Explore the Restoration of this artwork.
The Uffizi Gallery has recently completed a six-year restoration of the work, starting in 2012 and finishing in 2017. It has been fully cleaned with years of dirt and old varnish removed. The result is a work that is incredibly bright, with Leonardo's charcoal outline and marks clearly visible. The wood panels have also been restored in order to stabilise the artwork.
National Geographic's coverage of the painting, after the restoration, offers this commentary:"Leonardo's Adoration of the Magi divulges brushstrokes, colors, and images long hidden under dirt and darkened varnish. The unfinished painting, commissioned in 1481, also shows evidence of the artist’s thought process, including modifications he made as he worked".
Uffizi unfinished National Geographic Uffizi Gallery Magi painting Adoration of the Magi Leonardo