Mona Lisa takes the top spot as the world's costliest painting. This masterpiece is an impeccable symbol of French heritage. The painting presents a woman in a half-body portrait. This masterpiece was created by Leonardo da Vinci and was sold at a value of $450.3 Million. Not many know but this painting vanished from sight for two centuries before reemerging in 2005 at an obscure art auction in New Orleans for a mere $1,175. However, its return culminated in a momentous sale at Christie's New York in 2017, fetching an astonishing $450.3 million. 

Mona Lisa reveals Da Vinci’s secret

As part of a research in 2023, scientists discovered a new secret about Leonardo da Vinci's iconic painting. By using advanced technology, researchers gained an insight into the unique techniques used by the master in creating his masterpiece.

Published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, the study suggests that Leonardo was in an experimental phase when he began working on the Mona Lisa. 

The study’s lead author, Victor Gonzalez, studied the chemical compositions of different works by Leonardo, Rembrandt,and many other artists. 

They came to the conclusion that all of Leonardo's paintings are technically different which points towards his addiction to experimentation. The researchers found out that for Mona Lisa, Da Vinci has used a specific technique to do the ground layer. 

They found a rare compound, plumbonacrite, in Leonardo's first layer of paint. This finding confirms what art historians had only speculated until now, which is, Leonardo likely used lead oxide powder to thicken and dry his paint.

According to report, Carmen Bambach, who is a specialist in Italian art and curator at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, said that the research was extremely important news for the art world.

Another masterpiece of Da Vinci is Salvator Mundi. It was sold at a value of $450.3 Million. This masterpiece vanished from sight for two centuries before reemerging in 2005 at an obscure art auction in New Orleans for a mere $1,175. However, its return culminated in a momentous sale at Christie's New York in 2017, fetching an astonishing $450.3 million.