Italy pol protests masterpiece loan

An Italian senator chained himself to the gates of the Uffizi museum in Florence, Italy, on Monday to protest the loan of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Annunciation” for a show at Japan’s National Museum in Tokyo.

The “Annunciation” is one of Da Vinci’s early works, painted between 1472 and 1475 when the master was in his early 20s. It depicts the archangel Gabriel revealing to the Virgin Mary that she is pregnant.

In protesting the loan, Sen. Paolo Amato said it exposed a priceless masterpiece to unnecessary risk and belittled its significance by using it in a commercial event.

Inside the museum, the 6 1/2 -foot-by-3-foot painting was being bundled in three protective crates filled with shock absorbers and high-tech sensors to monitor humidity, temperature and stress levels in preparation for departure today. The 15th century masterpiece will be shown from March 20 through June 17 as part of “Italian Spring,” a series of events promoting Italian culture and products.