Mona Lisa's remains found?

Italian archaeologists believe they have discovered the remains of a woman believed to be the model for Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, Daily Mail reports.

Mona Lisa - a work of genius artist Leonardo da Vinci

Excavation scene inside the monastery of St. Ursula - Photo: AFP

After more than a year of excavation under the foundation of the St Ursula monastery in Florence (Italy), archaeologists discovered a skeleton believed to be that of Lisa Gherardini - the model in the famous Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.

Lisa Gherardini was the wife of a wealthy silk merchant named Francesco del Giocondo. After her husband died, she became a nun at the St Ursula convent. She died there on July 15, 1542, at the age of 63. Her life coincided with the time when the genius artist Leonardo da Vinci painted the portrait of the mysterious Mona Lisa.

Archaeologists begin searches at St Ursula's monastery inFlorence(Italy) using ground-penetrating radar in May 20211. After 2 weeks of searching, they discovered the crypt under the foundation of this monastery. Then, archaeologists excavated the crypt and discovered a female skull along with fragments of ribs and spine.

Newly discovered remains believed to be those of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa

However, the archaeologists' excavation plans were halted due to lack of funding, but were restarted last month. As a result, they discovered a set of human remains earlier this week.

The remains will be tested to see if they match the skull discovered last year. Scientists will then compare the DNA on the bones with the remains of Lisa Gherardini's two children, who were buried nearby.

If the skeleton and skull are identified as belonging to Lisa Gherardini, scientists will reconstruct her face based on the skull found to compare with the 500-year-old Mona Lisa painting by the genius artist Leonardo da Vinci.

Dr Silvano Vinceti, who led the excavation, told Daily Mai: “We do not yet know whether the skeleton and the skull belong to the same woman. But this discovery shows that there are still human remains in the St. Ursula convent and we cannot rule out the possibility that they are those of Lisa Gherardini.”

According to KHCN.TP-M