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Researchers in Florence, Italy, are opening a centuries-old family tomb in hopes of solving one of the art world's most pressing mysteries. The tomb in question belongs to the family of Lisa Gherardini, the 16th century Florentine woman thought to have been the face of Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa."
意大利佛罗伦萨的专家学者们最近打开了一个几百年的古墓，试图揭晓那个文化界万众瞩目的秘密——蒙娜丽莎到底是谁？这个古墓是Lisa Gherardini家人的墓穴。Lisa Gherardini，一位生活在16世纪的美女，学者们怀疑当年达芬奇画笔下的蒙娜丽莎就是这位美女。
According to NBC, a team of specialists have begun a series of DNA tests on three different skeletons found in an Ursuline convent in Florence. The bones were originally discovered in 2012 and are believed to include the remains of Gherardini, the wife of a merchant who at one point lived across the street from da Vinci.
根据美国全国广播公司的报道，专家们对在Ursuline修女院找到的三具骨骸做了一系列的DNA测试。这些骨骸是在2012年被发现，专家相信其中一具骨骸是属于Gherardini女士的。Gherardini女士当年就住在达芬奇家街对面，是一个商人的妻子。
Now, researchers are turning to the Gherardini family tomb, located in Florence's Basilica della Santissima Annuziata, where they hope to excavate the skeletons of the supposed muse's sons. The experts plan on comparing DNA evidence from the convent excavation to the bones in the basilica in order to verify that they indeed have access to Mrs. Gherardini's remains.
现在，专家们将目标转移到了Lisa Gherardini家人的墓穴。这座墓穴位于佛罗伦萨的Basilica della Santissima Annuziata。专家希望从这座墓穴里取到Gherardini后人的DNA，再与修道院的骨骸的DNA作比对，确定出Gherardini的骨骸。
"Right now we are carrying out Carbon-14 tests on three of the eight skeletons found in St. Ursula." explained Silvano Vinceti, head of the National Committee for the valuation of historic, cultural and environmental assets, to ANSA. "The Carbon-14 test will tell us which of the three dates back to the 1500s. Only then will we know which skeleton to do the final DNA test on."
“我们现在对在修道院的8个骨骸做碳14测试。”意大利全国委员会历史、文化、环境评估中心的Silvano Vinceti告诉意大利安莎通讯社。“碳14测试可以告诉我们8具骨骸中的那3具属于16世纪的骨骸。到那时我们才知道哪些骨骸能做DNA测试。
The 16th century art historian Giorgio Vasari was the first to identify Gherardini as the smirking female in Leonardo's masterpiece. A number of academics since then have agreed that the former neighbor is the most likely suspect, speculating that her husband commissioned the "La Gioconda," as the painting is known in Italy, himself.
16世纪的美术历史学家Giorgio Vasari是提出Gherardini就是微笑着的蒙娜丽莎的原型。从那时候开始，很多学术研究都同意这个达芬奇的邻居最可能就是蒙娜丽莎原型，猜测达芬奇当时受这名女子丈夫的委托，创作出了这样一幅惊世骇俗的佳作。
If DNA testing proves that the skeletal remains are indeed Gherardini's, the next step would be to reconstruct the woman's face, based on the found bone structure, and measure that against Leonardo's famous portrait.
当DNA测试明确了哪一具骨骸属于Gherardini以后，就会用骨骸的面部构造还原出Gherardini的样子，Gherardini到底是不是蒙娜丽莎就会揭晓。
Perhaps then we can understand why Mona Lisa pursed her lips hundreds of years ago. Maybe it was bad teeth after all?
也许到那时，我们就会知道为什么百年之前的蒙娜丽莎只是闭口浅笑了，也许是因为她的牙不好呢。
