Was Mona Lisa Actually a Guy?

 

Did a Male Model really  Inspire Da Vinci to create the masterpiece with the enigmatic smiles that’s known the world over?

Well,  apparently,  according to some,   yep   that’s exactly it,  Mona Lisa was a guy!    Italian researchers believe they've solved the mystery of the Mona Lisa model ...

There has been a  team of researchers from the Italian national committee for cultural heritage working on the subject for some time,   they  are now claiming that Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa",    Which is probably the most famous painting in the world, was in fact inspired by the artist's male apprentice Salai.

Oh yes,  indeed,  Da Vinci had a bot of a fondness for the lad,  according to research they enjoyed a rather  "ambiguous" relationship and were  almost certainly lovers,  so said Silvano Vincenti, chairman of the committee.

The  young artist, whose real name was Gian Giacomo Caprotti, is believed  to have served as a muse for other Da Vinci masterpieces, including “St.John the Baptist" and the "Angel Incarnate".

The experts say that comparisons between the characters in those paintings and the Mona Lisa reveal striking similarities.

Now,  as well as looking like Salai, the Mona Lisa gives even more clues to his influence, according to  Vincenti. "Close examination of a high-quality digital copy of the portrait had revealed an L for Leonardo and an S for Salai." A romantic gesture?

But these strange and somewhat romantic claims are being hotly denied by French arty folk at the Louvre in Paris, where the piece is on display – (although,  there is a lot of discussion that the one on show is not the real one,  just another good copy!)). The museum reported  every possible test has been done on the painting and they insisted  "no inscriptions, letter or numbers, were discovered during these tests." They added that Vincenti had made his fantastical claims without having had access to the painting itself.

However, Vincenti's team is well known in the art world for  solving mysteries and offered their services to the Louvre to help clear up any doubt. "They're really blind ... I can understand their incredulity and amazement - after all this must be the most studied picture on earth," but "they have to be serious and accept that they didn't see what was right in front of their eyes."

Time Magazine has more!  - TIME NewsFeed