Is there another painting under her image?
The Mona Lisa, which hangs at the Louvre in Paris, is among the most famous and photographed paintings of all time, but a scientist in France says the artwork may not be what many believe.
Pascal Cotte claims he found another portrait painted beneath the one we see today, and that woman is the real Lisa referenced in the name. For some time, an abundance of experts have agreed the woman depicted is Lisa Gherardini, a silk merchant's wife.
Cotte asserts the hidden image he discovered is the real Lisa, and the famous woman painted over the original figure is someone else entirely.
In finding the alleged original painting, the scientist used a technique called Layer Amplification Method, which uses blasts of intense light and assesses reflections.
After 10 years of analysis, his work resulted in a composite of a woman also seated for a portrait but looking off to the side and lacking the famed smile.
The Louvre has not commented on Cotte's assertion, but a number of scholars have stepped forward to discredit the finding.