- Title: ITALY: Ancient tomb in Italy could help identify the real Mona Lisa
- Date: 9th August 2013
- Summary: FLORENCE, ITALY (AUGUST 9, 2013) (REUTERS) PAN DOWN OF INTERIOR OF SANTISSIMA ANNUNZIATA CHURCH ALTAR IN CHURCH SKULL DETAIL ON MARBLE TOMB IN CHURCH VARIOUS OF EXPERTS OPENING MARBLE TOMB COVER ON FLOOR DETAIL OF TOMB COVER EXPERTS LIFTING TOMB COVER MEDIA WATCHING WITH MONA LISA POSTER IN BACKGROUND VARIOUS OF EXPERT KNEELING WITH HAT WITH TORCH POINTING INTO TOMB MEDIA
- Embargoed: 24th August 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: France
- City:
- Country: France
- Topics: Arts
- Reuters ID: LVA4DKUZFR2JEOM5Q02FKDVMNI50
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- Story Text: The family tomb of Lisa Gherardini Del Giocondo in Italy was opened on Friday (August 9) for the first time in 300 years for scientists to compare her sons' DNA to that of a skeleton found in the basement of a former Ursuline convent in July 2012.
The family tomb in the so-called Martyrs' Crypt behind the main altar of Santissima Annunziata church in Florence contains the remains of Gherardini's husband Franceso Del Giocondo and of their two sons.
Scientists will use DNA testing to find out whether the remains of a woman exhumed in an archaeological dig in a central Florence convent a year ago belonged to the beguiling model who sat for Leonardo da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa portrait.
The true identity of Mona Lisa and her enigmatic smile have intrigued art lovers around the world for centuries.
"Today in the Basilica Santissima Annunziata, we opened for the first time in 300 years the crypt of the Giocondo family, and according to historical documents besides Francesco de Giocondo, it should also contain the remains of at least one of his sons. And thanks to this we hope to be able to do the DNA comparison with three of the eight remains found in the convent of Sant Orsola, who are now being subjected to Carbon-14 tests," explained Silvano Vinceti, head of the National Committee for the promotion of historic and cultural heritage.
"Lisa (Del Giocondo) died on July 14th, 1542. If the timeframe coincides with the bodies that we find here, we will be able to do the DNA comparison and the magic of science and technology, thanks to the connection between mother and children, which will allow us to know whether we have found Mona Lisa," Vinceti added.
The long-running hunt for the iconic Leonardo model culminated when researchers in Florence uncovered the base of a 15th-century altar in St Ursula, which they firmly believed would lead to the tomb containing the remains of Mona Lisa.
Researchers say Gherardini spent the last years of her life at the convent being looked after by her two daughters who were nuns, and was buried there.
According to the Louvre museum in Paris, where the painting is on display, the portrait was likely painted in Florence between 1503 and 1506 and could have been commissioned to mark one of two events: either when Gherardini and her husband bought their house or when their second son was born.
So now scientists believe the proof lies in the DNA.
If the bones uncovered on Friday can find a DNA match with one of the bodies found in the St Ursula convent, it could prove that they are indeed those of the wife and model turned nun. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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