Among the objects in the Bode's collection is a bust of Flora, which had been purchased by the Kaiser Friedrich Museum, Berlin, under the belief that it was by Leonardo da Vinci.
Wilhelm von Bode, the general manager of the Prussian Art Collections for the Berlin Museum, had spotted the bust in a London gallery and purchased it for a few pounds.
Bode was convinced that the bust was by Leonardo, and the Berlin Museum authorities, and the German public, were delighted to have "snatched a great art treasure from under the very noses" of the British art world.
 However, in 1910, Albert Dürer Lucas – the son of Richard Cockle Lucas – claimed that the sculpture had been created by his father.
Shortly thereafter, The Times ran an article claiming that the bust was the work of Lucas, who had been commissioned to produce it from a painting.
Lucas's son Albert then came forward and swore under oath that the story was correct and that he had helped his father to make the sculpture.
Albert was able to explain how the layers of wax had been built up from old candle ends; he also described how his father would stuff various debris, including newspapers, inside the bust.
When the Berlin museum staff removed the base they found the debris, just as Albert had described it, including a letter dating from the 1840s.

Despite this evidence, Bode continued to claim that his original attribution was correct.
To support this, he displayed the Flora bust among a selection of Lucas's other works but this exhibition backfired, as it showed that Lucas had been regularly making wax sculptures inspired by the great works of previous times.
Hungarian-born London art critic and historian Paul George Konody, in particular, "waged war on Dr. Bode's claims through the columns of the London Daily Mail".
Various claims and counter-claims have been put forward about the bust, from its being an outright forgery to being a genuine 16th-century piece (albeit not by Leonardo).
Scientific examination has been inconclusive and unhelpful in dating the bust, although it is accepted as having at least some connection with Lucas.
The bust remains on display in what is now the Bode Museum labelled  "England", "19th Century" with a question mark.
Among the objects in the Bode's collection is a bust of Flora, which had been purchased by the Kaiser Friedrich Museum, Berlin, under the belief that it was by Leonardo da Vinci. Wilhelm von Bode, the general manager of the Prussian Art Collections for the Berlin Museum, had spotted the bust in a London gallery and purchased it for a few pounds. Bode was convinced that the bust was by Leonardo, and the Berlin Museum authorities, and the German public, were delighted to have "snatched a great art treasure from under the very noses" of the British art world.  However, in 1910, Albert Dürer Lucas – the son of Richard Cockle Lucas – claimed that the sculpture had been created by his father. Shortly thereafter, The Times ran an article claiming that the bust was the work of Lucas, who had been commissioned to produce it from a painting. Lucas's son Albert then came forward and swore under oath that the story was correct and that he had helped his father to make the sculpture. Albert was able to explain how the layers of wax had been built up from old candle ends; he also described how his father would stuff various debris, including newspapers, inside the bust. When the Berlin museum staff removed the base they found the debris, just as Albert had described it, including a letter dating from the 1840s. 
Despite this evidence, Bode continued to claim that his original attribution was correct. To support this, he displayed the Flora bust among a selection of Lucas's other works but this exhibition backfired, as it showed that Lucas had been regularly making wax sculptures inspired by the great works of previous times. Hungarian-born London art critic and historian Paul George Konody, in particular, "waged war on Dr. Bode's claims through the columns of the London Daily Mail". Various claims and counter-claims have been put forward about the bust, from its being an outright forgery to being a genuine 16th-century piece (albeit not by Leonardo). Scientific examination has been inconclusive and unhelpful in dating the bust, although it is accepted as having at least some connection with Lucas. The bust remains on display in what is now the Bode Museum labelled  "England", "19th Century" with a question mark.
Richard Cockle Lucas