Is the Mona Lisa da Vinci in Drag?

There’ve been a number of theories bandied about concerning the famously enigmatic masterpiece we know well as the Mona Lisa, but this latest one about Leonardo da Vinci’s mysterious muse is a doozy, and it definitely wins points for creativity and flair. A group of Italian scientists and art historians have joined forces for a startling project that could involve exhuming da Vinci’s remains to entertain the notion that his famous painting could actually be a portrait of the artist as a young woman.  —KA

ARTINFO.com:

However, supporters of the investigation point to similarities between the Mona Lisa’s facial structure and that of the artist’s own face as evidenced in a circa 1515 self-portrait, also citing da Vinci’s homosexuality and interest in riddles as support for the conjecture. The undertaking would have tickled Marcel Duchamp.

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Wikimedia Commons/Musée du Louvre

Leonardo, is that you? This might just explain the Mona Lisa’s knowing smile.