How the granddaughter of a slave came to be painted with a member of one of the richest and most powerful families in Italian history -- and painted out many years later -- reads like a script from "Dynasty" and sheds light on a little-studied period of African-European relations.

The girl's identity was uncovered not by scholars in Europe or the United States, but by aCanadian scholar who received vital help from an independent art researcher.

The reason for the oversight, the researcher said, is that the nation's overwhelmingly white art institution directors and curators have shown little interest in studying the presence of Africans in European works of art.

How the granddaughter of a slave came to be painted with a member of one of the richest and most powerful families in Italian history -- and painted out many years later -- reads like a script from "Dynasty" and sheds light on a little-studied period of African-European relations.

The girl's identity was uncovered not by scholars in Europe or the United States, but by aCanadian scholar who received vital help from an independent art researcher.