Saturday, May 14, 2011

'Mona Lisa crypt' unearthed in Italy

Italian historians say they may have found a crypt containing the remains of the 16th-century woman who modeled for Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, local media said on Friday.

Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a rich Florentine silk merchant, is widely believed to have modeled for the world-famous painting that hangs in the Louvre in Paris, although some experts say the final portrait may be a composite of several faces.

The historians found two crypts under the floor of the medieval St Ursula convent in the French city of Florence. Giocondo is believed to have moved to the convent following the death of her husband and eventually died there aged 63.

Click here to read this article from RIA Novosti