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I had a feeling that Leonardo da Vinci may have a little too much spring in his step and as it turns out, I may have been right.

According to Silvano Vinceti, chairman of the Italian National Committee for Cultural Heritage and head of a team of researchers who have studied the painting, Leonardo da Vinci modelled the Mona Lisa on the face of his young male apprentice and lover.

Vinceti claims that the work of art is based on da Vinci’s assistant, Salai, whose real name was Gian Giacomo Caprotti. He worked for the legendary artist for nearly 25 years and was a close friend. Maybe even a very close friend

“Salai was very handsome and probably Leonardo’s lover,” said Vinceti.

Mr Vincetti said these works show similarities to the Mona Lisa

He said several of Leonardo’s works, including two paintings of St John the Baptist and a lesser-known drawing called Angel Incarnate, were based on Caprotti. All of them portray a slim, rather effeminate youth with curly hair.
Most scholars believe Leonardo’s most famous portrait depicts Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a wealthy Florentine silk merchant.

Mama mia Vinceti, ease up on the grappa. The man has been dead for centuries, why is it so important to speculate whether he was gay or straight and who the model was for this painting? What we do know is he was an artist/inventor way ahead of his time. Maybe he is from the future and travelled to the past through a time machine, ever try that theory, pisan?

Italian researcher Silvano Vinceti outlines his findings in Rome