ROME:ThelegendofLeonardodaVinciiscoveredinmystery:Howdidhedie?AretheremainsburiedinaFrenchcastlereallythoseofthemaster?Wasthe"MonaLisa"aself-portraitindisguise(伪装)?AgroupofItalianscientist
ROME:ThelegendofLeonardodaVinciiscoveredinmystery:Howdidhedie?AretheremainsburiedinaFrenchcastlereallythoseofthemaster?Wasthe"MonaLisa"aself-portraitindisguise (伪装)?
AgroupofItalianscientistsbelievethekeytosolvingthosepuzzleslieswiththeremains,andtheysaytheyareseekingpermissiontodigupthebodytoconductcarbonandDNAtesting.
Iftheskullisundamaged,thescientistscangototheheartofaquestionthathasfascinatedscholarsandthepublicforcenturies:theidentityofthe"MonaLisa."RecreatingavirtualandthenphysicalreconstructionofLeonardo'sface,theycancompareitwiththesmilingfaceinthepainting.
"Wedon'tknowwhatwe'llfindifthetombisopened.Wecouldevenjustfindgrainsanddust,"saysGiorgioGruppioni,ananthropologistwhoisparticipatingintheproject."Butiftheremainsarewellkept,theyareabiologicalrecordofeventsinaperson'slife,andsometimesintheirdeath."SilvanoVinceti,theleaderofthegroup,saidthat heplanstopresshiscasewiththeFrenchofficials inchargeofthesaidburialsiteatAmboiseCastleearlynextweek.
LeonardomovedtoFranceattheinvitationofKingFrancisI,whonamedhim"firstpaintertotheking."Hespentthelastthreeyearsofhislifethere,anddiedin1519atage67.Theartist'soriginalburialplace,thepalacechurchofSaintFlorentine,wasdestroyedduringtheFrenchRevolutionandremainsthatarebelievedtobehiswereeventuallyreburiedintheSaint-HubertChapelnearthecastle.
"TheAmboisetombisasymbolictomb; it'sabigquestionmark,"saidAlessandroVezzosi,thedirectorofamuseumdedicatedtoLeonardoinhishometownofVinci.Vezzosisaidthatinvestigatingthetombcouldhelpidentifytheartist'sboneswithcertaintyandsolveotherquestions,suchasthecauseofhisdeath.Hesaidheaskedtoopenthetombin2004tostudytheremains,buttheAmboiseCastleturnedhimdown.
Thegroupof100expertsinvolvedintheproject,calledtheNationalCommitteeforHistoricalandArtisticHeritage,wascreatedin2003withtheaimof"solvingthegreatmysteriesofthepast,"saidVinceti,whohaswrittenbooksonartandliterature.