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The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.
An Italian art researcher says Leonardo da Vinci painted tiny letters behind the eyes of the Mona Lisa that may be a clue to her identity.Silvano Vinceti, chairman of the Italian national committee for cultural heritage, said the letters are invisible to the naked eye, but were revealed through high-resolution imagery.
"Leonardo was keen on symbols and codes to get messages across, and he wanted us to know the identity of the model using the eyes, which he believed were the door to the soul and a means for communication," Vinceti told the Guardian newspaper.
The letters were created in black with a very fine brush.
Behind the right pupil of the unknown woman called Mona Lisa are the letters L, V — Leonardo's initials. Her left pupil is more of a mystery — Vinceti said the letters there are either B, S, or C, E.
The art expert also claims to have found the number 72, or possibly L2, under the bridge that appears behind her.
The woman with the enigmatic smile is commonly thought to be Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a Florentine merchant. But Vinceti believes the painting was created in Milan and says the woman may be from the court of Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
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