Another portrait lies underneath the enigmatic smile of the Mona Lisa, according to a French scientist who has analyzed Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece for more than 10 years. Pascal Cotte, co-founder of Lumiere Technology, a Paris-based company which relies on multispectral imaging to digitize artworks, was given access to the painting in 2004 by the Louvre. He claims a reflective light technology he pioneered revealed the underlying portrait of a totally different woman. In particular, the sitter lacks Mona Lisa’s famous direct gaze and smile. Instead she looks off to the side.
http://news.discovery.com/history/art-history/mona-lisa-may-conceal-second-portrait-151208.htm
