Page 59 - AM231018

Diaranson, 18 October 2023 AWEMainta ART 59

Rare Compound Discovered in the ‘Mona Lisa’

RENOWNED for his multifaceted talents, the illustrious
Leonardo da Vinci, celebrated as a master artist, inventor,
and anatomist, now receives recognition as an innovative
chemist. Recent revelations assert that the virtuoso artist’s

iconic “Mona Lisa” conceals a level of experimentation previ-
ously unbeknownst to art historians. This newly unveiled
perspective implicates da Vinci as the progenitor of a tech-
nique that would, remarkably, resurface in works created

over a century later.

A collaborative effort by a team of scientific minds hailing
from France and Britain, utilizing X-ray diffraction and

infrared spectroscopy, exposed an extraordinary mineral
compound within the realm of this iconic masterpiece. This
revelation promises fresh insights into the creation of this
revered artwork from the early 1500s, as documented in a

recently published study within the Journal of the American
Chemical Society.

Within the foundational stratum of paint, alongside the

renowned lead white pigment and oil, resides a previously
unidentified compound - plumbonacrite. Although plumbo-
nacrite had been identified within the works of Rembrandt
dating back to the 17th century in a 2019 study, its pres-

ence in Italian Renaissance works remained elusive until
this recent analysis.

Plumbonacrite emerges from the union of lead oxides and

oil, serving as a drying catalyst for artists. Remarkably, it
was this very technique that emerged as a precursor in
the meticulous process of the esteemed artist, Rembrandt. procured from an area concealed behind the artwork’s frame,
Thus, the revelation that Leonardo da Vinci may have been scientists harnessed the capabilities of a synchrotron, a

the initial innovator of this technique beckons to a higher cutting-edge particle accelerator. This method facilitated a
level of artistic and scientific curiosity. molecular-level exploration of the specimen’s composition,
offering unparalleled insights into da Vinci’s unparalleled
Gilles Wallez, one of the authors of this groundbreaking mastery.

study and a professor at the illustrious Sorbonne University
in Paris, underscores the inexhaustible fascination of Remarkably, it was observed that “The Last Supper,” another
Leonardo’s legacy. Wallez asserts that da Vinci’s pioneering of da Vinci’s immortal creations, painted directly onto a wall,
spirit ventured beyond the realm of artistic expression, bore the same chemical composition in its foundational layer

encompassing the realms of chemistry, physics, and exper- as the illustrious “Mona Lisa.” While the study of “The Last
imental ingenuity. The profound implications of da Vinci’s Supper” benefited from a wider scope of samples - a total
multidisciplinary expertise invariably manifest within the of 17 specimens, derived from paint erosion over time - the
canvas of “Mona Lisa.” undeniable synergy in their elemental constituents under-

scores the artistry of a true master.
Given the prohibitive nature of taking samples from the
revered masterpiece that is “Mona Lisa,” located within the In light of these revelations, the world peers deeper into
confines of the Louvre in Paris, researchers sought alterna- the remarkable mind of Leonardo da Vinci, transcending the

tive means to unearth these artistic secrets. Through metic- confines of artistic excellence and, remarkably, venturing
ulous analysis of a minuscule 2007 microsample, discreetly into the domain of chemical innovation.