A real da Vinci code is indeed hidden within Leonardo’s “The Last Supper,” according to a book to be published in Italy next week.
But rather than conspiracy theories, the new code points to a hidden musical score, a sacred text and a three-dimensional chalice.
“This is not another spin-off of Dan Brown’s novel. It’s real,” musician Giovanni Maria Pala told Discovery News in an exclusive interview. “I’ve always been intrigued by the possibility of finding a (piece of) music in the Last Supper, but I would have never imagined to find myself decoding a secret message by Leonardo.”
Indeed, Leonardo was an accomplished lyre player who also enjoyed hiding puzzles in his work.
Pala, who will publish his findings next week in the book “La Musica Celata” (which translates to “The Hidden Music”) claims to have discovered nothing less than a sacred hymn and text, along with mystic symbols in da Vinci’s degraded masterpiece.
“I was first struck by the tablecloth, which features horizontal lines but also vertical lines in correspondence with the pieces of bread. This made me think immediately of music notes on a pentagram. I tried to play the notes, but it did not work. Looking at single details wasn’t the correct approach,” Pala said.
[H/t: Ruchira Paul]