The BBC reports that scientists in Florence have opened a tomb to extract DNA they hope will identify the model for Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
Gherardini Family tomb, Florence, SS. Annunziata. Photo credit: AP.
Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa, ca. 1503-6. Paris: Louvre.
Workshop of Leonardo da Vinci, La Gioconda, ca. 1503-16. Madrid: Museo Nacional del Prado.
Further reading: Leonardo da Vinci: The Complete Paintings and Drawings , by Frank Zollner and Johannes Nathan; Leonardo da Vinci: Revised Edition