Name: The search for the true face of Leonardo
Uploaded: 2008-04-01T02:14:00Z
Duration: 4 min 4 s
Description: Mona Lisa is one of the best-known faces on the planet. But would you recognize an image of Leonardo da Vinci? Illustrator Siegfried Woldhek uses some thoughtful image-analysis techniques to find what he believes is the true face of Leonardo.

Here I said, "But no faces? I find that hard to believe. His contemporaries made faces." I meant to say, more specifically, "But no self-portraits? I find that hard to believe. His contemporaries made self-portraits."

Here I said, "[Leonardo] was 33, 38 and 63 when these were made." I meant to say, "He was 33, 38 and 61 when these were made."


Here I said, " ... for which Leonardo posed as a boy of 15." I meant to say, " ... for which Leonardo posed as a boy of 17."

Mona Lisa is one of the best-known faces on the planet. But would you recognize an image of Leonardo da Vinci? Illustrator Siegfried Woldhek uses some thoughtful image-analysis techniques to find what he believes is the true face of Leonardo.

The search for the true face of Leonardo

For centuries, no one could agree on what Leonardo da Vinci actually looked like, despite his fame and legendary creations. By analyzing over 700 of his drawings and focusing on stylistic clues and historical details, a set of three likely self-portraits emerged. Each matches Leonardo’s age at the time of creation and shares distinctive features, such as a broad forehead and curved lips. Comparing these with a well-documented statue from his youth finally connects the dots, offering a credible image of the Renaissance icon.