'Two years needed' to fix botched Leonardo restoration

Restorers say they will need two years to undo botched efforts of the past on Leonardo da Vinci's Adoration of the Magi at Florence's Uffizi Gallery. But when their work is finished, the painting will be luminous, they say. The first step for the restoration team from the Opificio delle Pietre Dure - a public institute for art restoration - is to eliminate the debris left by numerous earlier attempts to restore the famous work that Leonardo began in 1481 but never finished. Eventually the figures in the painting will again have the three-dimensional appearance of so many of the famous painter's figures, while colours will be much more vibrant, promises Marco Ciatti, superintendent of the Opificio. Restoration began last November on a serious problem related to its wooden supports. Since then, a wide range of diagnostic tests have been conducted to verify conditions and problems, and now the actual restoration work can begin.