New findings on paintings Mona Lisa

For centuries, the "Mona Lisa" has beguiled art buffs unable to resist speculating on its origins and meaning. Now a French inventor claims to have some answers.
Parisian engineer Pascal Cotte says his ultra-detailed digital scans of the painting allow him to effectively burrow through layers of paint to "see" into the past of Leonardo Da Vinci's painting.
The world's most famous painting originally included both brows and lashes, according to Cotte, who says his 240-megapixel scans of the painting reveal traces of Mona Lisa's left brow, obliterated by long-ago restoration efforts.
"With just one photo you go deeper into the construction of the painting and understand that Leonardo was a genius," Cotte said at the U.S. debut of an exhibit detailing his findings.

Using sensors to detect light from both the visible spectrum and the infrared and ultraviolet ranges invisible to the human eye, Cotte said, his camera allowed him to make these and other findings:
• Da Vinci changed his mind about the position of two fingers on the subject's left hand.
• Her face was originally wider and the smile more expressive than Da Vinci ultimately painted them.
• She holds a blanket that has all but faded from view today.
Cotte said his analyses also revealed what he believes are the painting's colors as they looked on Da Vinci's easel.
Working with his 22-gigabyte digital photo, made using 13 different color filters rather than the typical three or four found in consumer-grade digital cameras, Cotte created a reproduction of the "Mona Lisa" with the light blues and brilliant whites he thinks represent the painting in its original form.
"For the next generation, we guarantee that forever you will have the true color of this painting," Cotte said.
Though some art historians have expressed skepticism about Cotte's findings, he hopes his technique can be used as a guide for future restoration work on not just the "Mona Lisa," but also on aging art treasures around the world.

Via Daily Herald