She is 500 years old and people are still fascinated with her and her smile. What fascinates me is that art experts and scientists were able to tell us more about her by using special 3-D and infrared technology this week.
The Mona Lisa painting, done by Leonardo da Vinci in the 16th century, is perhaps one of the most famous paintings in the world. It hangs in the Louvre museum in Paris and is owned by the French government. This week, they allowed scientists and art experts to take a closer look at her. What did they find? They believe she had just given birth to her second son at the time of the painting. Upon closer inspection with the new technology, they found she was wearing a dress that was covered in thin transparent gauze veil. Women who were pregnant or had just given birth wore this type of dress in the 16th century. The veil had never been noticed before because the painting is so dark. It is believed that Lisa Gheradini is the famous Mona Lisa and she had five children. They also found that Mona Lisa didn’t let her hair hang free, which usually signified a woman of poor virtue. Instead, they discovered she had on a bonnet with just a few curls escaping from it.
The team of experts had hoped to learn more about the “sfumato” technique that da Vinci used. The technique, which subtly blends one tone into another, creates a hazy effect and adds depth to the painting. But, the lack of brush stoke detail hampered their efforts.
They determined the painting was in delicate condition, but should be able to be preserved with proper care. There was no sign of paint chipping as all layers are still attached to the wood panel used. It is believe that the Mona Lisa was painted around 1503.