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Mona Lisa Code Press Releases

Witch Owls and Christian Saint Discovered in Mona Lisa Landscape

Mystery-solver Scott Lund identifies images of Childbirth cult site in Da Vinci's survey line between Vatican and Lake Nemi

View hidden images at Lake Nemi in high resolution...

PRESS RELEASE - LOS ANGELES, CA - December 22, 2011

“Yes there are animals hidden in the Mona Lisa, but you don't have to look sideways to see them,” says investigative writer Scott Lund, who is back in Los Angeles after his groundbreaking presentation of the painting's secrets in Rome on 9/10/11. Lund has just released new visualizations that identify startling figures in the rock formations on the left side of Leonardo da Vinci's iconic masterpiece, also known as “La Gioconda” and “La Joconde.” Clearly seen is the figure of St. Christopher carrying the Christ Child and three owls of different species grouped together.

“Since I first made my findings of the Mona Lisa Code public, there has been a flurry of people with some rather far-fetched interpretations of secret symbols,” says Lund, who emphasizes that the painting is not a Rorschach test. “What's different about the images I am showing is that they have clear meaning within the context of a survey line that Leonardo conceived between the Vatican and the childbirth cult practices at Lake Nemi near Rome. It is the opposite ends of this land survey that are cleverly depicted in the two incongruous sides of the Mona Lisa's background."

Lund says the figure of St. Christopher and the infant correspond exactly to the spot where countless thousands of expectant mothers made pilgrimage to the famous spring of Childbirth goddess Egeria as it emptied into Lake Nemi. Also nearby--just beyond the rocky ridge formed in the likeness of the three owls--were the cult activities of Diana, another goddess of childbirth who was branded as the supreme mother of European witchcraft. The Italian word for “witch” also means “owl,” and coins of Diana at Lake Nemi show her as a three-figure goddess, thus inspiring Leonardo's three-owl depiction.

In his newly released illustration, Lund shows that Leonardo got his inspiration for the concealed owls from Greek and Roman coins. Most notable is the resemblance of the owl on the left of the rocky formation with the Athens owl that was stamped on one of the most widely distributed coins in antiquity. "The owl on the right is a 'horned owl'--a species Leonardo wrote about due to its exceptional night-seeing ability," says Lund.

"The composition of St. Christopher with the Christ Child jumping into Lake Nemi is classic Da Vinci. Once you see where it is in the painting it pops right out. You just can't make this stuff up," says Lund.

Among other things, Lund has demonstrated the Mona Lisa to be a sister project to the Tempietto of Bramante, which is intersected by Leonardo's survey line. “It seems quite fitting that the most iconic painting of all time would be the symbolic equivalent of the foremost icon of Renaissance architecture,” says Lund, who notes that the small chapel's circular design was inspired by the temples of the Vestal Virgins who were also active at Lake Nemi. The Tempietto is owned by the Spanish government and Lund is awaiting an academic response to his findings from the Royal Academy of Spain in Rome, properly known as the Royal Academia de España en Roma (RAER).

Da Vinci's Ultimate Jest

Mona Lisa Illusion is seen through the 'eyes' of Two-Faced Janus, says mystery solver Scott Lund

View presentation of 9/10/11 in high resolution...

PRESS RELEASE - LOS ANGELES, CA - September 16, 2011

The greatest secret in art history was declared by Scott Lund in Rome on the date 9/10/11. It was revealed­ to be an ingenious optical trick that Leonardo da Vinci used to transform the viewer of the Mona Lisa into the pagan Sun god Janus who looks in opposite directions simultaneously.

The Los Angeles investigative writer briefly addressed a crowd of people gathered near the ancient Colosseum, then led them to the tune of a bagpiper across the Tiber river to the top of the Janiculum hill named after the two-faced Sun god. There he identified the Tempietto of Bramante as the site where Leonardo had his vision for the world's most famous work of art. Lund states that the Mona Lisa is a personification of the elegant circular chapel built by Donato Bramante at the presumed location of the mythical citadel occupied by Janus at the beginning of Italian civilization.

“The Mona Lisa's landscape is not a fantasy, but a precise survey map of Rome and its vicinity. The survey cleverly defines the two extremes of religion, marking the center of Christianity on the right side, and the center of paganism on the left. The dome of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican is one end of the survey, and the site of the cult practices of the goddess Diana at Lake Nemi is the other. A line between the two endpoints, 29.5 km apart, intersects the Tempietto of Bramante,” says Lund.

“Lake Nemi was the cradle of European witchcraft, and its location on the Mona Lisa was dangerously heretical during the Renaissance period. Using the pagan god Janus as the theme for the painting also implied Leonardo's heretical conviction that the sun was the center of the Universe,” he says.

In his book the “Mona Lisa Code,” Lund identifies the central figure of the Mona Lisa as a single soul shared between an expectant mother and her unborn male child. The dualistic theme of Janus is symbolized by the partial pillars on either side of the painting, and the god is also identified by the code words ANIMA SOL, which is a secret anagram for the name Mona Lisa, meaning “Soul/Sun god” in Latin.

“What tied the soul and the sun together for Leonardo is that he believed the sun to be the source for the vital force of the soul,” says Lund, “Leonardo also believed that all images, including the Mona Lisa, were the result of the sun being projected onto the soul at the back of the eye.”

“Leonardo was extremely logical, and the method of his genius is that he always sought out logical extremes. The opposite faces of Janus uniquely portrayed the metaphor of a land survey, which requires the connection of a straight line between two points,” says Lund.

According to Lund, Leonardo worked with Bramante at the court of Milan until 1499 when an invading French army sent their Sforza patron fleeing the city. The two friends then sought safety and new opportunities in Rome, which was preparing for its Grand Jubilee of 1500. The Mona Lisa was begun in conjunction with the groundbreaking of Bramante's Tempietto in 1502, at a time when Leonardo was known to have been in Rome. Their complementary projects were intended to symbolize the religious doctrine of the “two faces of the soul.”

Lund says that the radical stereoscopic illusion Leonardo crafted into the Mona Lisa exceeds the imagination of any Hollywood movie script writer. Billions of people have viewed the painting without suspecting the ingenious Janus-faced perspective that the grand master had placed them in.

September 10 presentation in Rome to finally solve Mona Lisa mystery

Painting's landscape is a real map depicting Rome and its vicinity says investigator Scott Lund

PRESS RELEASE - LOS ANGELES, CA - September 3, 2011

The most conclusive evidence of a secret code hidden in the Mona Lisa will be revealed on September 10 at 3 p.m. in the public square near the Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine in Rome. At that time Los Angeles mystery solver Scott Lund will lead a large gathering of people and international news media from the square to the actual place where Leonardo da Vinci envisioned history's most famous work of art.

"The Mona Lisa has been misunderstood for nearly 500 years. Now it's time to know what has remained concealed for so long,” says Lund. Because his proof involves precise measurements found within the landscape of the painting itself, Lund is certain that his dramatic and unconventional demonstration will provide proof beyond any reasonable doubt.

"Contrary to accepted belief, the landscape of the Mona Lisa is not a fantasy. It is an incredible survey map that indicates a startling mix of Christianity and paganism. The world has never been closer to knowing the mind of Leonardo da Vinci than the date of 9/10/11 when we meet in the heart of Rome for this great discovery," says Lund.

Those who attend the historic event may be acknowledged by name as witnesses to the Mona Lisa Code in Lund's book, and any photographs or video they record could be included in his upcoming film documentary.

Mona Lisa was painted in Rome

American investigator Scott Lund says a secret code identifies the spot

PRESS RELEASE - LOS ANGELES, CA - August 27, 2011

“There is an incredible secret hidden in plain sight on the Mona Lisa that shows Leonardo da Vinci had more imagination than any Hollywood script writer," says Scott Lund, a Los Angeles author who has unraveled an elaborate code crafted into the iconic Renaissance painting.

“Leonardo started painting the Mona Lisa in Rome before the date of 1503 accepted by historians, and I know where he painted it,” says Lund, who is presenting his findings on September 10, at 3 p.m. in the public square near the Colosseum in the heart of Rome.

Leonardo left Milan in 1499 after an invasion by the King of France sent its ruling Sforza family fleeing the city. Rather than settling in Florence as is generally believed, Lund says Leonardo then sought safety and new patrons in Rome, which was preparing for its grand Jubilee of 1500.

"There is a rich matrix of symbolic meaning that Leonardo created in the Mona Lisa that I have already exposed, but there is also one unique and startling element in the painting that I have saved for my dramatic presentation on 9/10/11. The "Mona Lisa Code" will essentially change everything that has been erroneously assumed for nearly five centuries," says Lund, who considers his discovery a gift that the citizens of Rome can share with the rest of the world.

Lund intends to show a large group of people the actual site where Leonardo painted his masterpiece. The historic event will be covered by international news media and filmed for the benefit of posterity.

Mona Lisa to be 'gifted' to Roman citizens

American mystery solver set to prove Mona Lisa was not painted in Florence

PRESS RELEASE - LOS ANGELES, CA - August 15, 2011

“The idea that the Mona Lisa was painted in Florence is the biggest red herring in art history,” says Scott Lund, an investigative writer who claims he can prove a silk merchant's wife living there was not the subject of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece.

Leonardo left Milan in 1499 after an invasion by the King of France sent its ruling Sforza family fleeing the city. Rather than settling in Florence as is generally believed, Lund says Leonardo then sought safety and new patrons in Rome, which was preparing for its grand Jubilee of 1500.

“Leonardo started painting the Mona Lisa in Rome before the date of 1503 accepted by historians,” says Lund. “And I know where he painted it!”

The Los Angeles-based author of the "Mona Lisa Code" is presenting Leonardo's startling secret on Saturday, September 10, at 3 p.m. in the public square near the Colosseum in Rome. The historic event will be covered by international news media and filmed for the benefit of posterity.

Lund's revelation occurs ironically 100 years after the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre by a thief who wanted to return it to Florence. He believes that solving the greatest mystery in art history is a gift to the citizens of Rome that they can share proudly with all Italians.

“I realize that there are a lot of people in Florence who will be disappointed by my findings, but the Mona Lisa has nothing to do with their wonderful city. It is the Romans who are the true heirs to Leonardo's iconic creation, and I intend to prove it on 9/10/11,” says Lund.

Secret code exposed in Mona Lisa still not understood by Da Vinci scholars

Los Angeles investigator challenges world's art experts with Mona Lisa Code

PRESS RELEASE - LOS ANGELES, CA - July 29, 2011

Investigative writer Scott Lund has challenged the world's art historians, Leonardo da Vinci experts, and most esteemed colleges and universities to "go on record" about the Mona Lisa Code. The Los Angeles-based mystery solver says it has taken too long for Academia to respond to his facts concerning Leonardo da Vinci's iconic painting. "I exposed the existence of a secret code of symbolism concealed in the Mona Lisa over a year ago," says Lund, "yet no recognized authorities in the fields of either Art or History have come forward with any critiques or comments."

Among the new discoveries Lund has brought to light are:

-- The Mona Lisa is the depiction of a single soul shared between an expectant mother and her unborn male child.

-- The two-faced Roman god Janus was used by Leonardo as a metaphor for the painting's dualism.

-- “Maternity” was personified in the painting by fusing the two supreme Biblical mother archetypes of the Old and New Testaments together.

"These are plausible and well-reasoned theories based on a careful reading of Leonardo's own writings and an in-depth understanding of the true meaning of ancient symbolism," says Lund. "The so-called 'experts' have been conspicuously silent on the matter of the Mona Lisa Code, and I can't spend any more time chasing after elusive professors in order to stimulate academic debate. That's why there will be a public press conference near the ancient Forum in the heart of Rome on September 10, 2011. At that time I will reveal the most surprising facts that I have uncovered."

"Ultimately, I believe it will be the people of Rome, whose own history includes Leonardo da Vinci and all his accomplishments, who will play the major part in helping the world acknowledge the solution to art history's greatest riddle. It won't be the art departments of colleges and universities throughout the world, but the citizens of Rome who will take the credit for what history remembers," says Lund.

Lund's historic presentation of the Mona Lisa Code will occur at 3 p.m. on 9/10/11 in the public plaza between the Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine. A film documentary will record the event for the benefit of future generations.

Investigation finds Mona Lisa Code in Islamic book

Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa inspired by religious philosophy of medieval Islamic scholar

PRESS RELEASE - LOS ANGELES, CA - July 12, 2011

Scott Lund, an investigative writer and documentary producer, has found Leonardo da Vinci's inspiration for the Mona Lisa in a book by medieval Islamic scholar Avicenna. According to Lund, Leonardo painted his masterpiece based on the writings of Avicenna, who stated that the "soul gives birth to soul as body to body."

In his upcoming book and film, the “Mona Lisa Code,” Lund shows that Leonardo gave life to Avicenna's tenet by painting the Mona Lisa. “Leonardo's iconic portrait is his profound vision of a divine soul being shared between a mother and her unborn male child,” he says.

“Avicenna's treatise on the soul, De Anima, was a popular must read for scholars during the Italian Renaissance. Leonardo apparently borrowed the Latin word Anima from the title of Avicenna's book in order to conceive the anagram ANIMA SOL as a secret code for the name Mona Lisa. It is also from Avicenna's book that Leonardo likely got the idea for painting the 'two faces of the soul',” says Lund.

The hidden metaphor of the Mona Lisa is identified by Lund as the Roman god Janus, who was commonly represented with two faces looking in opposite directions. By using Janus as a clever theme to portray the duality of the soul, Leonardo was able to incorporate the doctrine of the "two faces of the soul" from Avicenna's book into the Mona Lisa.

Anima means "soul" in Latin, and the Latin name Sol refers to the Sun-god otherwise known as Janus. Leonardo wrote that the vital force of the soul descended from the sun, which justified his use of the pagan god Janus to depict the Mona Lisa's dual soul, according to Lund.

“The secret name 'Anima Sol' is an ingenious construction by Leonardo to succinctly express his symbolism in the Mona Lisa,” says Lund. “It expresses Avicenna's belief in the duality of the soul, and it expresses Leonardo's belief in the role of the sun in making all souls possible.”

Scott Lund has announced that on Saturday, September 10th, 2011, he will reveal additional findings about the Mona Lisa to the public and international news media in Rome. “It will change everything previously assumed about Leonardo's masterpiece, and nothing will ever be the same again,” says Lund.

Mona Lisa Code conducts worldwide search for someone to play Mona Lisa

Scott Lund auditions actress Desiree Anderson for the part of Mona Lisa. She didn't make the cut. She smiles TOO MUCH !!

PRESS RELEASE - LOS ANGELES, CA - June 13, 2011

Scott Lund has announced a worldwide talent search to find a lookalike for the Mona Lisa to star in his upcoming film The Mona Lisa Code. Lund has been looking in Hollywood and is now taking his production to Europe for auditions to fill the role of the most famous woman ever painted.

“It's not easy,” says Lund, an investigative writer who has discovered a secret code in Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece. Lund hopes he might find the right woman in Italy, although he doesn't rule out the possibility it could be a man. “After all, there is reason to believe that some facial features of Leonardo himself, as well as his pretty-boy assistant Salai, might have been incorporated into the painting,” he says.

Lund is preparing for a trip to Rome where he will announce his new discoveries about the secret symbolism in the painting on September 10th, 2011. “I expect my new revelations will change nearly everything we ever thought we knew about the Mona Lisa and what it meant,” says Lund, who thinks that finding out the painting's secrets might turn out to be easier than trying to find someone who actually looks like the image of the Mona Lisa.

In addition to finding a Mona Lisa lookalike, Lund is searching for someone to play the part of Leonardo himself, as well as his assistant Salai.