Newly found sketch of Jesus Christ likely an unknown da Vinci masterpiece

A newly discovered sketch of Jesus Christ that’s been gathering dust for centuries is likely an unknown masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci, according to experts.

The previously unknown red-chalk drawing — which depicts the son of God with a vacant, Mona Lisa-like gaze — was held in a private collection at a bank in Lombardy, Italy, before it recently surfaced, New York Post reported, citing the UK’s Telegraph.

“It is a remarkably beautiful and refined work and I’m absolutely convinced it is a sketch by Leonardo,” Annalisa Di Maria, an Italian art historian who studied the sketch, told the Telegraph.

To determine if the piece was made by the world-renowned Renaissance artist, experts tested the paper and found it dates back to the 16th century — around the time da Vinci sketched “Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk” in a similar style and medium, according to experts.

It wasn’t immediately clear where the art had been stashed for centuries.