The Louvre's Mona Lisa is one of the world's most famous paintings, attracting more than 9 million viewers annually. Here in Shanghai, the woman with the famous smile is also on view, but about a decade younger than her picture in Paris.

Recently, the controversial Earlier Mona Lisa (pictured below) went on display, in its own exhibition including materials about the authentication research as well refutations from its detractors.

According to the Swiss nonprofit that led research into the painting, this version of Mona Lisa was painted a decade or so before the Louvre's Mona Lisa, and is the work of Leonardo da Vinci.

After being kept in darkness in a Swiss bank vault for 40 years, it is the first time to exhibit the Earlier Mona Lisa in China.

Joel Feldman, general secretary of the Mona Lisa Foundation said: "We want to give the opportunity to people who don't have the chance to go to Europe to be able to see a real Leonardo."

Masterpiece or copy

Despite da Vinci's renown as an artist, the paintings he left behind are few, only about 17 in the world. So the discovery of a new da Vinci was indeed significant news, followed by much dispute about its authenticity.

In the Science and Mathematics section of the exhibition, visitors can take in a comprehensive overview of the painting's authentication procedure, digging into aspects like painting materials, visual analyses, carbon-dating and the golden ratio.

However, the most convincing evidence was from John F. Asmus, a research physicist at the University of California, San Diego.

He analyzed the statistics of the color distribution, showing a remarkable resemblance between Earlier Mona Lisa and Louvre's Mona Lisa. All the evidence points to the two paintings being created by the same person. The exhibit also gives space to debunkers in a separate dedicated room.

"We try to be as transparent as we can be, so the approach of this room is actually very unique," Feldman said.

"You would think if our goal is to tell the world that this painting is by Leonardo, we would be hiding all these criticisms and all these stuff. But instead, we have absolutely no anxieties and no issues with anything that have been said."

With the guidance of a tablet, the audience can watch short films and dive into details about the painting through six different interactive programs.

Feldman said: "We've already looked on social media, and feedback of the tablets has been overwhelming. The audio tour is now practical in every museum and every exhibition house, but here is a real audiovisual, interactive experience."

Feldman said they have prepared 400 tablets to make sure each visitor can use one. The videos were filmed in Italy, England and America, and include 25 minutes of interviews with experts. The bilingual media guide has tours geared toward adults and children.

"The goal of introducing tablets is to make things approachable, and also on a broader level, to expose people to Leonardo and Mona Lisa and the Italian culture," Feldman said. "People with their tablets in hand may spend probably on average an hour and a half or even two hours before catching a glimpse of her real beauty."

With the guidance of a tablet, the audience can watch short films and dive into details about the painting. Photos: Qu Xinyi and courtesy of Mona Lisa Foundation

Customized showcase

The showcase for the exhibition was customized in Austria by a German engineer, and all the parts were flown in from Europe and assembled in Shanghai. Feldman said it took the designer six months to build just the box.

The 500-kilogram glass box itself is a huge project: bulletproofing, a sophisticated alarm system, GPS localizer, and temperature and humidity control, as well as remote monitoring access for staff.

The most unique part of the showcase is its lighting; it gradually turns on from the middle and dims out from the margins, offering a notable contrast of a sense of depth, and highlighting Leonardo's use of shade and light.

"I've seen at least four ladies cry in front of this painting," one of the exhibit producers, Xu Guanghui of Moyu Culture and Communication, told the Global Times.

"Our mission is to show the painting around the world and ends in Europe," Feldman said. "This is the first stop in China, and our next destination is probably Beijing."

Date: Until August 28

Venue: The House Xintiandi

Address: 380 Huangpi Road South 黄陂南路380号

Tickets: 100 yuan ($15.34) to 160 yuan

The article is written by Qu Xinyi