Researchers working in Italy believe they have found the remains of the woman who posed for Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, famed for her enigmatic smile.
The model is believed to be Italian noblewoman Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo. Carbon testing has shown that a collection of bones, recently exhumed from Florence's Sant'Orsola convent, date back to the time that Gherardini died.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"There are converging elements, above and beyond the results of the carbon-14 tests, that say we may well have found Lisa's grave," he said. "I'm speaking of historical, anthropological and archeological analyses that have been carried out very rigorously. The odds that the bones belong to her are extremely high."
However, Vinceti's team have been stymied by the degradation of not only Gheradini's bones but also those suspected to belong to her children Bartolomeo and Piero, found less than half a mile away in another church.
The team had hoped to match DNA from her children to the new discovery in order to conclusively prove their theory.
Vinceti explained: "The remains of the children that were found in the church of the Santissima Annunziata have been degraded too much by the flooding of the Arno and are not able to provide sufficient DNA for possible comparison tests."
However, the Daily Telegraph reports that even if the bones are proven to belong to Gheradini with future DNA tests, there remains little conclusive evidence that she was definitely the model for the Mona Lisa.
"It has been variously suggested that the famous painting is a self-portrait by Leonardo or a painting of a courtesan or a Spanish noblewoman, or that it could even be based on Salai, his male apprentice and possible lover," says the newspaper.
Vinceti had hoped to find Gherardini's skull and then use forensic techniques to reconstruct her face, comparing the reconstruction with Da Vinci's painting. However, no skull has yet been found.
In America, news of the findings was announced in a puzzling report from Fox News, which mistakenly attributed the Mona Lisa to Leonardo Di Caprio.
-
Film reviews: ‘Bugonia,’ ‘The Mastermind,’ and ‘Nouvelle Vague’feature A kidnapped CEO might only appear to be human, an amateurish art heist goes sideways, and Jean-Luc Godard’s ‘Breathless’ gets a lively homage
-
‘Not all news is bad’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Book reviews: ‘Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity’ and ‘Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice’feature An examination of humanity in the face of “the Machine” and a posthumous memoir from one of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, who recently died by suicide
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
