Scientists from the University of California, Irvine have created a 3D model of Leonardo da Vinci's "Savior of the World" painting and revealed the secret of the transparent ball in the hand of Christ, symbolizing the universe, according to MIT Technology Review.
Painting by Leonardo Da Vinci * Savior of the World *.
So, the ball almost does not distort the space behind itself, which for a long time raised questions from art critics, since it is known that the painter and inventor studied optics.
Using computer graphics, the researchers found out that the object in the picture is a hollow sphere with a diameter of 6.8 centimeters made of glass no more than 1.3 millimeters thick. The ball is located at a distance of 25 centimeters from the body of Christ.
Two years ago, American biographer Walter Isaacson, in a work dedicated to da Vinci, expressed the opinion that the artist was trying to endow Christ and his ball with "miraculous properties", noting that if he accurately conveyed distortions, the palm behind the sphere would be reduced or enlarged.
Leonardo da Vinci's painting "Savior of the World" has long been considered lost. In 2017, it was sold at Christie's for $ 450 million, making it the most expensive work of art in history. It is now in a private collection.