Skeleton Uncovered in Florence Could be Mona Lisa
- January 06, 2013 19:52
A group of Italian art historians and archaeologists are looking for the secret behind Mona Lisa's mysterious smile.
Headed by former TV producer Silvano Vinceti, the team believes they have found the remains of Leonardo da Vinci's most famous sitter, Mona Lisa, buried in the convent of Saint Ursula in Florence.
Mona Lisa is thought to have been modeled by Lisa Gherardini, the second wife of wealthy Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo.
The group is working to exhume and identify Gherardini's bones which they will send to universities in Italy and abroad for analysis with the DNA of two confirmed relatives of Gherardini.
Their goal is to be able to reconstruct the face of Mona Lisa and verify her identity.
__2016_100x100_c.jpg "David Shrigley, Life Drawing (Crayons), 2016. Courtesy the artist and Anton Kern Gallery, New York")
![Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640), After Titian (Tiziano Vecelli) (Italian [Venetian], c. 1488–1576), Rape of Europa, 1628–29. Oil on canvas, 71 7/8 x 79 3/8 in.](/images/c/e2/2e/Jan20_Rape_of_Europa100x100_c.jpg "Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640), After Titian (Tiziano Vecelli) (Italian [Venetian], c. 1488–1576), Rape of Europa, 1628–29. Oil on canvas, 71 7/8 x 79 3/8 in.")
