Experts in Madrid have discovered that a painting believed to have been from a date after Leonardo Da Vinci’s death is actually a painting by one of Da Vinci’s students and will help art historians gain more knowledge on the mysterious lady. Mona Lisa is believed to have been Lisa Gherardini, wife of a wealthy Florentine cloth merchant, and the masterpiece dates from 1503-1506. The discovery by the Prado Museum in Madrid that their copy dates from the same time is vital to understanding the original in the Louvre as there are areas that are clearer and better preserved than the original. Due to the fragility and value of the original Mona Lisa the Louvre could not run the risk of cleaning or restoring the painting but the copy in Madrid can be stripped of its dark layer and may reveal the true age of Mona Lisa, it being difficult to know from the original behind its glass case and the dark over-paint. The copy is thought to be by one of Leonardo’s key students and the process of stripping the over-paint from this painting has begun. Art historians throughout the world await its revelations.
