Mona Lisa. This is one of the most mysterious works of art on Earth. For centuries the scientists examined Leonardo Da Vinci's paintings. But a number of mysteries still merubung images hanging in the Louvre Museum, Paris, France.
For decades artists and art researchers find out who the Da Vinci-painted figure really is. But then most people agreed that the woman in the painting was Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo, the third wife of the wealthy silk merchant from Florence, Francesco del Giocondo.
Not only women in the picture of Mona Lisa, the smile that emanated from the lips of the figure in the painting also invites millions of questions. Many who call the Mona Lisa smile can change. For decades researchers have uncovered this secret. A number of conclusions were obtained, one of them suspect because Da Vinci uses a special technique in painting.
And the latest is the results of research conducted by French researchers, Pascal Cotte. After researching the most famous painting for 10 years, he claimed to have found surprising. Cotte mentions there's another picture in the back (inside-ed) of the Mona Lisa.
In the study, Cotte used a multispectral scanning technique. Using different wavelengths to pierce the paint, Cotte took pains to point out that behind the Mona Lisa there were other women in the painting.
Cotte's study claims that Da Vinci previously painted another female figure, believed to be the original figure of the Mona Lisa.
"We can now analyze what's happening in the paint layer and we can peel the painting like a layer of onion. We can reconstruct all the chronology of painting, "Cotte said, quoted by Dream of The Telegraph, Thursday, December 10, 2015.
And after reconstructing the images seen on the surface, Cotte claimed to have such surprising findings, which he claims could dispel many myths and alter the vision of the art community on Leonardo's work.
"When I finished reconstructing Lisa Gherardini, I was in front of the portrait and she was completely different from the Mona Lisa we know today. This is not the same woman, "he added.
According to Cotte, the female figure behind the main painting faced sideways. Has a larger head and nose, bigger hands, and most importantly has smaller lips than the Mona Lisa figure on the image seen so far.
Related to this discovery, Museun Louvre did not comment much. They claim Cotte is not part of their expert team. And Cotte's findings are not necessarily accepted by other art researchers. Many are also questioning these findings.
However, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa painting between 1503 and 1517 has kept many puzzles. A number of theories emerge to uncover the mystery that surrounds this painting.