Digital Restoration of Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa

The astonishing brilliance of color and subtlety of modeling in Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa has been revealed by a remarkable combination of art and science. Sophisticated computer imaging, application of color filters and tonal adjustments were applied in this completely original digital restoration by the author to reproduce the appearance of the original work of art in Leonardo's time.

The digital restoration here is based on a comprehensive study of Renaissance-painting techniques and materials, and comparative adaptation to early verified copies that are still in excellent condition today. You can now see the rosy flesh tones and dazzling hues that so impressed Leonardo's contemporaries. Details are revealed, such as the armrest of the chair on which her forearm is placed.

Descriptions of the painting by Georgio Vasari, an art historian of the Renaissance, mention the highly detailed realism, including individual eyebrow hairs and eyelashes as well as the the natural sheen on the surface of the eye. He mentions also the pearly tints of the surrounding canvas areas. A significant portion of his description dwells on the rosy aspect of the skin tones, and maintains that it is more like real flesh than pigment.