Under the portrait of Mona Lisa they found an image of another woman Automatic translate

Pascal Cotte spent more than 10 years analyzing the picture using reflected light. Now he claims that under the most famous work Leonardo hiding another female portrait. Official representative Louvre Museum He declined to comment on this statement, since the museum workers "were not part of the scientific team." The scientist claims that the first portrait depicts a completely different woman, and there is no trace of that piercing look and a mysterious smile that have been intriguing art lovers for more than 500 years.

Photo: Courtesy Brinkworth Films / Bbc

However, not all experts on Leonardo’s work accepted the results of a study by Pascal Cott, calling them controversial.

Will Gompertz, art critic, said: “I’m skeptical. This is quite a common thing, both for the artist - to exaggerate the image, and for the client who asks to make changes to the picture. So it’s not surprising that Mona Lisa slightly changed during the creation process. The findings should be analyzed and validated by the academic community. This is perhaps the most famous painting in the world, which, like any celebrity, provokes high-profile stories. But in this case, I think we need caution. ”

Pascal Cott. Photo: Bbc news

In 2004, Pascal Cott first gained access to the painting within the walls of the Louvre and applied the technique of “layer reinforcement” to analyze it. The essence of the method is that a series of intense light rays is sent to the picture, and then a special camera registers the reflected image. Based on the analysis of the reflected image, one can judge the state of the paint layers in the picture, as well as restore the original image.

Mona Lisa has been the subject of a number of scientific studies for more than half a century. Later methods are based on the use of infrared radiation and multispectral scanning. However, Mr. Cott claims that his technology yields more accurate results.

In particular, he said: “Now we can analyze what is under the layers of paint, we can clear the picture from each new layer like an onion, and thereby recreate the entire chronology of its creation.”

It is believed that Leonardo worked on a portrait between 1503 and 1517, during his stay in Florence, and then in France. Despite the existence of official theory, the debate over the personality of Mona Lisa does not subside. For centuries, it was widely believed that the painting depicts Lisa Gerardini, the wife of a silk merchant from Florence. However, Mr. Cott argues that his discovery challenges this theory. He believes that the image that he found under the layers of the picture is the original Lisa Leonardo, and that her portrait hid the image of another woman for more than 500 years.

Cott said: “The results destroy many myths and change our vision of Leonardo’s masterpiece forever. When I finished the reconstruction of the portrait, the Lisa Gerardini that I saw was completely different from the Mona Lisa that we used to see. This is a completely different woman. ”

The scientist also claims that he found two more images under the top layer of the picture - the shadow outline of the portrait with a large head and hands, a large nose, but thinner lips, as well as the image of the Madonna, similar to the one depicted in another etching of Leonardo with a pearl headdress.

Martin Kemp, professor emeritus of art history at the University of Oxford, is not convinced by the results of Pascal Cott.

Professor Kemp said: “They [Cott’s images] are witty, they show that Leonardo may have had a few ideas, but the view that another picture is hidden under the surface is untenable. I do not think that these discrete images belong to different portraits. I see this as a more or less continuous process of evolution. I am absolutely convinced that Mona Lisa is Lisa Gerardini. ”

The art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon has long studied historical documents associated with this painting, and he is convinced that the secret of Mona Lisa is one of the main stories of the century. In addition, he is confident that the administration of the Louvre will resist any deviations from the main version, because this would mean farewell to the familiar Mona Lisa.

Anna Sidorova © Gallerix.ru