According to a December report by The Washington Post, there may be an undiscovered Leonardo da Vinci painting hidden in Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts’s collection.

The Post received an anonymous tip claiming the MFA has a painting in its possession that officials believe to be by da Vinci. The MFA is expected to be in the process of authenticating the painting, though they have been tight-lipped about whether the report is true.

Museum officials declined to comment on the issue, and were also cryptically dismissive of Post inquiries.

If there is indeed a da Vinci painting in the MFA, it would be only the second work by the Renaissance artist in the United States and all of the Americas. The other da Vinci, ‘Ginevra de’ Benci,’ hangs in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

‘It would change the fortunes of the MFA if they had a real Leonardo,’ New York University art history professor Alex Nagel told The Post.

‘If you can make this definitely a work by Leonardo, a lot of money is going to be changing hands,’ Nagel said in The Post. ‘When that’s the dominant concern, there’s great pressure to want something to be the real thing.’

The MFA is free for Boston University students, and various university programs, including the Core Curriculum, routinely make use of the museum.

College of Arts and Sciences freshman Vasundhra Sangar said that she has visited the museum a number of times as part of Core.

‘I’ve been there pretty frequently because some of my assignments had us go to the MFA,’ she said.

She also said she enjoys the museum every time she visits.

‘It’s very pretty. I come from a small town in Massachusetts, so seeing the MFA was pretty amazing,’ Sangar said.

Sargent College freshman Kierstyn Bohl said she was confused as to why the museum would ‘hide’ the painting.

‘Why would they do that?’ she asked. ‘If people knew there was another da Vinci painting at the MFA, more people would go.’

College of Fine Arts assistant professor Dana Clancy said that she was very excited about the possibility of there being an undiscovered da Vinci.

‘Of course it would be wonderful for the MFA and for the public if there was ‘new’ da Vinci painting in Boston,’ she said.

CAS sophomore Katherine Murphy said that although she hasn’t had the opportunity to go to the MFA yet, she would gladly go to see such a painting from the artist.

‘It would be pretty monumental for the MFA to have a da Vinci in its possession, especially if it’s only the second painting by the artist in the country,’ she said. ‘It would probably boost attendance.’
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