Historians discover letters and numbers in Mona Lisa's eyes

I'm not sure how it works but couldn;t the letters and numbers be from some sort of restoration attempt?

That's pretty much what I was thinking, kind of mapping out future restoration, but in a way that wouldn't be visible to museum guests, etc. and damage the integrity of the piece.

DaVinci wasn't exactly all that subtle with his symbolism, so would seem uncharacteristic for him to place such a thing. (if even technically possible).

It's well known that LD used symbolism in his paintings. If there really is a 72 in there, it's no surprise to me at all.

72 degrees X 5 = 360 degrees and is a powerful symbol. It's the Key to the Golden Section and has thousands of applications, both in nature and design. That Leonardo would include it should be obvious, but, during his day, such information was closely held by the elites.

It's not that he hasn't indicated the 72 degrees in other works.

On any circle divided evenly into 5 points, lines drawn between them get this:

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/b6f175cd4b33.jpg[/atsimg]

LD was a radical painter, suffocated by the strictures of an overbearing theocracy. He dealt with it however he could.

Originally posted by Xadaz
The 72 clearly refers to the 72 virgins that are gifted to Muslims upon death. What else would the secret behind the smile be?! He saw Islam as the true religion even back then


This is the most obvious sign that we in the West should convert immediately.

Tongue firmly in cheek

Yeah...that part about the 72 virgins...Hummm...It was never told if they were 72 young female and beautiful virgins or 72 young boys or older men or even 72 virgin sheep......

reply to post by CanadianDream420


I bet Dan Brown just peed his pants.Lol

Seriously, this is really a neat find. Hope it's easy to decode. I have a book with all his paintings in high resolution. Maybe I'll go get a magnifying glass and have a little looksie!

Originally posted by silent thunder
Very very cool. Good find.

As has been noted already in this thread, the numebr 72 is very significant for a variety of reasons.

i would suggest that another significant reason for '72' being important is that the body of Jesus
was sealed into the tomb for 3 days & 3 nights - i.e. 72 hours.

I would think that any cryptic message that Leonardo used the Mona Lisa painting for...
that the combination of the Mona Lisa being a feminine reflection of the image of Leonardo himself,
and the mystical 'transformation' that took place in the burial tomb 'resurrection' of JesusChrist...
are all connected in a " Esoteric " way...
Define Esoteric at Dictionary.com –adjective 1. understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest; ...

Leonardo is saying he would himself have a bodily 'transfiguration'...because he was privy to
secrets which the common men are not...including Alchemy & the transformation of base elements
into 'Gold'

for my money, Leonardo was a proud 'Heretic' of the Church...but kept that part of
himself a secret from the authorities...a man well ahead of his time

Originally posted by CanadianDream420
What could this possibly reveal? Also, how did he get these letters and number etched SOO small that they are only visible via microscope?

There is endless fascination with LEo himself, as a human and artist. I will be watching this very closely. Although, it would take decades to decipher I bet and maybe, most likely actually, we will really never know...

edit on 12-12-2010 by CanadianDream420 because: (no reason given)

The article says a magnifying glass, not a microscope. While a subtle difference, it is quite significant, given that magnifying glasses reveal objects that you wouldn't need a microscope for.

Leonardo was rather a Tesla of the late 15th / early 16th Centuries. Truly a fascinating man. It's interesting that he only painted a few pieces, yet they are so remarkable that he is defined by mainstream society because of those paintings. His real genius lies in his theories and inventions.

If it really is the number 72, you are going to need to think a little bigger than it meaning some virgins in the afterlife, honestly.Lol

From the outside looking in - he was more than likely a practioner of the Kabbalah - knowing there are 72 names of God and the Vitruvian man are almost dead give aways.

I wish I could be really excited about this "discovery", but I tend to side with the posters who find it hard to believe it hasn't been found until now. Who knows, maybe France needs to make some money...can you imagine how much more it would sell for now at an auction.

Sorry just have a funny feeling its just another trick up the elites sleeves. I've become so cynical about things I hear in the media anymore.

ETA: Does anyone else see the last 3 posts underlined? I swear I didn't break it.....

Further to the notion that, since we can't see it in pics, it doesn't exist, I should mention that a camera, digital or not, is almost useless when we are talking thin veneers which almost certainly covers the painting.

These translucent applications give a painting a 'depth' which is only appreciated by getting close to the original with a magnifying glass.

As an artist myself, I'll vouch for the fact that almost ALL of my work is finished with a magnifying glass.

reply to post by davespanners



ahhh you bet me too it dave
was gonna post that same pic.

Ive been looking EVERYWHERE for the magnified photos and have come up with nothing!

I HIGHLY doubt that they would post those symbols at all online until they are decoded because WHO KNOWS what they could possibly mean!

S+F!!

for my money, Leonardo was a proud 'Heretic' of the Church...but kept that part of
himself a secret from the authorities...a man well ahead of his time

One has to consider...that like other artists of the time, he basically had two employers...wealthy merchants and the church....neither of which any successful artist would tick off. Still though, he slipped a lot of Gnostic symbolism in his work...

I doubt though, that he had the desire to put such small numbers or code here though...but who knows?

I know what it is. It is the 256 key encryption code to wikileaks thermonuclear document.

The most famous picture in the world and i cant find a proper high res picture.

Can they mean this small line of what looks like to be letters? I can see a VN in the red circle. And a C in the blue circle if you (put on tin foil hat) turn your head to the right.



Link to pic

Originally posted by CanadianDream420

Historians discover letters and numbers in Mona Lisa's eyes

au.news.yahoo.com

Tiny numbers and letters have been discovered painted into the eyes of the Mona Lisa prompting an investigation by art historians.

(visit the link for the full news article)

What that means is that Italy's National Committee for Cultural Heritage may have a fake. Someone may have switched the original along time ago. When you get numbers and letters hidden in paintings, outside the the logic of symbology, there is a very-very good chance its a reproduction. During the weekends I work as an art appraiser in antiquities, I have seen many-many reproductions ranging from French Impressionists, Renaissance, to Cubism. There is a major market for this type of thing.

Its pretty sad.

This is where you can find the original pieces: The Louvre Museum; however, some pieces are only copies of the originals. Since many of them are extremely sensitive to sunlight, they have to be stored in a vault hidden in the cellar. The Louvre Museum has a pretty impressive collection.

Did they send the piece out to be cleaned, and then store the wrong one in the cellar? Sometimes they substitute the pieces, so that the originals can be carefully repaired.

It will be interesting to see what transpires from this conundrum.

as with many things that seem sensational on the surface...this is probably nothing....and if it is something...im going to wager a guess that it's proof Da Vinci paints by numbers after all

Originally posted by PrimePorkchop
as with many things that seem sensational on the surface...this is probably nothing....and if it is something...im going to wager a guess that it's proof Da Vinci paints by numbers after all

He has used a grid before. Lol..

How fascinating! Does anyone have a hi-res shot of where the number 72 was found, the arch of the bridge in the background apparently? That would be appreciated.

Speaking of 72, besides the 72 names of God and the 72 virgins, 72 is also how many conspired with Set to kill Osiris...

Originally posted by masqua
It's well known that LD used symbolism in his paintings. If there really is a 72 in there, it's no surprise to me at all.

His name is Leonardo da Vinci not LD.

Leonardo's use of symbols came in the form of objects, colors, body language, and religious artifacts. As a result of his sister being a nun, Leonardo was able to get commissioned work from the Vatican. Even though he had some reservations about the church, da Vinci did not pass up a chance to be creative. He was mostly interested in capturing the human form, biblical scripture, and still life projects.

Outside of his personal feeling being injected into paintings, you will not find anything secretly 'coded' within his works.

Originally posted by Nameless Hussy
...72 virgins, 72 is also how many conspired with Set to kill Osiris...

Leonardo was not interested in Islam or other religions. He was mostly interested and loyal to Catholicism and Christianity.