New Train Line Could Collapse David

(NEWSER) - Did Michelangelo actually create a small (16-inch) wooden carving of a crucified Jesus or did the Italian government get taken for a $4 million ride? Some experts believe passionately that the piece, now on exhibit in Naples, is the work of the master. But as the BBC reports, others blast the label as a deliberate ploy by the government to use the religious carving to curry favor with the Catholic church and religious conservatives. More»

Years of traffic, tourism put Michelangelo's marble masterpiece at risk

(NEWSER) - Michelangelo’s famed statue of David is in danger of collapse and must be stabilized, an Italian engineering professor tells ANSA. Failure isn’t imminent, though a major earthquake could topple the Renaissance masterwork on display in Florence. Small cracks in the statue, thought to have emerged during the 500 years the marble stood outside, were patched 4 years ago but have reappeared. More»

12-inch sculpture was covered with tape

(NEWSER) - A US art historian says he’s found the model for Michelangelo's great statue the Pieta at the Vatican, the Daily Telegraph reports. An Italian art collector picked up the 12-inch terracotta model at an antiques shop; before restoration, it was covered in paint and dotted with Scotch tape. But long analysis has led Roy Doliner to believe it is indeed the work of the Renaissance artist. More»

Buffalo's Kober family called it 'the Mike'

(NEWSER) - They called the painting “The Mike,” because legend had it that it was an original Michelangelo painting—but the Kober family didn’t really believe it. When their kids knocked it off the wall with a tennis ball, they wrapped it up and stashed it behind the couch, and left it there for 27 years. But now, after all this time, they’ve gotten an expert opinion, and the news is good—really good. More»

Artist's greatest work may be hidden behind palace fresco

(NEWSER) - Like a mystery straight from the Da Vinci Code, an Italian palace fresco harbors a clue pointing to the existence of a hidden masterpiece, claims an art expert. Now Italian professor Maurizio Seracini has been granted permission to seek the painting considered Leonardo da Vinci's greatest work. Seracini believes the lost Battle of Anghiari is hidden behind a fresco in Florence's Palazzo Vecchio marked with the words: "Cerca trova," or "seek and you shall find." More»