Traces of Leonardo da Vinci's DNA May Have Been Discovered on a Red Chalk Drawing Called 'Holy Child'

Researchers from the Leonardo da Vinci DNA Project (LDVP) that by analyzing the drawing of Holy Child and other Renaissance artifacts, such as letters written by a da Vinci relative, they have recovered some Y chromosome DNA sequences that appear to belong to a genetic group of people with common ancestors in Tuscany, where the genius and Renaissance master was born in 1452. The findings, first reported in Science, could be the first time scientists have identified DNA from da Vinci himself.

The DNA

Historical artifacts can accumulate DNA from the environment and potentially offer useful information about the people who created and handled them. Gathering that material on such precious objects without damaging or contaminating them, though, is a complex challenge. Today, decisions about the authorship of a work depend on expert opinion—for example, on how a brushstroke was created.

The LDVP researchers therefore used an extremely gentle swabbing method to attempt to collect biological material. They then extracted small amounts of DNA, which provided useful information. “We recovered heterogeneous mixtures of non-human DNA,“ states the study published in the preprint journal bioRxiv, “and, in a subset of samples, sparse male-specific human DNA signals.”

The da Vinci Clue

From the analysis the researchers concluded that they found the closest match within the broad E1b1b lineage on the Y chromosome (whose sections are passed on almost unchanged from father to son) that is now commonly found in southern Europe, Africa, and parts of the Middle East. Some of the DNA, they say, may have come from Leonardo da Vinci himself.

“Across multiple independent swabs from Leonardo da Vinci-associated items, the obtained Y chromosome marker data suggested assignments within the broader E1b1/E1b1b clade,” the study reads. The results also indicate mixed DNA contributions assocaited with the source materials, though, consistent with modern handling.

“Together, these data demonstrate the feasibility as well as limitations of combining metagenomics and human DNA marker analysis for cultural heritage science,” the paper reads, “providing a baseline workflow for future conservation science studies and hypothesis-driven investigations of provenance, authentication and handling history.”

Further Investigation

While the researches have demonstrated an innovative approach, they acknowledge that they didn’t come back with conclusive evidence. Although the data suggest that the DNA could be Leonardo da Vinci’s, asserting that any trace of DNA in the artifacts actually belongs to him is very complpicated. “Establishing an unequivocal identity … is extremely complex,” David Caramelli, an anthropologist at the University of Florence and LDVP member, told Science.

This is because scientists cannot verify the genetic sequences of the artifacts by comparing them with DNA known to have been taken from Leonardo da Vinci himself; there are still no confirmed samples. Moreover, da Vinci had no known direct descendants, and his burial site was breached in the early 19th century. Encouraged by the first clue about da Vinci’s DNA, LDVP scientists now hope to convince the custodians of Leonardo’s works and notebooks to allow them further sampling that could solve the case.

This story originally appeared in WIRED Italia and has been translated from Italian.