If it is in fact a Leonardo, skeptics say, it went unrecognized by experts at the auction house, as well as the specialized dealers who attended the sale, including the one who bought it. Christie’s said in a statement that it “cannot comment on this particular work until it has been the subject of comprehensive and conclusive academic and scientific analysis. The story of how a Swiss collector bought a pretty portrait in January 2007 and ended up with a work that might be by a Renaissance master is a “rags-to-riches story, except that the owner is not exactly in rags,” said Peter Silverman, a Canadian collector who is a friend of the owner. Silverman said, the Swiss collector showed the portrait to him, and he was the first to suspect that his friend might have made an amazing investment. Cotte carried out a series of tests on the work for nearly four weeks, he said, it did not take him long to come up with a name. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, saw the work last December and was struck by the left-handed shading — Leonardo was left-handed — as well as the physiognomy and the details.

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