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Mystery of a Masterpiece

Season 39 Episode 4 | 52m 52s

In October 2007, a striking portrait of a young woman in Renaissance dress made world news headlines. Originally sold nine years before for around $20,000, the portrait is now thought to be an undiscovered masterwork by Leonardo da Vinci worth more than $100 million. How did cutting-edge imaging analysis help tie the portrait to Leonardo?

Aired: 01/23/12 | Expires: 01/11/17
National Corporate funding for NOVA is provided by Carlisle Companies. Major funding for NOVA is provided by the NOVA Science Trust, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.
Extras
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They paid only $27.50 for it from a London bookseller in 1946.
Go behind the scenes as NOVA visits the Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile.
You probably won’t win big playing the Lottery but your brain may want to keep trying.
Forensic science is put to the test after the first-ever staged multi-vehicle pileup.
Forensic science is put to the test after the first-ever staged multi-vehicle pileup.
A first-of-its-kind experiment aims to stage a multi-vehicle pileup to gain new data on car safety.
A first-of-its-kind experiment aims to stage a multi-vehicle pileup to gain new data on car safety.
Investigate medical algorithms in which the patient’s race drives decisions.
After centuries of pseudoscience, researchers examine the causes of racial health disparities.