Mona Lisa theory no. 672
December 13 2010
Picture: Nick Pisa
It’s been a busy few days for Leonardo da Vinci stories. Now an Italian researcher has found clues hidden in the Mona Lisa, which may reveal her identity. They are tiny brushstrokes only visible under magnification, and are ‘LV’ in her right pupil, and ‘B or S’ in her left (or perhaps even ‘BS’?).
Silvano Vincenti, President of Italy's Committee for National Heritage, who spotted the letters, says;
‘In the right eye appear to be the letters LV which could well stand for his name, Leonardo da Vinci, while in the left eye there are also symbols but they are not as defined. ‘It is very difficult to make them out clearly but they appear to be the letters CE, or it could be the letter B. ‘In the arch of the bridge in the background the number 72 can be seen or it could be an L and the number 2. ‘You have to remember the picture is almost 500 years old so it is not as sharp and clear as when first painted.'
It all sounds a bit optimistic to me.
