Medieval History
The most mysterious painting in the history of European art just got a little more mysterious. For centuries, Madrid's Prado Museum has held what was believed to be a mere replica of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, the Mona Lisa. But researchers at the museum recently discovered that their copy wasn't just any copy. Thanks to the use of infrared technology, they deduced that the work was not only painted in Leonardo's workshop, by one of his students, but that it was done at the same time as the master was completing the original.
Although the copy, which depicts La Gioconda with a narrower face, redder dress and significantly more pronounced eyebrows than the original, has been in the Prado's collection for centuries, no one thought much of it, and it was generally attributed to an unknown Flemish artist. But when the Prado's conservators began to study it in preparation for an upcoming show in Paris, they realized there might be more to the work than previously recognized. Using infrared technology, they detected a lush Tuscan landscape ? the same as in Leonardo's original ? hiding beneath the coat of black varnish that had been added probably in the 18th century and obscured the original background.
Click here to read this article from Time Magazine
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Medieval History
What a Real-Time Copy of the Mona Lisa Reveals About Leonardo
Although the copy, which depicts La Gioconda with a narrower face, redder dress and significantly more pronounced eyebrows than the original, has been in the Prado's collection for centuries, no one thought much of it, and it was generally attributed to an unknown Flemish artist. But when the Prado's conservators began to study it in preparation for an upcoming show in Paris, they realized there might be more to the work than previously recognized. Using infrared technology, they detected a lush Tuscan landscape ? the same as in Leonardo's original ? hiding beneath the coat of black varnish that had been added probably in the 18th century and obscured the original background.
Click here to read this article from Time Magazine
- Exhibition Reveals The Genius Of Leonardo?s Anatomical Work
Leonardo da Vinci?s ground-breaking studies of the human body and anatomy are to go on display this week in London, England. The exhibition, which takes place almost 500 years after his death, will feature 87 pages from Leonardo?s notebooks, including...
- Mona Lisa Copy May Have Been Painted By Leonardo Da Vinci's Lover, Art Historians Suggest
Last month, a copy of Leonardo's most famous painting rocked the art world with revelations about its provenance. Two weeks after it went on show to the public at the Prado, the museum's conservation team believe they are closing in on a conclusion...
- New Theory About The Background Of Da Vinci's Mona Lisa
It is arguably the most famous and highly debated portrait ever, but new research has sparked a debate about the landscape behind Leonardo da Vinci?s Mona Lisa. The enigmatic work, which hangs in the Louvre in Paris, has been the subject of speculation...
- Mona Lisa Backdrop Depicts Italian Town Of Bobbio, Claims Art Historian
A small town in northern Italy is basking in new-found celebrity after an Italian art historian claimed it featured in the background of the world's most famous painting ? Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. A bridge and a road glimpsed over the shoulder...
- Tiny Letters Found On The Mona Lisa, Researcher Finds
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