🚨The secrets of the Mona Lisa are becoming clearer: Da Vinci used technology unknown at the time.
The Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting on display at the Louvre, depicts Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a Florentine merchant.
Researchers from the CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research) recently studied an innovative technique used by the painter for the underpainting of this work. Through the analysis of tiny samples recovered during a restoration, they discovered the presence of plumbonacrite, a mineral derived from lead, which was not commonly used at the time. This mineral, produced by chemical transformations, indicates that Leonardo da Vinci used a mixture of cooked oil and lead oxide to create a thick texture, bringing depth and luminosity to his painting.
This avant-garde approach, which was not popularized until a century later by Rembrandt, demonstrates Leonardo da Vinci's constant innovation and experimentation in his art.
This compound was also found in his painting The Last Supper, further highlighting his penchant for experimentation.
