The disappointment of the researchers thought they had found the model that inspired the Mona Lisa – LaCapital.com.ar

They say there are “very high” likelihood that a femur found belonged to the model of “La Gioconda” of Leonardo. But nobody has ever certainties and believe the will.

The scientific tests on bone fragments unearthed from a grave in a church in Florence were unable to determine if the remains are a woman of the Renaissance was that some believe was the model for the “Mona Lisa” by Leonardo da Vinci, researchers said.

Perhaps as enigmatic as the Mona Lisa smile, the question of who It was the model for the famous painting has for centuries intrigued art lovers.

Historians differ about the identity of the model. And even if the evidence of the bones had determined that the remains were indeed those of Lisa Gherardini, wife of a wealthy silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo, they did not respond the fascinating question of who posed for Leonardo.

Some say that the artist used a male model. Others propose that made a kind of self-portrait or used various models.

The researchers said at a press conference in Florence that carbon-14 test performed at one of the fragments found that the remains were consistent with the term. Gherardini died at age 63 in 1542, and researchers said that according to historical documents was buried in a convent in Florence.

The lead researcher, Silvano Vinceti said that unfortunately are few remains and that these not include a skull, which would have helped determine whether the woman was the model for the portrait of Leonardo now exhibited in the Louvre Museum in Paris.

“Our biggest problem has been the fact that the fragments were very fragmented, very damaged, “said Giorgio Gruppion, head of the laboratory of forensic anthropology at the University of Bologna. That complicated the task of determining the sex and age at death and DNA analysis, he said.

Because they have found remains of relatives Gherardini was impossible to make any comparison DNA, the researchers said

Still, Vinceti insisted that “the chances that the bones have belonged are very high,” although Gruppion was more blunt:.. “It’s a disappointment Finding the skull and reconstruct the face was a dream we had, but nothing to do “

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