Underwater archaeologists off the coast of Croatia have discovered the wreckage of a Venetian merchant vessel that sank in the late 1500s. The ship’s hold contains a remarkable treasure: a series of lead-sealed crates holding intact oil paintings and marble busts intended for a noble estate in Ragusa.
The lack of oxygen at the depth of 60 meters has miraculously preserved the wood frames and even some of the pigment layers on the canvases. This discovery is being hailed as an 'underwater museum' and is expected to provide unprecedented data on the logistics of the Renaissance art trade across the Mediterranean.