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Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa
Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa
The wife of a rich silk merchant, Lisa Gheradini, is generally accepted by historians to be the woman with the mysterious smile.
Lisa Gheradini, whose married name was Giocondo, became a nun after her husband's death. She was buried in the grounds of the Convent of Saint Ursula where she died in 1542, aged 63.
Archaeologists had to dig through thick concrete laid as part of an effort to turn the convent into barracks for soldiers.
But they quickly unearthed a female-sized human skull, along with fragments of vertebrae and ribs
© AFP / Claudio Giovannini
A human skeleton is seen at the excavation of a grave inside the medieval Convent of Saint Ursula in Florence. Archaeologists are searching the burial site for Lisa Gherardini, wife of the wealthy Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo, the model who inspired Leonardo da Vinci's painting The Mona Lisa
A human skeleton is seen at the excavation of a grave inside the medieval Convent of Saint Ursula in Florence. Archaeologists are searching the burial site for Lisa Gherardini, wife of the wealthy Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo, the model who inspired Leonardo da Vinci's painting The Mona Lisa
The dig was suspended after the archaeologists ran out of funds, but work began again last month.
They have since unearthed a large part of a human skeleton.
However, archeologist Silvano Vinceti, who is in charge of the dig, said it was not certain if the bones belonged to the same individual.
DNA will be extracted from the bones and compared with the remains of Lisa's children, who were buried nearby.
Once her identity is verified, archeologists will use reconstruction techniques on the skull to see how it compares to the face on da Vinci's idyllic painting.
Professor Vincenti claimed last year that hidden initials could be found in the eyes of the Mona Lisa when examined under a high-powered microscope.
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