- quality than that of the Prado Saint Casilda, a work that Mme. Delenda considers the artist's masterpiece in this genre.⁹ Professor William B. Jordan, in private communication, endorses the attribution to Zurbarán, and advises caution in trying to evaluate the extent of workshop participation in even the artist's best works. In the context of such speculation, he points out that Zurbarán's workshop during part of this time included his own son Juan, who went on to become one of the greatest of Spanish still-life painters.

Saint Dorothy, a Christian saint and virgin martyr of Caesarea in Asia Minor, was condemned to death by Fabricius, the Roman governor, in about 303 AD for refusing to recant her belief. According to Voragine's Golden Legend she was mocked on the way to her execution by a scribe named Theophilus who challenged her to send him roses and apples from the garden of her heavenly bridegroom. After her execution a child appeared to Theophilus, presenting him with a basket of apples and roses and, because of this, he converted to Christianity.

1. Archivo de Protocolos, Seville, Oficio 14, cited in López Martínez, Desde Martinéz Montanes hasta Pedro Rolán, 1932, p. 224.
2. Guinard, op. cit., pp. 235-243, nos. 230-293.
3. Delenda, op. cit., pp. 316-19, cat. Nos. 94 & 95 respectively, both reproduced. The saint, in each case, has also been identified as Saint Elizabeth of Portugal.
4. Ibid., pp. 574-5, 586-8, cat. nos. 201 & 207 respectively, both reproduced.
5. Ibid., pp. 374-376, no. 117, reproduced.
6. Ibid., pp. 354-5, no. 109, reproduced.
7. M.L. Caturla in Exposición Zurbarán en el III centenario de su muerte, exhibition catalogue Madrid 1964-65, pp. 50-3.
8. E. Orozco Díaz, "El retrato a lo divino, su influencia, y unas obras de Risueño", in Goya, 120, May-June 1974, pp. 351-8.
9. Delenda, pp. 318-9, no. 95, reproduced.

Sotheby's. Important Old Master Paintings and Sculpture. 28 Jan 10. New York www.sothebys.com

Italian Scientists Believe Leonardo da Vinci Painted Himself as "Mona Lisa"

The reported tomb of Leonardo da Vinci at Saint-Hubert Chapel at the Amboise castle, in the Loire valley, western France. AP Photo/Bertrand Combaldieu

ROME (AP).- The legend of Leonardo da Vinci is shrouded in mystery: How did he die? Are the remains buried in a French chateau really those of the Renaissance master? Was the "Mona Lisa" a self-portrait in disguise?

A group of Italian scientists believes the key to solving those puzzles lies with the remains — and they say they are seeking permission from French authorities to dig up the body to conduct carbon and DNA testing.

If the skull is intact, the scientists can go to the heart of a question that has fascinated scholars and the public for centuries: the identity of the "Mona Lisa." Recreating a virtual and then physical reconstruction of Leonardo's face, they can compare it with the smiling face in the painting, experts involved in the project told The Associated Press.

"We don't know what we'll find if the tomb is opened, we could even just find grains and dust," says Giorgio Gruppioni, an anthropologist who is participating in the project. "But if the remains are well kept, they are a biological archive that registers events in a person's life, and sometimes in their death."

The leader of the group, Silvano Vinceti, told the AP that he plans to press his case with the French officials in charge of the purported burial site at Amboise Castle early next week.

But the Italian enthusiasm may be premature.

In France, exhumation requires a long legal procedure, and precedent suggests it's likely to take even longer when it involves a person of great note such as Leonardo.

Jean-Louis Sureau, director of the medieval-era castle located in France's Loire Valley, said that once a formal request is made, a commission of experts would be set up. Any such request would then be discussed with the French Ministry of Culture, Sureau said.

Leonardo moved to France at the invitation of King Francis I, who named him "first painter to the king." He spent the last three years of his life there, and died in Cloux, near the monarch's summer retreat of Amboise, in 1519 at age 67.

The artist's original burial place, the palace church of Saint Florentine, was destroyed during the French Revolution and remains that are believed to be his were eventually reburied in the Saint-Hubert Chapel near the castle.

The tombstone says simply, "Leonardo da Vinci;" a notice at the site informs visitors they are the presumed remains of the artist, as do guidebooks.

"The Amboise tomb is a symbolic tomb; it's a big question mark," said Alessandro Vezzosi, the director of a museum dedicated to Leonardo in his Tuscan hometown of Vinci.

Vezzosi, who is not involved in the project, said that investigating the tomb could help identify the artist's bones with certainty and solve other questions, such as the cause of his death. He said he asked to open the tomb in 2004 to study the remains, but the Amboise Castle turned him down.

As for the latest Italian proposal, Vinceti says preliminary conversations took place several years ago and he plans to follow up with a request next week to set up a meeting to explain the project in detail. This would pave the way for a formal request, he said.

The group of 100 experts involved in the project, called the National Committee for Historical and Artistic Heritage, was created in 2003 with the aim of "solving the great enigmas of the past," said Vinceti, who has written books on art and literature.

Arguably the world's most famous painting, the "Mona Lisa" hangs in the Louvre in Paris, where it drew some 8.5 million visitors last year. Mystery has surrounded the identity of the painting's subject for centuries, with speculation ranging from the wife of a Florentine merchant to Leonardo's own mother.

That Leonardo intended the "Mona Lisa" as a self-portrait in disguise is a possibility that has intrigued and divided scholars. Theories have abounded: Some think that Leonardo's taste for pranks and riddles might have led him to conceal his own identity behind that baffling smile; others have speculated that, given Leonardo's presumed homosexuality, the painting hid an androgynous lover.

Some have used digital analysis to superimpose Leonardo's bearded self-portrait over the "Mona Lisa" to show how the facial features perfectly aligned.

If granted access to the grave site, the Italian experts plan to use a miniature camera and ground-penetrating radar — which produces images of an underground space using radar waves— to confirm the presence of bones. The scientists would then exhume the remains and attempt to date the bones with carbon testing.

At the heart of the proposed study is the effort to ascertain whether the remains are actually Leonardo's, including with DNA testing.

Vezzosi questions the feasibility of a DNA comparison, saying he is unaware of any direct descendants of Leonardo or of tombs that could be attributed with certainty to the artist's close relatives.

Gruppioni said DNA extracted from the bones could also eventually be compared to DNA found elsewhere. For example, Leonardo is thought to have smudged colors on the canvas with his thumb, possibly using saliva, meaning DNA might be found on his paintings, though Gruppioni conceded this was a long shot.

Even in the absence of DNA testing, other tests could provide useful information, including whether the bones belonged to a man or woman, and whether the person died young or old.

"We can have various levels of probability in the attribution of the bones," Gruppioni said. "To have a very high probability, DNA testing is necessary."

The experts would also look for any pathology or other evidence of the cause of death. Tuberculosis or syphilis, for example, would leave significant traces in the bone structure, said Vinceti.

In the best-case scenario — that of a well-preserved skull — the group would take a CAT scan and reconstruct the face, said Francesco Mallegni, an anthropology professor who specializes in reconstructions and has recreated the faces of famous Italians, including Dante.

Even within the committee, experts are divided over the identity of the "Mona Lisa."

Vinceti believes that a tradition of considering the self-portrait to be not just a faithful imitation of one's features but a representation of one's spiritual identity may have resonated with Leonardo.

Vezzosi, the museum director, dismissed as "baseless and senseless" the idea that the "Mona Lisa" could be a self-portrait of Leonardo.

The painting is "like a mirror: Everybody starts from his own hypothesis or obsession and tries to find it there," Vezzosi said in a telephone interview.

He said most researchers believe the woman may have been either a concubine of the artist's sponsor, the Florentine nobleman Giuliano de Medici, or Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a rich silk merchant, Francesco del Giocondo. The traditional view is that the name "Mona Lisa" comes from the silk merchant's wife, as well as its Italian name: "La Gioconda."

By: Alessandra Rizzo, Associated Press Writer. Associated Press writer Deborah Seward in Paris and Ariel David in Rome contributed to this report. Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.

This combination of images shows an undated self portrait of Leonardo Da Vinci, left, and the Mona Lisa. A group of Italian scientists is seeking permission from French authorities to dig up Leonardo Da Vinci's body to conduct carbon and DNA testing in order to solve the mysteries of how he died, and whether the Mona Lisa was actually a self-portrait in disguise. AP Photo/Reunion de Musees Nationaux di Parigi and Journal des Arts.