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Mona Lisa’s skeleton of bones found in Florence convent

from Lakehouse Sunday Observer, Sri Lanka

21 July Daily Mail

Archaeologists are convinced they’ve unearthed the secret behind the world’s most famous painting, the Mona Lisa.Buried beneath the floor of a convent in Florence, Italy they’ve found a skeleton they believe belonged to Lisa Gherardini, the model who posed for Leonardo’s da Vinci’s mysterious masterpiece.

Lisa Gheradini, was the wife of a rich silk merchant named Francesco del Giocondo. In Italy the Mona Lisa is known as La Gioconda.Most modern historians agree that the lady depicted in the Mona Lisa was Lisa del Giocondo, who became a nun after her husband’s death. She died in the convent on July 15, 1542, aged 63.An archeological team began digging at the abandoned Convent of Saint Ursula last year.They first had to dig through thick concrete, laid down ahead of plans to turn the convent into an army barracks.

But they quickly struck gold, finding a crypt they believe to have been Lisa’s final resting place and soon after they unearthed a female-sized human skull. . . . Read Complete Report