New Delhi, March 6 -- An independent researcher claimed on Wednesday that a marble bust of Christ in a Roman church is by Michelangelo, the latest purported attribution to the Renaissance genius who is one of the most imitated artists in the world.

The unverified claims by Valentina Salerno has unsettled Renaissance scholars, especially since a recent sketch of a foot that was attributed to Michelangelo, but disputed by some as a copy, recently fetched $27.2 million at a Christie's auction.

Given the stakes - and Salerno's suggestion that several other works can now be attributed to Michelangelo based on her documentary research - many leading experts have declined to comment.

Salerno has published her theory on the commercial website ...