Scientists Discover a New Secret About How Leonardo da Vinci Created His Mysterious Masterpiece, the Mona Lisa.
In October 2023, a groundbreaking study was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, demonstrating Leonardo da Vinci’s genius in creating the masterpiece Mona Lisa.
A team of scientists and art historians from France and the UK discovered that Leonardo used a unique chemical formula of his own on the underlayer of the Mona Lisa painting.
Victor Gonzalez, the lead author of the study and a chemist at France’s leading research agency, CNRS, stated: “He was an experimentalist, and each of his paintings is technically completely different. In this case, it’s fascinating to see that there is indeed a specific technique for the underlayer of the Mona Lisa.”
Gonzalez studied the chemical composition of dozens of works by Leonardo, Rembrandt, and many other artists.
The Mona Lisa painting at the Louvre Museum.
The researchers found a rare compound, plumbonacrite, in a fragment of the first layer of the iconic artwork, confirming art historians’ suspicions that Leonardo used lead oxide powder to thicken and help dry the paint.
According to the study, the paint streak from the underlayer of the painting Mona Lisa that the researchers analyzed is almost invisible to the naked eye, as it has a diameter equal to that of a human hair and originates from the upper right edge of the painting.
Scientists found traces of plumbonacrite, a byproduct of lead oxide, in da Vinci’s painting.
Using a synchrotron accelerator, a large machine capable of accelerating particles close to the speed of light, the researchers analyzed the chemical composition of the fragment at the atomic level.
The research results confirmed the presence of plumbonacrite, a byproduct of lead oxide, which strengthens the researchers’ belief that Leonardo may have used this powder in his homemade paint mixture.
“Plumbonacrite is truly the hallmark of his formula,” Gonzalez said. “This is the first time we have been able to confirm it chemically.”
Gonzalez noted that this chemical was also found in works by Rembrandt, which he completed in the Netherlands in the 17th century.
The paint fragment analyzed by scientists is only the diameter of a hair.
He added that this discovery “also tells us that these formulas have been passed down through the centuries” and “it is a very good formula.”
It is believed that Leonardo dissolved orange lead oxide powder in linseed or walnut oil by heating the mixture to create a thicker, faster-drying compound.
“What you would obtain is a very beautiful yellow oil,” Gonzalez explained. “It flows like honey.”
For centuries, the Mona Lisa has amazed those who have witnessed it due to the subject’s enigmatic smile and cold gaze. The Mona Lisa is believed to be Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a silk merchant from Florence, according to the Louvre Museum in Paris, where the painting has been housed since the 18th century.
Gonzalez stated that even after this breakthrough discovery, many secrets remain hidden in Leonardo’s works.
“We have only scratched the surface,” Gonzalez said. “What we are discussing is just a small brick in the knowledge.”
