London, May 29: Archaeologists in Italy’s Florence city have uncovered a skeleton they believe could be the 500 year-old remains of the noblewoman who is believed to have posed for Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa masterpiece. FLORENCE: Archaeologists in Italy’s Florence city have uncovered a skeleton they believe could be the 500 year-old remains of the noblewoman who is believed to have posed for Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa masterpiece.
An excavation that started earlier this month of what was once the convent of Saint Orsola , where Lisa Gherardini — the wife of wealthy silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo – was buried following her death in July 1542 at 63 years. A grave was unearthed that contained a skeleton of an adult woman with parts of the skull and pelvis, said Giorgio Gruppioni, an archaeology professor from the University of Bologna and coordinator of the excavation.
“The skull and pelvis have been crushed by the weight of the ground,” he said. Other pieces of skull and pelvis must first be recovered before the archaeologists can determine the skeleton’s sex, he said. Once they locate the skull, the team will attempt to recreate a likeness of what the woman might have looked like.
-Agencies