Scientists find hidden 'Michelangelo' inscription on 400 year-old drawing

A hidden inscription on an artwork reportedly penned by Michaelangelo has been unearthed on a 400-year-old drawing.

An inscription which reads di mano di Michelangelo or ‘from Michaelangelo’s hand’ has been found underneath sticky tape which was added more recently.

According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS) a special method allowed experts to lift the tape without damaging what was underneath.

A paper published by the team, including Piero Baglioni from the University of Florence describes, a special ‘non-invasive’ hydrogel substance they created lifted the tape without damaging the work

The sketch is of a figure from The Last Judgement on the Sistine Chapel’s wall.

However, experts say the origin of the text is under investigation but was “a possibly false attribution hidden by a collector,” and are unsure if the work was drawn by Michaelangelo at all.