Spanish Police Uncovers Attempt to Sell Fake Da Vinci Painting for €1.3 Million

Spanish police have arrested a man who planned to sell a fake Leonardo da Vinci painting in Italy for €1.3 million.

This was reported by the police on their website.

The Spaniard, over 40 years old, was detained on the border with France, and a suspicious painting was found in his car. Documents indicated that it was a portrait of the Italian aristocrat and military leader Gian Giacomo Trivulzio by Da Vinci. 

However, the man's export permit had expired, which aroused the suspicions of law enforcement. Spanish law enforcement officers sent the canvas for examination, which established that the painting was a copy.

"The painting was probably created with fraudulent intentions in the early 20th century. Thus, its value ranges from 3000 to 5000 euros, and it can be categorically ruled out that the painting belongs to Leonardo or any other Italian artist of the time," the police said in a statement.

In connection with the incident, the painting was confiscated, and the man who tried to take it out was detained.

In 2021, Italian police found a copy of Leonardo da Vinci's by Leonardo da Vinci from 500 years ago.

And in May, a French court dismissed a lawsuit filed by International Restitutions, which allegedly sought ownership of Leonardo da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa painting on behalf of his heirs.