The real-life Da Vinci Code: Historians discover tiny numbers and letters in the eyes of the Mona Lisa

Nick Pisa and Luke Salkeld Daily Mail 12/12/2010 17:20

Intrigue is usually focused on her enigmatic smile. But the Mona Lisa was at the centre of a new mystery yesterday after art detectives took a fresh look at the masterpiece – and noticed something in her eyes. Hidden in the dark paint of her pupils are tiny letters and numbers, placed there by the artist Leonardo da Vinci and revealed only now thanks to high-magnification techniques.

The real-life Da Vinci Code: Historians discover tiny numbers and letters in the eyes of the Mona Lisa - Leonardo da Vinci - Science - art

Hidden symbols: This eye is thought to contain L and V, the artist's initials

Experts say the barely distinguishable letters and numbers represent something of a real-life Da Vinci code.

The revelation could have come straight from the pages of Dan Brown’s best-seller The Da Vinci Code, in which the Mona Lisa is said to contain hidden clues about the Holy Grail.

Silvano Vinceti, president of Italy’s National Committee for Cultural Heritage, which spotted the symbols, said: ‘To the naked eye the symbols are not visible but with a magnifying glass they can clearly be seen.

‘In the right eye appear to be the letters LV which could well stand for his name, Leonardo da Vinci, while in the left eye there are also symbols but they are not as defined.

‘It is very difficult to make them out clearly but they appear to be the letters CE, or it could be the letter B.

‘In the arch of the bridge in the background the number 72 can be seen or it could be an L and the number 2.