Scientists using X-rays to look at the chemical structure of a small particle of a famous work of art, Leonardo da Vinci’He gained new insights into the methods used by the artist to paint the groundbreaking portrait of a woman with an elegant, enigmatic smile.

Study published Wednesday Journal of the American Chemical Societysuggests that the famously curious, scientific and creative Italian Renaissance master may have been in a particularly experimental mood when he began work on the Mona Lisa in the early 16th century.

France and Britain’A team of scientists and art historians from Leonardo’He revealed that the oil paint recipe he used as the base layer for the poplar panel looked different for the Mona Lisa due to its unique chemical signature. .

Lead author of the study and France’CNRS, the leading research organization of'”He was a man who loved to experiment, and each of his paintings is completely different technically,” said Victor Gonzalez, a chemist at the. Gonzalez studied the chemical composition of dozens of works by Leonardo, Rembrandt and other artists.

Associated Press’e “In this case Mona Lisa'”It’s interesting to see that there’s a really special technique for the main layer of the slab,” he said.

Researchers especially Leonardo’plumbonacrite, a rare compound, in the first layer of s paint.’They found it. González’According to him, this discovery confirms for the first time something that art historians had previously only speculated: Leonardo’He most likely used lead oxide powder to thicken and dry the paint when he began working on the portrait, which is now seen through the protective glass towards the portrait. Paris’Louvre Museum at.

Italian art expert and New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, who was not involved in the research’Carmen Baumbach, curator of Leonardo da Vinci, described the research as “very exciting” and’He said that a new scientific understanding of his painting technique was “extremely important news for the world.” world art and our great global society.”

Bambach via e-mail, Mona Lisa’The discovery of plumbonacrite in Leonardo’He said it showed that “his passionate and constant spirit of experimentation as an artist is what makes him timeless and contemporary.”

Analyzed Mona Lisa’The patch of paint on ‘s base layer was barely visible to the naked eye, no larger than a human hair, and coming from the upper-right corner of the painting.

Scientists examined its atomic structure using X-rays from a synchrotron, a large machine that accelerates particles to almost the speed of light. This allowed them to understand the chemical composition of the stain. Plumbonacrite is a byproduct of lead oxide, which researchers found’This allows him to say with greater confidence that he probably used this powder in his dye recipe.

“Plubonacrite is really the signature of the recipe,” Gonzalez said. “This is the first time we’ve been able to confirm this chemically.”

Leonardo’Dutch master Rembrandt may have used a similar recipe when painting in the 17th century; Gonzalez and other researchers had also previously encountered plumbonacrite in his work.

“This also shows us that these recipes have been passed down for centuries,” Gonzalez said. “It was a very good recipe.”

Leonardo’It is said that he dissolves orange lead oxide powder in linseed or walnut oil and heats the mixture to create a thicker, faster-drying paste.

“You’ll end up with a beautiful, golden oil,” Gonzalez said. “It flows more like honey.”

But the Louvre’Lisa Gherardini, wife of a Florentine silk merchant’Mona Lisa and Leonardo, which he said were portraits of”s other works still carry other mysteries.

“There is definitely much, much more to discover. “We’re barely scratching the surface,” Gonzalez said. “What we’re saying is just a little more information.” Source