With the busy summer season in full swing, popular European museums are examining new methods of crowd control in an effort to curb the ever-growing hustle and bustle that could cause damage to both visitors and the art itself. Some museums such as the Louvre and the Prado in Madrid have pursued softer methods like timed tickets and extended hours. Others such as the Vatican Museums and the Uffizi in Florence have taken a harder line. Within the next year the delicate frescoes of the Sistine Chapel will be protected by a crowd-limiting climate control system while the Uffizi has already established a cap of 980 visitors at a time. (more…)

“Daniele Barbaro” of 1545 has been part of the National Gallery of Canada’s holdings since the museum acquired it in 1928. At that time, the msueum believed it was in fact by Titian himelf because of correspondence between the subject and the Bishop. However, another painting of Daniele Barbaro is in the Prado, and a comparison of the two in the 1990s resulted in the determination that the NGC’s was a copy. A recent restoration has revealed that it is in fact by the Venetian master, and has been confirmed by Prado experts.
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‪‬Leonardo da Vinci’s original ‘Mona Lisa’ painting has been redated from 1503-6 to 1503-19, with the Prado’s version and ‘Virgin Child with St Anne’ also possibly redated, the Louvre verifying such based on recent scientific work and additional drawings [AO Newslink]

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‪‬Prado removes black overpaint from what is possibly the earliest Mona Lisa replica, which may have been painted alongside DaVinci by a pupil, and will be unveiled mid-February [AO Newslink]

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