Nude Mona Lisa sketch possibly drawn by Da Vinci

CAIRO – 29 September 2017: A prototype sketch of Leonardo Da Vinci’s masterpiece ‘Mona Lisa’ has been recently analyzed by a team of scientists at Paris’ Louvre Museum to determine if the famous artist really did draw it.

Called the ‘Monna Vanna,’ the sketch has been held since 1892 in the Renaissance art collection in the Conde Museum at the Chantilly Palace. It was long believed that the sketch had come from students of Da Vinci in his studio, but recent analysis shook this belief. This provided evidence that the master artist may have been the one to have worked on it.

Analyse de la Joconde nue au @c2rmf avec Bruno Mottin, conservateur du @c2rmf et @mathieudeldicqu conservateur du @chantillydomain pic.twitter.com/alMMSu09nP

— Domaine de Chantilly (@chantillydomain) September 28, 2017

Among the more telling clues the Louvre team discovered is that the hands of the sketch are identical to the finished masterpiece’s, both portraits are the same size, and small holes in the canvas suggested it was used to be traced onto a canvas.

However, one issue has come up suggesting the findings may not be conclusive; the hatching on top of the drawing was done by a right-handed person; Da Vinci drew with his left.

Dating the sketch has also been the focus of the analysis, with evidence showing it dates back to the 15th century, possibly around the same time the Mona Lisa was being worked on.