French customs officers thwart €1.3m sale of fake Leonardo da Vinci painting

Spanish police made the arrest after being notified that export licence had expired and work was found to be a copy

The painting was purported to be a Leonardo da Vinci portrait of the Italian aristocrat and military commander Gian Giacomo Trivulzio. Picture: Policía Nacional

Spanish police have arrested a man whose alleged plan to sell a fake Leonardo da Vinci painting in Italy for €1.3m was thwarted when the work caught the eye of French customs officers.

Although the man had an export licence for the work, which was purported to be a Leonardo portrait of the Italian aristocrat and military commander Gian Giacomo Trivulzio, the licence had expired, prompting customs officers at the Modane border post to contact Spanish police.