Isleworth Mona Lisa Declared Authentic By Swiss-Based Art Foundation And More Art News (PHOTO)

Is The Isleworth Mona Lisa Real?

The case of the Isleworth Mona Lisa continues to get more interesting, as an art foundation in Switzerland announced this week that they have reason to believe the painting -- purported to be an earlier version of Leonardo da Vinci's iconic portrait -- is authentic.

According to the Guardian, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology carried out tests on the mysterious artwork after it was revealed last September, determining that the canvas behind the much younger looking Mona Lisa dates somewhere between 1410 and 1455. This finding refutes claims that the piece was a late 16th century copy, as Italian geometrist Alfonso Rubino recently determined that the work conformed to Leonardo's basic line structures.

The Louvre's iconic Mona Lisa has long been thought to be the only portrait of Lisa Gherardini (aka Lisa del Giocondo) ever created by the artist, but brush-stroke analysis conducted by US physicist John Asmus last year stirred up rumors that the Isleworth, named after the county in which former owner Hugh Blaker discovered it, is the "original." This groundbreaking news could potentially change the way students study art history in the years to come.

isleworth mona lisa
The "Isleworth Mona Lisa" (c. 1410-1455 [approximate canvas date])

mona lisa
"Mona Lisa" (c. 1503-1505)

MORE ARTS NEWS

Protest Artist Sheds Light On Immigration Issues With Cardboard Cutouts: Artist Ramiro Gomez Jr. decorated Capitol Hill with life-size, two-dimensional cardboard cutouts of immigrants just in time for the senate's discussion on reform issues this week. "It’s a very expressive way to demonstrate to people that the invisible can become visible,” said activist Tomas Martinez to The Washington Post. (The Washington Post)

Banana Joe, Westminister's 'Best In Show' Dog, Heads To Broadway: The world's most adorable affenpinscher is making his Broadway debut this week, joining the cast of “The Mystery of Edwin Drood" as Macaco the dog. But alas, there's a caveat: "Audience members at the Wednesday evening performance of “Drood” cannot vote for Banana Joe to be the murderer or one of the secret lovers, because that would just be weird." (The New York Times)

banana joe

Art Made To Order?: One artist has a unique business method to his art-making madness. Says a client: "He said that he would paint three paintings in our size that would fit our tastes, as he understood them. We had no obligation to buy. Whatever we did not buy he would hang at the next art show." (Forbes)

The Cleveland Museum Of Art Designs New Interactive Galleries: Working with Local Projects, the Cleveland art museum is incorporating some amazing new tech projects into their art collection. One example: kiosks that can scan your face and display works with similar-looking subjects. (Fast Company)

Gallerists Look Out! The Traditional Art-Gallery Relationship Is Changing: Galleries might have to watch their backs, because agents are moving in to sign artists. (The Art Newspaper)

Archaeologists Make A Big Discovery In Mexico: Archaeologists found a rare sculpture of Huehueteotl ("Old God" or "God of Fire") atop Mexico's Pyramid of the Sun, along with an impressive array of treasures that would not seem out of place on the set of Indiana Jones. (Art Daily)

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