Leonardo's "Adoration of the Magi" now cleaner, brighter

March 27, 2017 at 7:58 a.m. | Updated March 27, 2017 at 8:00 a.m.

by Associated Press

Uffizi museum manager Erik Smith gestures as Leonardo da Vinci’s "Adoration of the Three Wise Men" is returned to the public after 6 years of study and restoration, in Florence, Italy, Monday, March 27, 2017. Painted in 1481, it is one of the most important works of the early Leonardo. (Maurizio Degl' Innocenti/ANSA via AP)
Uffizi museum manager Erik Smith gestures as Leonardo da Vinci’s "Adoration of the Three Wise Men" is returned to the public after 6 years of study and restoration, in Florence, Italy, Monday, March 27, 2017. Painted in 1481, it is one of the most important works of the early Leonardo. (Maurizio Degl' Innocenti/ANSA via AP)

FLORENCE, Italy (AP) - The unfinished Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece "Adoration of the Magi" has emerged from a six-year restoration cleaner and brighter.

The large, nearly square oil painting returned to its home at Florence's Uffizi Gallery for a special exhibit starting Tuesday and running through September.

Leonardo painted the piece, representing Mary with the infant Jesus surrounded by visitors, between 1481 and 1482 but left it unfinished after leaving Florence for Milan. It had been commissioned by Augustinian monks for the San Donato a Scopeto church but ultimately ended up in the Medici collection.

The restoration was carried out by a team at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, a research and conservation institute of the Italian culture ministry. Experts said the restoration uncovered newfound lucidity and profundity in the work.

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