London:
In what mirrors the book and Hollywood movie '
The Da Vinci Code', art historians claim to have uncovered a real-life Da Vinci code, after they found tiny letters painted into the eyes of the Mona Lisa.
They discovered the mysterious hidden message while studying magnified images of Leonardo Da Vinci's most famous painting which is hanging in the Louvre in Paris, British tabloid '
The Sun' reported.
Art historian Silvano Vinceti said, "To the naked eye the symbols are not visible but with a magnifying glass they are clearly see. We know Da Vinci used symbols so we are confident that they are a message from him.
"In the right eye appears to be the letters LV, which could well stand for his name. In the left eye there are also symbols. It is difficult to make them out but they appear to be the letters C and E or B which is in the Louvre in Paris."
The art historians from Italy's National Cultural Heritage committee also discovered a 72, or possibly an L and a 2, painted into a bridge in the background of the famous portrait.
The experts examined the Mona Lisa after finding a book in an antique shop that claimed there were tiny hidden symbols in the eyes. "The question now is, what do they mean?" Silvano was quoted as saying.
'The Guardian' newspaper suggested the letters may be a clue to the identity of the female model in the painting, which has been an enduring mystery for ages.
In the bestselling novel and movie '
The Da Vinci Code', an art historian, played by Tom Hanks, finds sinister hidden messages in the Italian genius's artworks.