New Mona Lisa mystery
蒙娜丽莎的新秘密

Tuesday, April 27, 2004 Posted: 0146 GMT (0946 HKT)

PARIS, France (AP) -- The Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci's portrait of the unknown woman with the enigmatic smile, is sparking a new kind of mystery: What is causing the Renaissance masterpiece to deteriorate so quickly?
法国，巴黎----一个关于由达芬奇所绘面带神秘微笑，身世不明的蒙娜丽莎画像新秘密正引起了人们关注：是什么原因，导致这幅文艺复兴时期的不朽名作画质退化如此迅速？

☆ portrait 人像
Renaissance 文艺复兴时期
masterpiece 杰作, 名著
deteriorate 情况恶化

The thin, poplar panel on which the Mona Lisa is painted in oil has changed shape since conservation experts last evaluated it, the Louvre Museum said. Leonardo's masterwork -- now nearly 500 years old -- is inspected every one to two years.
卢浮宫宣称，最近一次保护专家检查后发现，绘制画像的薄画板已经变形。每隔1到2年，就要对这个近500余岁的达芬奇杰作进行一次检查。

☆ thin, poplar panel 薄白杨木画板

The Louvre said the "state of conservation" of the most famous artwork in France's most famous museum "has aroused some worry."
卢浮宫称，在巴黎大部分著名博物馆中艺术作品的保存状况都是令人担忧的。

The state-run Center for Research and Restoration of Museums of France will conduct a study to better determine what materials the painting is made of and evaluate its vulnerability to temperature changes.
法兰西国立博物馆研究修复中心将开展一项研究，弄清制作该作品所用染料的原料及其对温度改变的敏感性。

☆ state-run 公办的，国立的。
vulnerability 易损性，易伤性

Some seasoned visitors say they have noticed changes.
一些有经验游客称他们已注意到了画像的变化。

☆ seasoned 经验丰富的

"We lived in Paris in 1962 and 1963 -- she seemed brighter back then," said Enid Kushner, 74, a retired lawyer from Cleveland, Ohio.

First-time visitor Kristy Vander Ploeg, 23, of Toronto, said: "I didn't expect it to look like that -- it's a lot more faded than I thought it would be."

The painting has yellowed from layers of varnish applied over the centuries, but the Louvre has resisted pressure to touch it up.

The last real work on the Mona Lisa dates to the mid 1950s, when experts removed several age spots.

The Louvre says the most recent analysis can be done without taking the painting out of the public eye. The Mona Lisa now has its own wall; next year it will get its own room.

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