Mona Lisa in stable condition after 500 years

The Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci’s 16th-century masterpiece, is in fragile condition but should not suffer too much damage if taken care of properly, experts who studied the painting closely said Tuesday.

Scientists from Canada’s National Research Council used special three-dimensional technology to examine both sides of the masterpiece, which was painted at some stage between 1503 and 1506 and now sits in the Louvre museum in Paris.

“The wood panel on which the Mona Lisa is painted is sensitive to temperature and climate variations. However, if its current storage conditions are maintained, there is no risk of degradation,” the council said in a statement.

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“The 12 cm (4.7-inch) split on the top half of the painting, which was probably due to the removal of the original frame and repaired between the middle of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century, appears to be stable and has not worsened over time.”

The council had promised to reveal important details about Leonardo’s so-called “sfumato” technique, which the artist used to create a hazy effect. But the statement said more study would be needed first.

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It said close examination of the craquelure — the fine pattern of cracks formed on old paintings — “seems to corroborate other inspection techniques and conclusions that support the principle of minimum intervention on the painting as recommended by the experts.”

The young woman with the ambiguous half smile has been identified as Lisa Gherardini, wife of a Florentine merchant named Francesco de Giocondo.