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The bust of Flora may not be Leonardo after all Image: Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz © SMB-SPK A Leonardo, or not? Scholars and scientists are locking horns and the media is frantic. No, they are not fighting over the Salvator Mundi, or even the drawing nicknamed the Bella Principessa. But rather a wax bust of the goddess Flora, bought by the Berlin Royal Museums in 1909 as a work by the Florentine master, sparking controversy around the world. Two years after the purchase, more than 730 articles had been recorded all over Europe, arguing for and against the Leonardo attribution, says Ina Reiche, who led a study proving that the work was in fact more likely by the 19th-century English sculptor Richard Cockle Lucas, or a contemporary inspired like him by Old Masters.

United kingdomFrance generalCity ofLucile beckRichard cockle lucasStiftung preuIna reicheSalvator mundiBella principessaGustav pauliIngrid caffyFrench museumRoyal academySaclay university laboratoireBerlin royal museumsScientific reports