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by mkl 2409 days ago
> The eyebrows, through his having shown the manner in which the hairs spring from the flesh, here more close and here more scanty, and curve according to the pores of the flesh, could not be more natural.

This is quite interesting, because (currently at least) she doesn't have eyebrows!
2 comments
ComputerGuru 2409 days ago
The Louvre’s Mona Lisa is in shitty condition and poorly preserved. The Prado’s Mona Lisa is thought to be the earliest replica of the original, and has been masterfully restored. There’s no question the La Gioconda has eyebrows (that match the above description) there.

While the background of Prado’s copy was blacked out in the 1700s prior to its restoration this past decade, the foreground was largely untouched.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa_(Prado%27s_version...

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masswerk 2408 days ago
Arguably, the Pardo Mona Lisa was painted in parallel and shouldn't be considered a mere copy. And it's probably the better painting.
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ComputerGuru 2405 days ago
I share that opinion and wholeheartedly agree, but I refrained for fear of controversy derailing the point. If it were "merely" a very early replica that was infinitely better preserved, it would still be of better historical record value.
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Bayart 2408 days ago
The Mona Lisa was heavily damaged and a lot of the lighter sfumato disappeared when the upper layers where smeared.

The Prado one in Madrid is much better in my opinion.

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