“I see your true colours shining through…”
Cyndi Lauper
The first photo we see above is one of the world’s most iconic images. The second is the same, but different. In 2004 Pascal Cotte started a groundbreaking and controversial project. He used a multi spectral camera to analyse the Mona Lisa. One of the techniques allowed the accurate and specific identification of the exact pigments employed by Leonardo da Vinci. The second photo shows purely those pigments. La Giaconda is freed from the ravages of time, fading, dirt and varnish. It is how Leonardo wanted her to look. The sky is lapis lazuli mixed with white leak. Her skin is painted with a powder of mercuric sulphide, mixed with yellow lead and white lead. Interestingly, the mountains are actually depicted in blue. This matches the distant blue mountains seen in other Da Vinci works. He was well aware of the optics of atmosphere seen over great distance, creating a spectral blue hue. #leonardo@lume #letsmakelemonade
Pen Paint and Scalpel 