Now we can see what the Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” really looked like when it was originally painted centuries ago thanks for a stunning art find.
Officials from the Prado Museum in Spain unveiled a copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous “Mona Lisa” painting. It is widely believed the copy was painted hand-in-hand with the Italian painter by an apprentice of his, reports Fox News Latino.
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Gabriele Finaldi, the museum’s deputy director collections told reporters, “It is as if we were in the same studio, standing at the next easel.” He believes it gives art lovers and experts the best idea of what the “Mona Lisa” originally looked like when it was first painted.
The apprentice’s copy of the “Mona Lisa” had been held in the Prado collection for years and occasionally shown, but since it had a black background instead of the beautiful Tuscan landscape like famous painter’s “Mona Lisa” displayed, it wasn’t shown too often.
However, two years ago after some tests had been preformed by art lovers examining the replica of the Mona Lisa, they realized that the background was actually covered by a black film and could be removed. After it was extracted, then that the beautiful landscape, similar to the original Mona Lisa was exposed.
After this discovery, experts wanted to see if there were any other secrets lying within this since ordinary replica. Experts took X-rays of the painting to see under a painting’s surface which determined how it developed as it was composed. The x-rays revealed that changes made in the copy were similar to changes made to the original as it evolved, proving that it must have been painted at the same time of the original.
Varnish was removed from the Mona Lisa’s face which is shown in the Spanish museum, making it appear brighter and younger than the cracked and darkish varnish at the Paris museum.
One main difference from the original is the Mona Lisa in the copy has eyebrows; the woman in the real da Vinci’s does not.
The painting will ultimately be shipped to Paris where it will be able to be viewed in The Louvre.
