The Mona Lisa Has No Eyebrows

Gazing at Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, many viewers are struck by the subject's smooth, hairless brow. This curious feature has long fueled a debate among art historians. One popular theory suggests it was a deliberate stylistic choice reflecting the fashions of the era. In early 16th-century Florence, it was considered a mark of aristocratic beauty for women to pluck or shave their eyebrows and hairline to create the appearance of a higher, more noble forehead. In this view, Leonardo was simply capturing the fashionable look of a high-society woman.

However, modern scientific analysis offers a compelling alternative. In 2007, French engineer Pascal Cotte used a high-intensity, multispectral camera to scan the painting. His ultra-detailed images revealed the faint trace of a single brushstroke for an eyebrow above the left eye. This discovery lends significant weight to the theory that the eyebrows were not intentionally omitted, but were casualties of time.

This evidence suggests that Leonardo likely painted both eyebrows and eyelashes, but with an incredibly delicate touch. His subtle, layered painting technique, known as sfumato, meant the hairs were incredibly fine. Over five centuries, repeated cleanings and restoration attempts, coupled with the natural aging of varnish and pigments, could have easily erased these delicate details, leaving behind the smooth, enigmatic brow we see today.