Deventi Painting and the Lost Cause

Leonardo de vinci was commissioned by a statesman named piero sorini to paint a battle from 14 forty featuring an army from milan being defeated by italian forces in tuscany. The painting, which was done using a new oil technique that he wanted to try, was not ever finished. Coincidentally, another fresco on the opposite wall, started by michael angelo, also went unfinished. Both of these unfinished works remained in their abandoned state for decades. When cossimo the first decided to renovate the palazzo vecchio, both pieces were believed to have been destroyed to make way for new art. Art historians have wondered for years about this