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Is portrait a da Vinci match?

By Marta Falconi Associated Press

ROME — Born 500 years too early to put her photo on an online dating site, a young woman tried a different matchmaking approach: a portrait by Leonardo Da Vinci.

Experts say a little-known portrait of a young woman, previously attributed to an anonymous German artist, is probably a drawing made by Leonardo. The 13- by 9.4-inch parchment is thought to be a nuptial portrait aimed at attracting a possible groom for the unidentified woman.

The drawing, which could be worth millions if the new attribution is confirmed, was bought in 1998 for $21,850 by a collector at an auction in New York, said Alessandro Vezzosi, the director of a museum dedicated to the artist in his hometown of Vinci.

Based on its style, the portrait has been dated to 1485-1490, but Vezzosi cautioned that more tests are required to confirm identification.