7 mysteries of Da Vinci that have not yet been solved

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Probably Leonardo da Vinci is the master who can find the maximum amount of secrets in painting. And not all of them are disclosed. Da Vinci can be called a symbol of the Renaissance and Italian art, a painter, inventor and philosopher, an all-round artist and a bright mind, who may have kept a lot of secrets around him.

1. A recent discovery regarding the portrait of Isabella d'Este

The portrait of Isabella d'Este was discovered quite recently and, according to scientists, belongs to the brush of Leonardo da Vinci. This is evidenced by the pigments and primer used on the canvas, identical to those used by the artist. In addition, the very image of a woman is incredibly similar to the Mona Lisa, especially her smile.

The portrait of Isabella d'Este was painted approximately at the beginning of the 16th century. It was found in a repository of a private collection in Switzerland, and a leading expert of the Renaissance verified the authenticity and authorship of the canvas. According to existing documents, Leonardo first met Isabella in 1499. At that time, she was a marquise and invited da Vinci to stay at her home in Mantua. Isabella was known as the patroness of the arts and was a leading figure in the Italian Renaissance. Her style of dress has influenced the trends of women's fashion in Italy and France.

Once, Leonardo managed to draw a sketch of the marquise in profile. D'Este was so delighted with the work that she later begged the artist to turn the sketch into a painting. Leonardo promised that he would complete the job. And one historical clue tells us that Leonardo did deliver on his promise. In 1517, while in France, Leonardo showed a series of paintings to Cardinal Luigi d'Aragona. The clergy's assistant wrote: "There was one oil painting depicting a certain woman from Lombardy."

2. Eastern roots of da Vinci

Previously, very little was known about Leonardo's mother. We know that her name was Catherine and she was a peasant woman who gave birth to a child from a young notary, Piero Fruosino da Vinci. Soon after the birth of the child, Piero da Vinci left Catherine and … married a girl from a more noble family, but the da Vinci family took care of Catherine. Actually, the exact date of birth of the artist became known thanks to the entry in the diary of his grandfather: “On Saturday, at three o'clock in the morning on April 15 [1452], my grandson, the son of my son Pierrot, was born. The boy was named Leonardo. He was baptized by his father Piero di Bartolomeo."

There is an interesting theory according to which the artist's mother was a woman of oriental descent. How is this possible, you ask? In 2006, a team of researchers from the Universities of Chieti and Pescara succeeded in recovering the fingerprint of Leonardo's left index finger, and the results were amazing! The structure of the finger was typical of people of Arab descent. In that era, the name Catherine was traditional among women who converted to Catholicism. Some have speculated that Leonardo's mother may have been a former slave from the Middle East.

3. Mona Lisa - self-portrait of Leonardo?

It is the most famous painting in the world and the subject of endless intrigue; The magnificent work of Leonardo da Vinci has given rise to innumerable mysteries. Centuries later, in 1986, a computer artist named Lillian Schwartz began working with a new computer program that compares two digitized images. By sheer coincidence, she uploaded portraits of Mona Lisa and Da Vinci. When the second self-portrait was turned over and placed next to La Gioconda, one face appeared in the program. Everything on the face seemed to fit perfectly, including the eyes, nose and mouth. Using a different program, Lillian even managed to lift the corners of Da Vinci's mouth and compare it with the Mona Lisa's smile. Lillian was sure that da Vinci was using himself as the image of the Mona Lisa.

And 10 years ago the situation changed again. The Mona Lisa, once thought to be the artist himself in costume, is now mistaken for Lisa Gherardini, the wife of an Italian merchant. In 2010, the letter S, possibly representing the powerful Sforza family, was found in the left eye of the heroine of the painting, and the initials LV were found in her right eye (denoting authorship of Leonardo da Vinci). The number 72, important in Jewish mysticism, was found under an arched bridge in the background.

4. Error in the painting "Savior of the World"

If you look closely at the picture, you will notice that the sphere in Jesus' hand is transparent. And this despite the fact that Leonardo, who carefully studied the laws of optics, should have known that the background behind the crystalline sphere cannot actually appear. The background should be enlarged and appear out of focus. It must be distorted. Could Da Vinci's genius inventor and anatomist make such a mistake?

5. Surprising fact about the "Last Supper"

Is it possible for something to unite Christ and Judas on the famous canvas? There is a legend according to which one and the same person was a model for both Jesus and Judas. According to a curious theory, da Vinci found his man for the image of Jesus in the church choir, where the latter served as a choir. Later, when the painting was almost complete, the master was looking for a suitable hero for the role of Judas and came across a drunk man lying in a ditch. When da Vinci finished painting the image of Judas, the man admitted that he recognized the painting and the author. And all because he already posed for da Vinci in the role of Jesus.

6. Another surprising fact about the past of the canvas

Another interesting detail in this painting is the inverted salt shaker lying next to Judas. Perhaps this attribute is a well-known superstition that spilled salt leads to trouble. The canvas also depicts the moment when Jesus says that someone from the audience will soon betray him.

7. Unique sketches for "Madonna of the Rocks"

The original sketches were discovered under the 500-year-old masterpiece. It turned out that Leonard da Vinci's Madonna of the Rocks was superimposed on the artist's original sketches discovered by researchers at Imperial College London and the National Gallery.

Using a combination of X-ray scans and the latest technology, the researchers were able to uncover hidden figures of an angel and the infant Christ on the canvas. All shapes are located at the top of the canvas. In the sketch, the angel embraces the Infant Christ, and Dema Maria looks at them with affection.