Thaer Ghali is an artist and art critic, specializing in Renaissance arts. He is an Arts collector and Art dealer. He lives in Dubai. He is the Consiglio Internazionale di Cooperazione Italo Arabo delegate in the UAE.
In a time clouded by doubt, where bold discoveries are often stifled by the clamor of skepticism and hesitation, there must rise among us those endowed with both courage and vision. Such was the journey of attorney Avv. Massimo Mazzoleni and his wife, Mrs. Silvia Gallo Mazzoleni , with the exceptional artwork known as The Christ of Lecco: a journey spanning years, marked by patience and perseverance, standing firm against waves of denial and rejection.
This drawing executed in red chalk on treated paper and now at the heart of wide-ranging scholarly and cultural debate has faced, since its first appearance, a torrent of doubt and dismissal from certain voices within the European art world. Yet, the couple did not waver. They clung to their profound belief that what lay in their hands was no ordinary sketch, but a cultural treasure radiating intellectual and historical light, one that reignites appreciation for the genius of Leonardo da Vinci and provokes a new question about the boundaries of discovery.
Their immeasurable passion, and their unwavering scientific and ethical commitment, transformed this project into an open platform for researchers, historians, and art enthusiasts alike. It sparked a wave of interest and investigation, ignited by the scholar Professor Rolando Bellini Professor of Art, Graphic Arts, Museology, and Aesthetics at the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera (Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera) in Milan who, in October 2022, after a rigorous academic study, attributed The Christ of Lecco to Leonardo da Vinci, thus laying the scientific foundation for the entire course that followed.
Over time, this light began to draw the attention of renowned scholars historians, artists, and leading academics united by a noble aim: To serve and safeguard humanity’s heritage, whatever the cost.
Among the prominent names who joined this path are :
Annalisa Di Maria, an international expert on Leonardo da Vinci, specializing in Florentine art and Neoplatonism, as well as an author and art consultant ;
Andrea da Montefeltro, a molecular biologist and contemporary sculptor who blends artistic sensibility with scientific inquiry, known for his symbolic and religious works showcased in venues such as the Vatican and Urbino;
And, notably, the distinguished scientist Pascal Cotte , one of the foremost figures in modern art analysis and a global authority in multispectral imaging technologies.
As the Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of Lumiere Technology, Cotte contributed significantly through LAM (Layer Amplification Method) multispectral imaging, revealing minute artistic details in masterpieces like the Mona Lisa. Through his LAM analysis of The Christ of Lecco, Cotte uncovered a stunning detail that reshaped the entire discourse: A hidden signature within the left eye of the Christ figure, inscribed with exceptional precision, reading:
L + da Vinci
This is no visual illusion, no case of pareidolia. It is a deliberate, authentic, and meticulously executed signature one that could only come from a genius like Leonardo. This signature was compared with a similar hidden mark found in another confirmed Leonardo drawing, The Head of Christ Holding His Hair, preserved in the Accademia of Venice, where a matching signature appears also in the left eye:
L + Vinci
With a striking similarity in style, curvature, and calligraphic flow. Two portraits of Christ, Two hidden signatures, One singular genius.
James Constable, a distinguished American scholar specializing in Leonardo da Vinci, with advanced degrees from Harvard University, Boston College, and the The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education and Harvard Art Museums, has strongly supported the attribution of The Christ of Lecco to Leonardo da Vinci.
Dr. Erica Tamborini, who contributed insightful analytical investigations; Luciano Buso, whose expertise brought forth specialized interpretations of symbolic language; Dr. Rosetta Savelli, award-winning author (Kafka Italia 2015), and contributor to the UNESCO Centre in Bologna and Juliet Art Magazine. As well as researchers Luigi and Alessandro Nicola, Dr. Giuseppe De Girolami, and Dr. Cinzia Paraboschi.
The project has further attracted a group of esteemed professors and researchers, including: Roberto Manescalchi , Marco Marinacci, Xante Battaglia, Jean-Pierre Isbouts, Christopher Brown, Nicola Barbatelli, Max Sukharev, Maike Vogt-Lüerssen, Jean Charles Pomerol, Nathalie Popis, and Átila Soares da Costa Filho
The convergence of this remarkable intellectual and artistic constellation around The Christ of Lecco has given the work an unprecedented international dimension. Elevating it beyond a case study to a philosophical movement and a collective cultural mission, transcending academic boundaries and becoming a global stance in defense of artistic truth and human conscience.
From here, from my region, the Middle East, and from the United Arab Emirates, where I currently reside, and from my homeland Iraq, the land of Mesopotamia and my ancestors, from the ancient city of Uruk, my birthplace and the beginning of my story,
I renew my support for this noble cultural project, which I see as part of a global intellectual and scientific battle in pursuit of truth, awareness, and human memory.
As a member of the Consiglio Internazionale di Cooperazione Italo Arabo in Rome, and as the Council’s delegate in the UAE for cultural and artistic affairs, this role entrusts me with both a moral and professional responsibility: to build genuine cultural bridges between the two shores of the Mediterranean, and to contribute to the protection of our shared human heritage.
I stand, with unwavering clarity and resolve, beside the Gallo Mazzolini family, and with every thinker and scholar who has chosen to walk this enlightened path, bearing the banner of truth and creativity in the face of adversity.
I offer my heartfelt thanks to Mrs. Silvia Gallo Mazzoleni, Mr. Avv. Massimo Mazzoleni, and all those who have walked this road, a road truly worthy of honor and noble minds.
For truth, when it walks with steady steps, no shadow can conceal it.
