Word: seracini
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...Maurizio Seracini is a serious man, with a seriously square jaw and dark tweed jacket. And he is being taken more seriously than ever now that Italy's Culture Ministry has committed the nation to a full-fledged pursuit of the so-called Lost Leonardo. Seracini, a forensic expert in Renaissance art and architecture, is trying to prove that The Battle of Anghiari--the mural once considered the greatest of all of Leonardo's masterpieces--lies buried in the Sala del Gran Consiglio in Florence's Palazzo Vecchio, behind a wall covered by a mural--a vision of the Battle...
Curious about his quest, I found Seracini through a local Florentine politician who has been acting as the modern-day equivalent of a Renaissance-era public patron for this cutting-edge cultural pursuit. As we stand under the palazzo's vaulted frescoes, Seracini lures me into his obsessive world, enumerating the historical and technical evidence that has accumulated as part of the centuries-old search for the lost mural. I can't help thinking of Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, and, indeed, Seracini is the only real-life character mentioned in the book...
...Seracini may be serious about his task, but he clearly relishes the spice of the mystery. After we stand together for 20 minutes in the center of the sprawling sala, Seracini looks at me with a twinkle in his eye. "I know I haven't told you where it is yet," he says. He then indicates a 250-sq.-ft. area on the eastern stretch of the Vasari mural, behind which, he asserts, lies the masterpiece. Having looked at sketches and copies of Anghiari, I strain to tap into an inner X-ray to see through the mural...
...doubts are likely to persist until the outer mural is temporarily removed and the wall behind it is finally opened--if it ever is. For now, Seracini is trying at least to show that Leonardo's mural is likely to be there. To accomplish that, he's using an instrument he developed in collaboration with the University of California at San Diego and Emory University to capture chemical clues of any paint colors that may be present behind the wall. There's a good chance that Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli will grant Seracini permission in the next year...
What did you do last summer? Recent luxury spending surveys by American Express and the New York Times found that the wealthy are no longer satisfied with material possessions alone. Increasingly, they are in pursuit of unique encounters as well. So how about touring the Uffizi Gallery with Maurizio Seracini? He's an art detective mentioned in The Da Vinci Code who uncovers the secrets of Renaissance masterpieces. Florence-based Artviva Exclusive Experiences has recruited such well-known experts from various fields to offer unforgettable outings to affluent travelers. Wine buffs might decide to visit castles and vineyards with renowned...