Anthropologists in Italy have reconstructed the left index fingerprint of Leonardo da Vinci, a discovery that could help accredit disputed paintings or manuscripts from the artist and inventor.

The research has been put on display for the first time at an exhibition in the town of Chieti, in central Italy, through March 30.

Scientists have reconstructed the left index fingerprint of artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci, who died in 1519.
(Canadian Press)

"It adds the first touch of humanity," said Luigi Capasso, director of the anthropology research institute at Chieti University. 

"We know how Leonardo saw the world and the future … but who was he? This biological information is about his being human, not being a genius."

Capasso led a team for three years examining fingerprints left on 52 documents. Most were partial prints.

Leonardo, well-known for painting the Mona Lisa, used his fingers to paint and often handled manuscripts while he was eating.

Capasso said Leonardo's prints included traces of saliva, blood and food. The prints appear to confirm a widely held belief the artist had Middle Eastern heritage.

"[The features] we found in this fingertip applies to 60 per cent of the Arabic population," said Capasso.

Some experts believe Leonardo's mother was a slave from Constantinople brought to Tuscany. Her name was Caterina, a common slave name in Tuscany.

The discovery is being hailed as a milestone.

"The fingerprints can tell us if Leonardo was there or if he intervened [on a painting], it's a hint," said Carlo Vecci, a leading expert on Leonardo and professor of Italian literature at Naples' University.

Leonardo's painting techniques and futuristic inventions continue to mystify and attract admirers and scientists.

A high-resolution 3-D laser scan of the Mona Lisa by Canada's National Research Council recently revealed the woman who sat for the Mona Lisa painting may have been pregnant or just given birth at the time.

The scan exposed the fact that the Mona Lisa was wearing a translucent gauze garment over her dress — a garment known to be worn by women of the time during or after their pregnancy.

With files from the Associated Press