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Leonardo da Vinci and the Bust of Flora

Acquired in July 1909 by art collector Wilhelm von Bode (1845-1929), director general of the Prussian Art Collections and founding director of the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum, now the Bode-Museum, the Bust of Flora, Roman goddess of flowers, has been the subject of controversy for more than a century. Von Bode, under pressure from the German Kaiser Wilhelm II, argued that the wax sculpture was created by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519).