Mona Lisa Created Using Spolvero Technique, Study Reveals

A decade-long study by Pascal Cotte of Lumière Technology and Lionel Simonot of the University of Poitiers has revealed that Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa (1503–1504) was executed using the spolvero technique, which involves transferring a preparatory cartoon onto the support by pricking its outlines and dusting charcoal through the holes. The discovery was made using a high-resolution multispectral camera developed by Cotte, which analyzed over 1,650 photographs of the painting. Traces of spolvero were found on the sitter's forehead at the hairline and on the edge of her right hand. A mark near the head, possibly a hairpin not fashionable in contemporary Florence, suggests Leonardo modified his initial design. The study, to be published in the Journal of Cultural Heritage, adds to the understanding of the painting's genesis. The Louvre, which houses the work, granted permission for the research that began in 2004.