Part1

Read the text and answer the questions below.

Mystery drawing

A In early 1998, a New York auction house featured a portrait of a young woman that failed to generate much excitement among bidders. According to the auction’s reference catalogue, it was a 19th-century German piece executed in ink and coloured chalk, broadly emulating the older Renaissance tradition. Kate Ganz, a local art dealer, acquired the piece for a modest $21,850. Nearly a decade passed before Peter Silverman, a collector from Canada, bought the artwork for a similar sum, suspecting it might originally originate from the Renaissance era, even though previously catalogued that the creator had simply copied Leonardo da Vinci. This prompted Silverman to consider a thrilling possibility: could this be an authentic masterpiece by Leonardo himself? Such a find would be extraordinary, given that over 75 years had elapsed since the world witnessed a new painting by the Renaissance master. Furthermore, history held no documentation of Leonardo executing such a piece, and absolutely no copies of the portrait were known to exist. If genuine, the discovery would represent a profound mystery.

B Seeking expert validation, Silverman forwarded a digital file of the piece to Martin Kemp, an esteemed retired art history professor and Leonardo authority. Fascinated, Kemp travelled to Zurich to examine the work, which was stored safely in a secure vault. Collaborating with Pascal Cotte from Paris-based Lumiere Technology, Kemp utilised advanced multi-spectral imaging to examine the multi-layered structure of the drawing. The examination revealed compelling indicators of Leonardo’s craftsmanship: the exquisite colour palette, the clean exudation of bees, and the highly specific stroke visible within the darker shaded sections. Furthermore, the captivating expression on the young girl’s face — blending poise with deep contemplation — seemed to capture Leonardo’s innate capacity that true portraiture must mirror the internal workings and “sentiment” of the mind.

C To build a solid case, Kemp required concrete evidence that the work was produced during Leonardo’s lifetime (1452–1519). Radiocarbon tests indicated that the artist chose vellum as the canvas — a standard practice of that epoch — and calibrations during testing on scraps of a vellum between 1440 and 1616. Analysis of the artefact further linked the object with the Milanese Renaissance, characterised by meticulously brushed hair. This aligned perfectly with Leonardo’s tenure in Milan, where he frequently painted members of the ducal inner circle. Moreover, tiny puncture holes along the side indicated that the sheet had originally been bound inside a book, likely a codex volume created to celebrate a noble wedding.

D Kemp’s historical tracking eventually yielded an identity. Bianca Sforza, the daughter of the Duke of Milan. In 1496, she wed Galeazzo Sanseverino, a military chief and one of Leonardo’s prominent patrons, though her life cut tragically just months later. When Kemp and Cotte kept their extensive data into a 2010 publication, the response was highly positive. While some outside experts reported the client, others remained deeply unconvinced, pointing toward the threat of an exceptionally skilful imitation. Skeptics found it hard to believe that such a masterpiece could emerge out of obscurity despite any clear provenance.

E The ensuing link arrived unexpectedly from David Wright, an art history professor at the University of South Florida. Observing the intense academic debate from afar, Wright reached out to Kemp out of the blue. He proposed that the artwork might reside within the National Library of Poland in Warsaw, specifically within a leather-bound text known as the Stansol. As a specialist in Renaissance imagery, Wright identified that text as a luxury book prepared explicitly for Bianca Sforza’s nuptials — precisely the kind of high-profile event that would warrant a portrait by Leonardo.

F Intrigued, Kemp and Cotte made the trip to Warsaw to inspect the volume. Using ultra-close photography, Cotte discovered that a single sheet had been clearly excised from the precise section of the Stansol where an introductory illustration would traditionally sit. When they carefully placed a digital copy of the girl’s portrait into the gap, it matched the dimensions and stitch patterns flawlessly. For Kemp, this physical alignment provided definitive confirmation that the illustration was indeed a Leonardo creation that had once existed nestled neatly on a library shelf.

G Historical records suggest the Stansol found its way to Poland during the early 16th century following a marital alliance between the Sforza lineage and Polish royalty. The individual leaf was likely separated from the binding much later, possibly during a restoration or rebinding of volumes in the 17th or 18th century. Though the exact path of the drawing became obscure after that point, it eventually ended up in the private collection of an Italian art restorer, whose widow ultimately consigned it to the New York auction house where it modern journey began.

H This era has proven to be incredibly thrilling for enthusiasts of Leonardo’s work. Not long ago, the National Gallery in London put on display a long-lost painting depicting Christ holding a crystal orb. Meanwhile, in Florence, investigators tracking Leonardo’s missing mural, the Battle of Anghiari — unseen since the mid 16th century — have employed advanced non-invasive radar systems to determine if it remains buried later wall in the Palazzo Vecchio, though conclusive proof remains elusive.

I The validation of historical art pieces is rarely driven by cold objectivity; instead, it is frequently swayed by professional reputations, collective aesthetic, and the threat of litigation. Seeking to establish a broader consensus, Kemp distributed his comprehensive data to several of the world’s leading art authorities, yet not all of them inclined to issue a formal endorsement. Achieving universal acceptance is a slow process, Kemp admits, but Leonardo exists entirely as our mythology. Ultimately, if the portrait is universally embraced and takes its place on a museum wall as an undisputable Leonardo, it is guaranteed to captivate the world.

Questions 1–5

Complete the notes below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 1–5 on your answer sheet.

1 At the 1998 auction, the drawing was listed as a ________ work from the early 19th century.

2 Kate Ganz purchased the drawing for just over ________ thousand dollars.

3 Silverman bought the drawing from Ganz nearly ten ________ later.

4 Ganz had suggested that the artist was influenced by the Renaissance master ________ da Vinci.

5 Before Silverman’s purchase, no major Leonardo painting had been authenticated for over 75 ________.

Questions 6–10

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 6–10 on your answer sheet, write TRUE if the statement agrees with the information FALSE if the statement contradicts the information NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

6 The drawing shows a young woman looking directly at the viewer. □ TRUE □ FALSE □ NOT GIVEN

7 Radiocarbon dating confirmed that the vellum used for the drawing is from the correct historical period for Leonardo. □ TRUE □ FALSE □ NOT GIVEN

8 The analysis of pigments revealed compounds that were only invented in the 19th century. □ TRUE □ FALSE □ NOT GIVEN

9 A fingerprint found on the drawing perfectly matched a known print from Leonardo’s left hand. □ TRUE □ FALSE □ NOT GIVEN

10 All leading art experts now agree that the drawing is an authentic work by Leonardo da Vinci. □ TRUE □ FALSE □ NOT GIVEN