Scientists say they are close to finding the remains of the woman who modelled for Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece the Mona Lisa. Researchers have opened a centuries-old tomb in the Italian city of Florence. They believe they will find the skeleton of da Vinci's muse Lisa Gioconda, the wife of a 16th-century silk merchant. Silvano Vinceti, head of Italy's National Committee for the Promotion of Historic and Cultural Heritage, plans to test the DNA of the bones under the church to determine whether or not Ms Gioconda is the woman behind that famous, enigmatic smile. Mr Vinceti will then use a computer graphics program to generate a face from the skull and compare it to the painting.
科學家稱他們即將找到為達芬奇巨作蒙娜麗莎當“模特”的女性殘骸。在意大利城市佛羅倫薩,研究人員打開了擁有數(shù)百年歷史的棺木。他們相信他們將找到16世紀絲綢商人的妻子,達芬奇筆下的蒙娜麗莎。意大利歷史和文化遺產(chǎn)促進委員會主席希爾瓦諾·文塞提計劃在教堂中檢測DNA,并以此來證明Gioconda女士就是那位神秘微笑的主人。文塞提先生還將使用計算機繪圖程序還原頭骨頭像,并以蒙娜麗莎做對比。
Leonardo da Vinci's painting has been a constant source of fascination for art experts and ordinary folk alike. Vinceti said: "For centuries, historians the world over have been coming up with various theories about who this enigmatic, mysterious woman could have been." He asks: "Was Gioconda the model for the Mona Lisa? Or was it some other model, as some people say? Or is it just a construction of the painter's fantasy?" Antonio Moretti, a geologist from L'Aquila University told the euronews.com website: "We were very lucky I'd say, because not only is there a good amount of bone remains, but they are also disposed of in order at the bottom of the crypt, with a plate indicating they belong to the Gioconda family."
不論是對美術(shù)專家還是對普通民眾,達芬奇的作品一直以來都非常讓人著迷。文塞提稱:“數(shù)百年來,就這位神秘女人的身份,歷史學家有許多不同的版本。”他問道:“Gioconda是蒙娜麗莎的模型嗎?或是像其他人所說的,另有他人?或者這幅畫作僅僅是畫家的憑空想象?”來自拉奎拉大學的地質(zhì)學家安東尼奧·莫瑞提對歐洲新聞頻道網(wǎng)站稱:“我想說的是我們非常幸運,因為我們不僅收獲了這些骨骸,而且它們在地下室中排列有序,上面的牌子證明了它們屬于Gioconda家族。