Louvre art experts quit after 'over cleaning' of Leonardo da Vinci piece

Two experts have quit the Louvre's advisory committee after they claimed Leonardo da Vinci's The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne was 'over cleaned', changing the appearance of the painting.

According to The Guardian, Segolene Bergeon Langle and Jean-Pierre Cuzin resigned in protest after the 500-year-old masterpiece was cleaned by the Paris gallery.

The experts believe that the cleaning process has left the work with a brightness that was never intended by Da Vinci, a senior museum source revealed.

Bergeon Langle, who is regarded as France's leading authority on restoring paintings, confirmed her resignation to the newspaper, but refused to reveal her reasons ahead of a meeting with Henri Loyrette, the director of the Louvre.

It is thought that the cleaning has divided the gallery's international advisory committee, with some regarding the process as moderate.

The Louvre told The Guardian: 'Rarely has a restoration been as well prepared, discussed and effected, and never will it have benefited from such effective techniques.'