Hidden codes in the Mona Lisa

We always new it was true…or at least wanted it to be.

From the Dec. 12 UK Telegraph:

“To the naked eye the symbols are not visible but with a magnifying glass they can clearly be seen,” said Silvano Vinceti, president of the Committee.

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.

He said: “It is very difficult to make them out clearly but they appear to be the letters CE or it could be the letter B – you have to remember the picture is almost 500 years old so it is not as sharp and clear as when first painted.

“While 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.”

Or maybe he was just doodling. Or maybe these (except for the LV,  which seems obvious) are just cracks in the centuries old paint the look like symbols but are actually gibberish.

While most people are so focused on the short term, it is nice to find that somebody planted something they hoped for people to find hundreds of years later. It is always more difficult to take the long view. I am currently reading Jack of Ravens by Mark Chadbourn, in which the protagonist takes a very long view of time, leaving clues along the way. Enjoyable read, great history…I’ll post a review here or at SFSignal soon.