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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."
意大利佛羅倫薩的專家學者們最近打開了一個幾百年的古墓，試圖揭曉那個文化界萬眾矚目的秘密——蒙娜麗莎到底是誰？這個古墓是Lisa Gherardini家人的墓穴。Lisa Gherardini，一位生活在16世紀的美女，學者們懷疑當年達芬奇畫筆下的蒙娜麗莎就是這位美女。
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.
根據美國全國廣播公司的報道，專家們對在Ursuline修女院找到的三具骨骸做了一系列的DNA測試。這些骨骸是在2012年被發現，專家相信其中一具骨骸是屬于Gherardini女士的。Gherardini女士當年就住在達芬奇家街對面，是一個商人的妻子。
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.
現在，專家們將目標轉移到了Lisa Gherardini家人的墓穴。這座墓穴位于佛羅倫薩的Basilica della Santissima Annuziata。專家希望從這座墓穴里取到Gherardini后人的DNA，再與修道院的骨骸的DNA作比對，確定出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."
“我們現在對在修道院的8個骨骸做碳14測試。”意大利全國委員會歷史、文化、環境評估中心的Silvano Vinceti告訴意大利安莎通訊社。“碳14測試可以告訴我們8具骨骸中的那3具屬于16世紀的骨骸。到那時我們才知道哪些骨骸能做DNA測試。
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世紀的美術歷史學家Giorgio Vasari是提出Gherardini就是微笑著的蒙娜麗莎的原型。從那時候開始，很多學術研究都同意這個達芬奇的鄰居最可能就是蒙娜麗莎原型，猜測達芬奇當時受這名女子丈夫的委托，創作出了這樣一幅驚世駭俗的佳作。
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.
當DNA測試明確了哪一具骨骸屬于Gherardini以后，就會用骨骸的面部構造還原出Gherardini的樣子，Gherardini到底是不是蒙娜麗莎就會揭曉。
Perhaps then we can understand why Mona Lisa pursed her lips hundreds of years ago. Maybe it was bad teeth after all?
也許到那時，我們就會知道為什么百年之前的蒙娜麗莎只是閉口淺笑了，也許是因為她的牙不好呢。
