The Real Da Vinci Code

I think by now just about everybody must have heard of, if not seen the movie “The Da Vinci Code” based on a book by Dan Brown.

In this movie it claims that there is a secret code concealed in one of Da Vinci’s paintings portraying “The Last Supper”. This code supposedly refers to the illusive “Holy Grail” that was tirelessly looked for by the Crusaders in Europe’s past.

In the movie the grail turns out to be a line of true direct descendants’ of Jesus himself. This line is passed down by a female lineage until the present day.

In the movie, the line of descent is vigorously protected by a secret cult and it is only the hero, played by Tom Hanks that can unravel the code in the painting to find the clues to the cult and their secret.

Although Dan Brown’s work was an article of fiction because of its potentially radical views of a religion, it was cause for a lot of controversy. Although, in my mind, it was a brilliant and well thought out plot, it was still none the less fiction.

Now there is new talk of a Da Vinci code, once again embedded in a famous Da Vinci painting, the Mona Lisa but this time it is not fiction.

We are yet to learn if it will lead to as much controversy as Dan Brown’s fiction.

A committee member of Italy’s National Committee for Cultural Heritage found, in an antique shop, a musty book. In this book there are references to a code embedded in the eyes of Mona Lisa.

This led to a team of would be detectives, led by the President of the Committee to investigate this newly found information.

The Mona Lisa is currently owned by the French Government and located in the Louvre in Paris; however the team was permitted to investigate.

Silvano Vinceti, the President of the committee said that although they are invisible to the naked eye, under magnification symbols can be seen within the eyes of the Mona Lisa.

Remembering that the painting is 500 years old, it is no wonder that with the fading and wear of the portrait, some of these symbols are now hard to read clearly.

To date the researchers have been able to determine the letters LV in the right eye. This of course may merely be the artist’s initials. In the left eye though the symbols, although they exist, are less defined but are thought to be either CE or perhaps a B.

On the bridge of the nose there appears to be more symbols, again poorly defined but could be either the number 72 or the letter L followed by the number 2.

From their initial research the committee have determined that symbols do exist and that they were put their by the original artist.

Did Dan Brown have some kind of prophecy, a prediction that a code would be found?

To this we can only ponder but let us look at some facts that we do know.

Da Vinci as well as being a magnificent artist had a brilliant mind. He had thoughts and inspirations that were by far in advance of his day. In some of his sketches he drew things, the concepts of which would only become reality hundreds of years after his death.

Although he was responsible for many works of art, it is known that for the last few years of his life he insisted on carrying the Mona Lisa with him at all times.

We must ask ourselves; did he really have visions of what the future would bring?

Is this really a code in the eyes of the Mona Lisa?

If so, is it a prediction of the future?

Again, if so, will fact become as controversial as fiction?

Of one thing I am certain: we have not heard the end of a possible Da Vinci Code, whether by fact or by fiction.