Jenny's Noodle

"Mona Lisa" by Leonardo da Vinci, circa 1503-1505.

Art historians have long speculated over the true identity of Leonardo da Vinci's iconic 16th Century portrait—the Mona Lisa. In a twist that not even Dan Brown could've predicted, researchers have made a fascinating discovery that may help identify the mysterious lady in the painting.

"Invisible to the naked eye and painted in black on green-brown are the letters LV in her right pupil, obviously Leonardo's initials, but it is what is in her left pupil that is far more interesting," said Sillvano Vinceti, the chairman of the Italian national committee for cultural heritage.

Vinceti said that the letters B or S, or possibly the initials CE, were discernible, a vital clue to identifying the model who sat for the Renaissance artist. She has often been named as Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a Florentine merchant, but Vinceti disagreed, claiming Leonardo painted the Mona Lisa in Milan.

"On the back of the painting are the numbers '149', with a fourth number erased, suggesting he painted it when he was in Milan in the 1490s, using as a model a woman from the court of Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan," said Vinceti...

(The Guardian)