Analysis of Facial Characteristics of Female Beauty and Age of Mona Lisa Using a Pictorial Composition

Abstract

Aims: The purpose of this study was to investigate the age of the Mona Lisa and the effect of painting composition on her beauty in terms of facial femininity, youthfulness, and attractiveness. Study Design: We used a longitudinal study design. Place and Duration of Study: We enrolled a random sample of dental students at the University of Leipzig, Faculty of Dental Medicine, between January 2015 and January 2016. Methodology: The predictor variable was the portrait composition. To make the painting different, we substituted the faces in two other portraits (one male, Christian IV, Duke of Zweibrücken, and one female, Marie-Suzanne Giroust-Roslin) with that from the Mona Lisa. The outcome variables were estimated age, facial femininity, youthfulness, and attractiveness of the Mona Lisa. Appropriate descriptive and univariate statistics were calculated. The level of statistical significance was set at P ≤ 0.05. Results: The sample comprised 107 subjects (76 females, 71%; 31 males, 29%) with a mean age of 24.8 ± 2.6 years. The panel estimated the Mona Lisa’s age at 32.3 ± 5.6 years. Facial femininity, youthfulness, and attractiveness were affected by painting composition (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest the Mona Lisa’s face is that of a woman in middle-aged adulthood. Her facial femininity, youthfulness, and attractiveness depend on the composition of the painting.