Could Researchers Be One Step Closer to Finding the Real Mona Lisa?

A research team looks to create a 3D reconstruction of the face of the woman they believe to be Mona Lisa.

Image via NBC News

For the past 5 centuries, people have wondered who the woman in Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa painting really was. Scientists now say that they are very close to solving one of the art world's greatest mysteries, but it will take a bit of DNA testing to know for sure.

According to NBC News, a letter was found in 2005 at the Heidelberg University in Germany that was written by a Renaissance art historian named Giorgio Vasari. Vasari wrote that Da Vinci had been hired by a silk merchant to paint his wife, a woman named Lisa Gherardini. They also mention that the merchant's name was Francesco del Giocondo, and that another name for the painting in Italy is "La Gioconda."

That is enough evidence for us, but scientists need facts. National Committee for the Promotion of Historic and Cultural Heritage director Silvano Vinceti is leading a project that will create a 3D reconstruction of what they believe is Gherardini's skull so that they can compare it to the painting and know for sure. 

[via NBC News]

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