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Will the unearthed skeleton be identified as da Vinci's muse for Mona Lisa?

AFP

Will the unearthed skeleton be identified as da Vinci's muse for Mona Lisa?

Asked by: Super Userkruijs in Science » Other
Settled on 05/31/2014 21:35 Settled by Super UserKentoine Johnson
Winning option:No Settle as NO they don't know who this person is it's all it's all speculation http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3247985/Has-mystery-Mona-Lisa-solved-Experts-believe-body-noblewoman-sat-Da-Vinci-s-masterpiece.html

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Archaeologists on Tuesday unearthed a skeleton in a rare state of preservation in Florence in what they believe may be a crucial step towards unravelling the mystery of the identity of the woman with the most enigmatic smile in the world.

Several bodies have been discovered in the hunt to find the mortal remains of Lisa Gherardini, the Florentine noblewoman widely believed to have served as the muse for Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa".

Silvano Vinceti, who heads up the team of Italian archaeologists, said this latest discovery in an abandoned convent was particularly exciting -- though tests would still have to be carried out to ascertain the identity of the remains. But as with the previous remains, this skeleton may also prove to be unrelated. In that case, new digs will begin in September, to unearth other bodies the researchers believe lie on the other side of the alter, in a larger grave.

The next step for now is to send the latest remains off for a series of tests to confirm they belong to Gherardini. The team then hopes to reconstruct her face and compare it with the facial features in the painting.

"Carbon-14 dating allows us to date the period, and we have to find out whether the remains date to the middle of the 16th century. "We will then do tests to prove the age of the person when they died: we know Gherardini died between the age of 62 and 63," said Vinceti, who is also chairman of the Italian national committee for cultural heritage. "Then comes the biggest test, the DNA, because we have the mortal remains of her children... and if it corresponds, we'll know these remains belong to Mona Lisa's model," he said.

If her identity is confirmed, the researchers will begin the two-month process of reconstructing the skeleton's face.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gi1EsBGNN_L3U6n8WiPgHpDObiJw

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   Super Userkruijs

Researchers are trying to put a name behind the coy smile, as DNA testing has begun on a skeleton found in Florence, Italy, that may be the remains of the real life “Mona Lisa,” according to a report today from the Wall Street Journal.

Italian art historian Silvano Vinceti has announced the start of DNA testing trying to link the remains found in a convent in Florence to Lisa Gheradini, a Florentine woman who, according to the report, is widely regarded as the model for Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece.

http://www.examiner.com/article/dna-testing-begins-to-determine-if-skeleton-is-remains-of-real-life-mona-lisa

   Super Userkruijs

A self-styled Italian art history sleuth says he has taken an important step towards identifying the remains of the woman thought to be the model for the Mona Lisa.

Silvano Vinceti and his researchers entered the martyrs' crypt in Florence's Santissima Annunziata basilica, 300 years after it was last opened, in pursuit of a two-and-a-half-year mission to identify the remains of Lisa Gherardini.

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/aug/09/mona-lisa-model-leonardo-da-vinci

   Super Userkruijs

Archaeologists will continue excavation until the end of October. Then all the bones exhumed will undergo a series of tests to try to identify them.

Eventually, comparisons will be made with the DNA of Bartolomeo and Piero, Lisa's children who are buried in the church of Santissima Annunziata in Florence.

"Whether we have found Mona Lisa’s remains or not will be announced early next year," Vinceti said.

http://news.discovery.com/history/mona-lisa-gherardini-da-vinci-120913.html

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