Scientists find possible DNA traces linked to Leonardo da Vinci
An international team of researchers says it may have recovered DNA traces potentially linked to Leonardo da Vinci, a finding that could reshape the authentication of Renaissance artworks, though scientists stress the evidence remains preliminary, reports a Qazinform News Agency correspondent.
The findings were released this week as a preprint on bioRxiv and reported by Science Magazine as part of the Leonardo da Vinci DNA Project, launched in 2014.
Using noninvasive swabbing techniques, researchers collected biological material from a disputed red chalk drawing known as Holy Child and from 15th century letters written by a male relative of Leonardo’s family. Genetic analysis focused on the Y chromosome showed that samples from the artwork and the letters shared the same haplogroup, E1b1b, commonly found in Tuscany, where Leonardo was born in 1452.
David Caramelli, an anthropologist and ancient DNA specialist at the University of Florence, said that researchers caution that the findings do not prove the DNA belonged to Leonardo himself, adding that establishing unequivocal identity is extremely complex. He noted that the artwork may have been handled by many individuals over the centuries.
Leonardo left no direct descendants, and his burial site in Amboise, France, was disturbed in the early 19th century, leaving no confirmed remains for direct genetic comparison. Scientists are now sequencing DNA from living male descendants of Leonardo’s father and analyzing bones recovered from family vaults in Tuscany.
The study underscores the rise of arteomics, a field that examines biological traces to complement traditional art analysis.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that two armed men stole eight Matisse engravings and at least five Portinari works from São Paulo’s Biblioteca Mário de Andrade, triggering a major police investigation.
