Could there be an earlier version of the "Mona Lisa", the most famous painting in the world?
Some researchers believe so and presented what they're calling the "Younger Mona Lisa" Wednesday in Geneva, Switzerland.
Historians of the Mona Lisa foundation say their research over 30 years strongly suggests that the painting is an earlier portrayal.
Art Historian Stanley Feldman and his brother, David, said that scientific examination and the most modern techniques support their view of an earlier painting.
The original "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo Da Vinci is known as "La Giaconda", after Lisa Gherardini, the wife of the Italian nobleman who commissioned a portrait of her.
But Leonardo never delivered it to him.
"First of all in the history of the Mona Lisa, there was always this missing link," said Feldman. "And now we have the painting that fits the earlier history that was never concluded satisfactorily before."
The "Younger Mona Lisa," according to Feldman, is a woman in her 20s, the original portrays a woman in her 30's.
The original was in Da Vinci's possession when he died in France. The other painting is not new. It was discovered in an English Manor in 1913. After a number of owners, it was purchased by its current owners in 2010.
The Mona Lisa Foundation was set up for the sole purpose of researching the painting referred to in the art world as the "Isleworth Mona Lisa."
TXT 24
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