5 Secrets of Leonardo da Vinci’s Paintings

There are many theories and speculations about the life and work of the master Leonardo da Vinci. Books, movies have been released and there are still many people studying his work. What other secrets did the legendary master leave encrypted in his works?

In this post, the awesome.club presents some curiosities about the wonderful world of this great artist.

If you look closely at the painting, you will see that the sphere in Jesus’ hands is transparent. Leonardo, who studied optics, should have known that the background behind the glass figure cannot be seen in this way. The image should appear larger and blurry. It is not known why the great artist made such a mistake.

What do Judas and Jesus have in common in this picture? There is a theory according to which the same person was the model for both characters. Unfortunately, there is no way to know if this is true.

However, according to legend, Da Vinci found his Jesus in a church choir, where he participated as a chorus girl. Later, the work was almost finished, but the master could not find anyone to serve as a model for the image of Judas. Leonardo noticed a very drunk man in a ditch, with traces of unbridled life on his face and asked for his help. When Da Vinci finished the image of the apostle, the model admitted that he already knew that painting, as he had been a model for the image of Christ for 3 years.

Another interesting nuance of this work: next to Judas, you can see a fallen salt shaker. Interestingly, it may be a clear example of the belief that spilled salt causes problems. In fact, the image represents the moment when Jesus says that one of the gathered apostles will betray him.

The painting “Portrait of Isabel de Este”, according to scientists, was made by this brilliant artist. This fact is indicated by a pigment and ink background identical to other da Vinci paintings, as well as the image of the woman herself, which is very similar to the Mona Lisa (in particular, her smile).

The painting “The Lady with the Ermine” underwent a new scanning technique and the result surprised scientists. It turns out that this animal did not always appear in the work. At least two variants were painted on the same canvas, before acquiring the current image. In the first version there was no ermine, and in the second there was a completely different animal.