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Talk about a cryptic love of art.
An Italian man has announced his plans to unearth the remains of the woman thought to have been the model for Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
(More on TIME.com: Oh No, Van Gogh! Classic Painting is Fading)
A former television producer, Silvano Vinceti now runs an organization called the National Committee for the Promotion of Historic and Cultural Heritage and he’s made a name for himself by claiming to dig up the bones of notables like Caravaggio and Dante. (Not the most orthodox way to make a name for yourself, but, hey, we suppose it’s better than a sex tape or something.)
It’s long been believed that da Vinci’s painting is a portrait of a woman named Lisa Gherardini and several years ago it was discovered that her remains were in a convent in Florence. Which has provided Vinceti with an easy target for his next unearthing. (via New York Times)
(More on TIME.com: See the Renaissance’s Big Men on Canvas)