X-ray reveals new secret of Mona Lisa painting

“Mona Lisa” has revealed another of her secrets.

Using X-rays to examine the chemical structure of a spot on the famous work of art, scientists have delved a little deeper into the techniques used by Leonardo da Vinci to paint the portrait of the woman with the enigmatic smile.

The research, published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, shows that the Renaissance master, known for his passion, culture and invention, decided to experiment when he photographed the Mona Lisa in the early 16th century.

A team of French and British scientists and art historians discovered that the basic recipe Leonardo used when preparing the poplar wood panel was different from the one he used for the portrait.

“He loved to experiment, and each of his paintings was technically very different from the others,” said chemist Victor González, lead author of the study and a member of CNRS, France’s main scientific research body.

“In this case, it’s interesting to see that there is, in fact, a certain technique to the base of the Mona Lisa,” he told The Associated Press.

The researchers found a rare lead carbonate compound in the first layer of paint. The discovery confirmed what had until then been the hypothesis of art historians: that Leonardo may have used lead oxide powder to thicken and speed up the drying of his painting, which now makes visitors ponder from behind protective glass in the Parisian. Museum.