Newly discovered portrait of Leonardo da Vinci

A recently found portrait, thought to be of Leonardo da Vinci, was found by Nicola Barbatelli in a private collection of an aristocratic familiy from Acerenza, a town near Potenza in Basilicata.

The oil on wood portrait measures 60cm x 40cm (23.6in x 17in) and shows a blond haired and blue eyed master in a three quarter profile and wearing a hat.

Signs of a preparatory drawing haven't been found for now, which indicates good artistic skills.

Found on its back, an inscription written in reverse handwriting reading "Pixit mea" leeds to conclude that this can be a self-portrait, moreover Leonardo related with the Segnis, a wealthy florentine family from Acerenza and is known to have offered them one of his drawings.

More exams still have to be made in order to better confirm is this is really a portrait of Leonardo da Vinci.

The painting can be seen at the exhibit "Ancient People of Lucania", starting the 28th of March.

Art Prize Sponsored by Blick Art Materials

Celebrating 10000 visits, The Art Inquirer, sponsored by Blick Art Materials, is going to offer a $25 gift certificate to one of its readers.
To have the chance of winning this prize you only have to mention this event on your blog or website, including a link to this post.
However if you don't have one, you can enter by subscribing to The Art Inquirer's Newsletter using the Feedblitz service, found on the right column of this blog.
After mentioning, please leave a comment with a link to the relevant post on your blog or website (if you have one).
The winner will be known on the 15th of March and immediately notified.
Blick Art Materials will send the $25 gift certificate directly to the lucky winner.
The author of The Art Inquirer will not disclose any personal information without the winner's consent.

Guido Daniele "For a Living Planet"

The works of the artist Guido Daniele, known for his famous body and hand paintings, will be exhibited at the CityQuartier DomAquarée in Berlin.
The opening of the exhibition called "For a Living Planet" will take place on February the 19th, at 19h00 and can be visited until April the 3rd.

The Art Inquirer Gives

The winner February's free original watercolour has been found and notified.
Every month a free work of art is offered to one of the readers of this art dedicated blog.
Soon The Art Inquirer will complete 10000 visits and to celebrate the event, a lucky reader will receive an art prize.

BBC Wildlife Artist of the Year Award

For the first time, the BBC Wildlife magazine is running a competition for the Artist of the Year.
This event is open to amateurs and professional artists and is free to enter.
With 14 different categories to chose from, the opportunity to participate is open to many of those who have a passion for wildlife and wish to share their vision through art.
A winner will be chosen for each category and will have the artwork displayed at the annual exhibition of the Marwell International Wildlife Art Society. The winning works will also be published in the BBC Wildlife, August 2009.
From the several categories, an overall winner will receive the BBC Wildlife Artist of the Year 2009 award and will join the 7th Annual Festival of Wildlife, which will take place at the Pantanal, Brazil in 2010.
All entries must be received by 28 February 2009.

CultureInside - Artists Community

Recently developed, Cultureinside is an online social community where artists and others who are connected to the world of Art can share interests and projects.
Artists can benefit from a free web space where they can show their works, write a blog and connect with members who have similar interests.

This Original Watercolour is Free

The readers of this blog have the chance to win a free original watercolour painting.
On February the 10th, one of the readers of The Art Inquirer using the Feedblitz newsletter will win this postcard size painting.
If you are already a follower of this blog, I recomend that you subscribe to the newsletter so that you may also share this opportunity.
Every month, this art dedicated blog offers a free work of art.
The winner only has to pay for postage in the value of $5 worldwide.
There is no obligation of accepting the prize.