One other secret of the Mona Lisa has been revealed: scientists have realized about da Vinci’s experiment

Even if the well-known “Moni League” by the Italian genius Leonardo da Vinci is greater than 700 years outdated, the portray nonetheless reveals its secrets and techniques to researchers. New X-ray evaluation of the masterpiece lately revealed that the artist painted it on an experimental base layer poetically referred to as “honey gold.”

In accordance with Mail On-line, a way referred to as synchrotron X-ray diffraction helped uncover this. With its assist, the researchers had been in a position to study the molecular construction of a tiny portion of a layer of paint taken from the enduring portray. And beneath the floor of the portray, they discovered traces of a base coat that was doubtless one thing new for that period. It contained orange lead oxide powder combined with oil, in all probability linseed or walnut. Particles of the substance had been discovered straight above the poplar board on which the portrait was painted.

A substance referred to as plumbonacrite started to be extensively used of their works by Dutch artists already within the seventeenth century. Particularly, Rembrandt used it. These days it’s utilized by automakers so as to add brightness to pink and orange sports activities vehicles.

In accordance with the researchers, experiments with drawing supplies had been utterly within the spirit of da Vinci. Every of his work is technically utterly completely different from the others. “It’s attention-grabbing to see that there actually is a particular expertise for processing the primary layer of the Mona Lisa,” stated Victor Gonzalez, a chemist at France’s foremost analysis middle, the Nationwide Heart for Scientific Analysis (CNRS), who was the lead creator of the brand new examine of the portray. Gonzalez beforehand labored ” additionally on work by Rembrandt and different artists, the results of which he and his colleagues revealed within the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Scientists consider that Leonardo used a lead-based product to thicken and dry the paint sooner when he started work on the Mona Lisa. This permits them to imagine that the creative artist was in a very persistent seek for modern means and strategies when he labored on the masterpiece that turned his calling card.

To make this discovery, scientists eliminated a fraction of paint from the higher proper aspect of the portray, no bigger in dimension than the diameter of a human hair. Scientists studied its atomic construction utilizing X-rays in a synchrotron. This allowed them to achieve a deeper understanding of the chemical composition of the paint and different merchandise utilized by da Vinci. For the primary time, they had been in a position to affirm the belief that the artist may have used plumbonacrite to create work. It’s believed that Leonardo dissolved orange-colored lead oxide powder in flaxseed or nut oil and heated the combination till he obtained a thick paste able to drying shortly. The product that’s made on this manner has a lovely golden shade and is comparable in consistency to honey.

Beforehand, OBOZ.UA talked in regards to the secrets and techniques of such work as “Mona Lisa” and “The Final Supper” by da Vinci, “Lady with a Pearl Earring” by Vermeer and different masterpieces of portray.