MONA LISA'S SECRET

It has for a long time been argued that after Leonardo's death the painting was cut down
by having part of the panel at both sides removed. Early copies depict columns on both
sides of the figure. Only the edges of the bases can be seen in the original.[2] However,
some art historians, such as Martin Kemp, now argue that the painting has not been
altered, and that the columns depicted in the copies were added by the copyists. The
latter view was bolstered during 2004 and 2005 when an international team of 39
specialists undertook the most thorough scientific examination of the Mona Lisa yet
undertaken. Beneath the frame (the current one was fitted to the Mona Lisa in 2004)
there was discovered a "reserve" around all four edges of the panel. A reserve is an
area of bare wood surrounding the gessoed and painted portion of the panel. That this
is a genuine reserve, and not the result of removal of the gesso or paint, is
demonstrated by a raised edge still existing around the gesso, the result of build up
from the edge of brush strokes at the edge of the gesso area.
The reserve area, which was likely to have been as much as 20 mm (0.79 in) originally
appears to have been trimmed at some point probably to fit a frame (we know that in the
1906 framing it was the frame itself that was trimmed, not the picture, so it must have
been earlier), however at no point has any of Leonardo's actual paint been trimmed.
Therefore, the columns in early copies must be inventions of those artists, or copies of
another (unknown) studio version of Mona Lisa

New images uncover 25 secrets about the Mona Lisa, including proof that Leonardo da
Vinci gave her eyebrows, solving a long-held mystery.
The images are part of an exhibition, "Mona Lisa Secrets Revealed," which features
new research by French engineer Pascal Cotte and debuts in the United States at the
Metreon Center in San Francisco, where it will remain through the end of this year. The
Mona Lisa showcase is part of a larger exhibition called "Da Vinci: An Exhibition of
Genius."

MONA LISA'S SECRET 1

 Cotte, founder of Lumiere Technology, scanned the painting with a 240-megapixel Multi-
spectral Imaging Camera he invented, which uses 13 wavelengths from ultraviolet light
to infrared. The resulting images peel away centuries of varnish and other alterations,
shedding light on how the artist brought the painted figure to life and how she appeared
to da Vinci and his contemporaries.
"The face of Mona Lisa appears slightly wider and the smile is different and the eyes are
different," Cotte said. "The smile is more accentuated I would say."
Mona Lisa mysteries
A zoomed-in image of Mona Lisa's left eye revealed a single brush stroke in the
eyebrow region, Cotte said.
"I am an engineer and scientist, so for me all has to be logical. It was not logical that
Mona Lisa does not have any eyebrows or eyelashes," Cotte told LiveScience. "I
discovered one hair of the eyebrow."
Another conundrum had been the position of the subject's right arm, which lies across
her stomach. This was the first time, Cotte said, that a painter had rendered a subject's
arm and wrist in such a position. While other artists had never understood da Vinci's
reasoning, they copied it nonetheless. [Photos: Anatomy Meets Art in Da Vinci's
Drawings]
Cotte discovered the pigment just behind the right wrist matched up perfectly with that
of the painted cover that drapes across Mona Lisa's knee. So it did make sense: The
forearm and wrist held up one side of a blanket.
"The wrist of the right hand is up high on the stomach. But if you look deeply in the
infrared you understand that she holds a cover with her wrist," Cotte said.

Behind a painting
The infrared images also revealed da Vinci's preparatory drawings that lie behind layers
of varnish and paint, showing that the Renaissance man was also human.
"If you look at the left hand you see the first position of the finger, and he changed his
mind for another position," Cotte said. "Even Leonardo da Vinci had hesitation."

Other revelations include:

Lace on Mona Lisa's dress

MONA LISA'S SECRET 2

 The transparency of the veil shows da Vinci first painted a landscape and then used
transparency techniques to paint the veil atop it.

A change in the position of the left index and middle finger.

The elbow was repaired from damage due to a rock thrown at the painting in 1956.

The blanket covering Mona Lisa's knees also covers her stomach.

The left finger was not completely finished.

A blotch mark on the corner of the eye and chin are varnish accidents, countering
claims that Mona Lisa was sick.

And the Mona Lisa was painted on uncut poplar board, contrary to speculations.

In the larger picture, Cotte said when he stands back and looks up at the enlarged
infrared image of Mona Lisa, her beauty and mystique are apparent.

"If you are in front of this huge enlargement of Mona Lisa, you understand instantly why
Mona Lisa is so famous," Cotte said. He added, it's something you have to see with
your own eyes.

MONA LISA'S SECRET 3