TOKYO - Leonardo da Vinci's "Annunciation,'' whose overseas loan sparked outrage in Italy, was unloaded unscathed Friday at Tokyo's National Museum and sealed behind bulletproof glass by white-gloved workers.
An Italian senator had chained himself to the Uffizi museum in Florence, Italy, to protest the moving of the fragile painting, which critics said would needlessly endanger an irreplaceable 15th century masterpiece that has seldom left its homeland.
After a 12-hour journey halfway around the world, the painting is now ready to wow thousands of eager Japanese as the anchor of a landmark exhibit called "Italian Spring.'' It opens Tuesday.
"We verified that the condition of the painting is the same as when it left,'' said a relieved Antonio Godoli of the Uffizi gallery, where "Annunciation'' normally hangs.
The loan has stirred controversy in the world of Italian art, where conflicts over the management of the country's cultural treasures are frequent and loans of masterpieces to foreign countries cause considerable anxiety.
It is only the third time "Annunciation'' has left the Uffizi.
To ensure safe passage, the painting, which measures nearly two-by-one metres, was bundled into three protective crates filled with shock-absorbers and high-tech sensors to monitor humidity, temperature and stress levels.
"Annunciation'' will have a place of honour in the same room used to exhibit the "Mona Lisa,'' an earlier loan to the National Museum.
The gallery is sealed from natural sunlight, and the painting is encased behind a US$50,000 bulletproof crystal window, shielding it from the outside world.
Its steel case is designed to survive an earthquake in one of world's most seismically active countries. The painting will be shown from Tuesday through June 17.
In Italy, art historians and intellectuals, including filmmaker Franco Zeffirelli, signed a petition asking Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli to cancel the loan.
Paolo Amato, the senator who chained himself to the gallery, has said the transfer exposes a priceless masterpiece to unnecessary risk and commercializes the country's cultural heritage.
"Annunciation'' is one of Leonardo's early works, painted in 1472-75, when the master was in his 20s.
It depicts the archangel Gabriel revealing to the Virgin Mary that she is pregnant.
