Is this the Mona Lisa's skeleton? Discovery of bones in Florence convent
believed to be those of silk merchant's wife who inspired Da Vinci
Find comes a year after skull was unearthed at the same site
Team believe bones belonged to Da Vinci's model Lisa Gherardini
18 July 2012
Dailymail
Archaeologists are convinced they've unearthed the secret behind the world's most famous painting, the
Mona Lisa. Buried beneath the floor of a convent in Florence, Italy they've found a skeleton they believe
belonged to Lisa Gherardini, the model who posed for Leonardo's da Vinci's mysterious masterpiece.
Ancient find: Archeologists have found a skeleton they believe belonged to the model who inspired Da Vinci's
Mona Lisa
An archaeologist digs away at the floor of the medieval Convent of Saint Ursula in Florence, where the
skeleton was discovered
The convent was the burial site of Lisa Gherardini, wife of the wealthy Florentine silk merchant Francesco del
Giocondo, who modelled for Leonardo Da Vinci
Lisa Gheradini, was the wife of a rich silk merchant named Francesco del Giocondo. In Italy the Mona Lisa is
known as La Gioconda. Most modern historians agree that the lady depicted in the Mona Lisa was Lisa del
Giocondo, who became a nun after her husband's death. She died in the convent on July 15, 1542, aged 63.
An archeological team began digging at the abandoned Convent of Saint Ursula last year. They first had to
dig through thick concrete, laid down ahead of plans to turn the convent into an army barracks. But they
quickly struck gold, finding a crypt they believe to have been Lisa's final resting place and soon after they
unearthed a female-sized human skull. The skull was found five feet under the convent's original floor along
with other fragments of human ribs and vertebrae. Plans to continue the dig were suspended when the team
ran out of funds, but they were able to resume last month. And this week, they found a human skeleton.
The team unearthed a skull and other bones last year that they believe belonged to Lisa Gherardini
The skull was found five feet under the convent's original floor along with other fragments of human ribs and
vertebrae
The bones will undergo tests to establish if they match the skull found last year. Scientists will then compare
the DNA in the bones with the remains of the model's two children who were buried nearby in an attempt to
authenticate the
Muse: The enigmatic Mona Lisa has intrigued millions
Once they have verified the skeleton and skull belong to the modelf orensic artists will attempt to reconstruct
her face to see how it compares to the 500-year-old version painted by da Vinci - and perhaps solve the
riddle of the Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile in the process. Archeologist Silvano Vinceti, who is in charge of the
dig, explained: 'We don't know yet if the bones belong to one single skeleton or more than one. 'But this
confirms our hypothesis that in St.Ursula convent there are still human bones and we cannot exclude that
among them there are bones belonging to Lisa Gherardini.' The initial discovery - made using ground
penetrating radar and ancient maps and documents - came after a foot of modern concrete was removed
and unearthed a layer of ancient, 90-centimeter wide bricks. Professor Vinceti said of the first discovery:
'This is a very exciting development and the find is consistent with our records and our preliminary research.
'The crypt we have found is the one that was mentioned in church records from 1495 and was reached via a
grate and then a staircase. 'We also know from those records that in 1625 there was a second crypt and
these are the ones we have found.'
Resting place: The courtyard of the Saint Ursula convent in Florence, where archaeologists have been
digging
Present on the dig is Natalia Gucciardini Strozzi, who is related to Lisa Gherardini and who is also a close
friend of Prince Charles and former Prime Minister Tony Blair. Speaking after the skull was discovered, she
said: 'It was so emotional being here - I didn't think I would get so emotional. I am certain that this is the
final resting place of Lisa Gherardini. It is not the first time that Professor Vinceti has used such techniques
in his work - last year similar methods were used to locate and identify the remains of Caravaggio, another
Renaissance master. Last year in a Dan Brown-style mystery professor Vincenti also claimed that a hidden
message could be seen in the eyes of the Mona Lisa after examining them with a high powered magnifying
glass. The Mona Lisa is an oil on panel painting owned by the French government and the image is so widely
recognised and caricatured that it is considered the most famous painting in the world. Da Vinci started to
paint it in 1503 or 1504 and finished it in 1519, shortly before his death, and after he had moved to France.
Scientists may have found Mona Lisa model's skeleton
London, Jul 18, 2012
deccanherald.com
Archaeologists have inched closer to unravelling the secret behind Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile, as they
believe to have discovered the skeleton of the model who posed for Da Vinci's masterpiece. Archaeologists in
Italy have found a skeleton buried beneath the floor of a convent in Florence, which they believe belonged
to Lisa Gherardini, the model who posed for Leonardo's da Vinci's painting, 'The Mona Lisa', the 'Daily Mail'
reported. Lisa Gherardini, was the wife of a rich silk merchant named Francesco del Giocondo. Most modern
historians agree that the lady depicted in the Mona Lisa was Lisa del Giocondo, who became a nun after her
husband's death. She died at the age of 63 at the Convent of Saint Ursula on July 15, 1542. An
archaeological team began digging at the abandoned convent last year. They had found a crypt believed to
have been Lisa's final resting place and soon after they unearthed a female-sized human skull. The skull was
unearthed five feet under the convent's original floor along with other fragments of human ribs and
vertebrae. The dig which resumed last month, found a human skeleton this week. The bones will undergo
tests to establish if they match the skull found last year. The DNA in the bones will be compared with the
remains of the model's two children. Once the scientists have verified that the skeleton and skull belong to
the model, forensic artists will attempt to reconstruct her face and see how it compares to the 500-year-old
version painted by da Vinci - and perhaps solve the riddle of the Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile in the process,
the report said. "We don't know yet if the bones belong to one single skeleton or more than one. But this
confirms our hypothesis that in St. Ursula convent there are still human bones and we cannot exclude that
among them there are bones belonging to Lisa Gherardini," archaeologist Silvano Vinceti, who is in charge of
the dig was quoted as saying by the paper. The painting is in oil on panel, started by Da Vinci in 1503 or
1504 and finished in 1519, shortly before his death, and after he had moved to France. Known in Italy as La
Gioconda, it is considered the most famous painting in the world. The Mona Lisa is owned by the French
government.