Difference between revisions of "Mona Lisa" - New World Encyclopedia

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{{Painting| image_file=Mona Lisa.jpg
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| title=Mona Lisa <br> La Gioconda <br>
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{{Infobox Painting| image_file=Mona Lisa.jpeg
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| image_size=230px
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| title=Mona Lisa  
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| other_language_1=Italian
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| other_title_1=La Gioconda
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| other_language_2=French
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| other_title_2=La Joconde
 
| artist=[[Leonardo da Vinci]]
 
| artist=[[Leonardo da Vinci]]
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| year=circa [[1503]]&ndash;[[1507]]
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| year=c. 1503–1506
 
| type=[[Oil painting|Oil on poplar]]
 
| type=[[Oil painting|Oil on poplar]]
 
| height=77
 
| height=77
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| width_inch=21
 
| width_inch=21
 
| city=[[Paris]]
 
| city=[[Paris]]
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| museum=[[Musée du Louvre]]
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| museum=[[Louvre|Musée du Louvre]]
 
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}}
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'''''Mona Lisa''''', or '''''La Gioconda (La Joconde)''''', is a [[16th century]] [[oil painting]] on a [[poplar]] panel by [[Leonardo Da Vinci]]. It is arguably the most famous painting in the world, and few other works of art have been subject to as much scrutiny, study, mythologizing and parody. It is owned by the [[Government of France|French government]] and hangs in the [[Louvre|Musée du Louvre]] in [[Paris]]. The painting, a half-length portrait, depicts a woman whose gaze meets the viewer's with an expression often described as enigmatic. <ref>http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/vinci/joconde/</ref> <ref>http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6056</ref> It is considered by many to be Leonardo's [[magnum opus]].[[Apollon Grigoryev]]
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'''''Mona Lisa''''' (also known as '''''La Gioconda''''') is a sixteenth century [[portrait painting|portrait]] painted in [[oil painting|oil]] on a [[poplar]] [[panel painting|panel]] by [[Leonardo da Vinci]] during the [[Italian Renaissance]]. The work is owned by the [[Government of France|French government]] and hangs in the [[Louvre|Musée du Louvre]] in [[Paris]], [[France]] with the title ''Portrait of [[Lisa Gherardini]], wife of Francesco del Giocondo.''
  
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== Naming the Mona Lisa ==
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The painting is a half-length [[portrait]] and depicts a woman whose expression is often described as enigmatic. The ambiguity of the sitter's expression, the monumentality of the half-figure composition, and the subtle modeling of forms and atmospheric illusionism were novel qualities that have contributed to the painting's continuing fascination. Few other works of art have been subject to as much scrutiny, study, mythologizing, and parody.
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{{toc}}
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It is one of the great icons of Western painting, perhaps the best known painting in the entire world.
  
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==Background==
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The title ''Mona Lisa'' stems from the [[Giorgio Vasari]] biography of Leonardo da Vinci, published 31 years after Leonardo's death. In it, he identified the sitter as [[Lisa del Giocondo|Lisa Gherardini]], the wife of wealthy [[Florence|Florentine]] businessman Francesco del Giocondo. ''Mona'' was a common [[Italian language|Italian]] contraction of ''[[madonna (art)|madonna]]'', meaning ''my lady'', the equivalent of the English ''Madam'', so the title means ''Madam Lisa''.
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{{main|Leonardo da Vinci}}
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[[Image:Leonardo self.jpg|thumb|right|300px|upright|Self-portrait by Leonardo da Vinci, executed in [[red chalk]] sometime between 1512 and 1515]] Leonardo da Vinci began painting the ''Mona Lisa'' in 1503 (during the [[Italian Renaissance]]) and, according to Vasari, "after he had lingered over it four years, left it unfinished…."<ref name=Clark >Kenneth Clark, "Mona Lisa" ''The Burlington Magazine'' 115(840) (March 1973): 144. </ref> He is thought to have continued to work on it for three years after he moved to France and to have finished it shortly before he died in 1519.<ref name=BBC-Faces>Bob Chaundy, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/5392000.stm Faces of the Week] ''BBC'', September 29, 2006. Retrieved May 10, 2023.</ref> Leonardo took the painting from Italy to France in 1516 when King [[Francis I of France|François I]] invited the painter to work at the [[Clos Lucé]] near the king's castle in [[Château Amboise|Amboise]]. Most likely through the heirs of Leonardo's assistant Salai,<ref name="Kemp">Martin Kemp, ''Leonardo Da Vinci: The Marvellous Works of Nature And Man'' (Oxford University Press, 2006, ISBN 0192807250), 261–262.</ref> the king bought the painting for 4000 ''[[French écu|écus]]'' and kept it at [[Château Fontainebleau|Fontainebleau]], where it remained until given to Louis XIV. [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]] moved the painting to the [[Palace of Versailles]]. After the [[French Revolution]], it was moved to the [[Louvre]]. [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon I]] had it moved to his bedroom in the [[Tuileries Palace]]; later it was returned to the Louvre. During the [[Franco-Prussian War]] (1870–1871) it was moved from the Louvre to a hiding place elsewhere in France.
  
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In modern Italian, the short form of ''madonna'' is usually spelled ''Monna'', so the title is sometimes given as ''Monna Lisa''. This is rare in English, but more common in [[Romance languages]] such as French and Italian.
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''Mona Lisa'' was not well known until the mid-nineteenth century when artists of the emerging [[Symbolism (arts)|Symbolist]] movement began to appreciate it, and associated it with their ideas about feminine mystique. Critic [[Walter Pater]], in his 1867 essay on Leonardo, expressed this view by describing the figure in the painting as a kind of mythic embodiment of eternal femininity, who is "older than the rocks among which she sits" and who "has been dead many times and learned the secrets of the grave."<ref> Walter Pater, ''Studies in the History of the Renaissance'' (Oxford University Press, 2010 (original 1873), ISBN 978-0199535071).</ref>
  
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The alternative title, ''La Gioconda'', is the feminine form of Giocondo. In Italian, ''giocondo'' also means ''light-hearted'' (''jocund'' in English), so ''gioconda'' means ''light-hearted woman''. Because of her smile, this version of the title plays on this double meaning, as does the French ''La Joconde''.
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==Subject and title==
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{{main|Lisa del Giocondo}}
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''Mona Lisa'' is named for [[Lisa del Giocondo]], a member of the Gherardini family of [[Florence]] and [[Tuscany]] and the wife of wealthy Florentine [[silk]] merchant Francesco del Giocondo.<ref name="Kemp" /> The painting was commissioned for their new home and to celebrate the birth of their second son, Andrea.<ref>Claire J. Farago, ''Leonardo's Projects, C. 1500-1519'' (Taylor and Francis, 1999, ISBN 0815329350), 123.</ref>
  
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Both ''Mona Lisa'' and ''La Gioconda'' became established as titles for this painting in the 19th century. Before these names became established, the painting had been referred to by various descriptive phrases, such as "a certain Florentine lady" and "a courtesan in a gauze veil".
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The sitter's identity was ascertained at the [[Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg|University of Heidelberg]] in 2005 by a library expert who discovered a 1503 margin note written by Agostino Vespucci. Scholars had been of many minds, identifying at least four different paintings as the ''Mona Lisa''<ref name="monna bella">Raymond S. Stites, Mona Lisa—Monna Bella ''Parnassus'' 8 (1) (January 1936): 7–10, 22–23.</ref><ref name="Littlefield">Walter Littlefield, ''The Two "Mona Lisas"'' (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 1914), 525.</ref><ref name="Wilson">Colin Wilson, ''The Mammoth Encyclopedia of the Unsolved'' (Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2000, ISBN 0786707933), 364–366.</ref> and several people as its subject. Leonardo's mother Caterina in a distant memory, [[Isabella of Naples]] or Aragon,<ref name=Debelle>Penelope Debelle,  [https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/behind-that-secret-smile-20040625-gdy413.html Behind that secret smile] ''The Age'' (June 25, 2004). Retrieved May 25, 2023.</ref> [[Cecilia Gallerani]],<ref name="Johnston">Bruce Johnston, [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/1468392/Riddle-of-Mona-Lisa-is-finally-solved-she-was-the-mother-of-five.html Riddle of Mona Lisa is finally solved: she was the mother of five] ''The Telegraph'' (August 1, 2004). Retrieved May 25, 2023.</ref> Costanza d'Avalos–who was also called the "merry one" or ''La Gioconda,''<ref name="Wilson" /> [[Isabella d'Este]], Pacifica Brandano or Brandino, Isabela Gualanda, [[Caterina Sforza]], and Leonardo himself had all been named the sitter.<ref name="myth">Charles Nicholl, [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2002/mar/28/londonreviewofbooks The myth of the Mona Lisa] ''The Guardian'' (March 28, 2002). Retrieved May 25, 2023.</ref><ref name="BBC-Faces"/> Today the subject's identity is held to be Lisa, which was always the traditional view.
  
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== History ==
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[[Image:Mona Lisa margin scribble.jpg|thumb|450px|right|A margin note by Agostino Vespucci from October 1503 in a book in the library of the [[Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg|University of Heidelberg]] identifies Lisa del Giocondo as the subject of ''Mona Lisa'']]
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===16th century===
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The painting's title stems from a description by [[Giorgio Vasari]] in his biography of Leonardo da Vinci published in 1550, 31 years after the artist's death. "Leonardo undertook to paint, for Francesco del Giocondo, the portrait of Mona Lisa, his wife…."<ref name="Clark"/> (one version in {{Lang-it|Prese Lionardo a fare per Francesco del Giocondo il ritratto di mona Lisa sua moglie}}).<ref>Giorgio Vasari, ''Le vite de' più eccellenti pittori, scultori ed architettori,'' (Roma: Newton, 1991 (original 1879), ISBN 978-8823903128. </ref> In Italian, ''ma donna'' means ''[[my lady]].'' This became ''[[Madonna (art)|madonna]],'' and its contraction ''mona.'' ''Mona'' is thus a polite form of address, similar to ''Ma’am,'' ''Madam,'' or ''my lady'' in English. In modern Italian, the short form of ''madonna'' is usually spelled ''Monna,'' so the title is sometimes ''Monna Lisa,'' rarely in English and more commonly in [[Romance languages]] such as French and Italian.
  
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[[Image:Walters Gallery.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Early copy of the ''Mona Lisa'', in Walters Gallery, Baltimore, showing the columns]]
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At his death in 1525, Leonardo's assistant Salai owned the portrait named in his personal papers ''la Gioconda'' which had been bequeathed to him by the artist. Italian for jocund, happy or jovial, ''Gioconda'' was a nickname for the sitter, a pun on the feminine form of her married name Giocondo and her disposition.<ref name="Kemp" /><ref name="louvre1"> Gabriele Bartz, ''Art and Architecture: Louvre'' (H. F. Ullman, 2006, ISBN 3833119438), 626.</ref> In French, the title ''La Joconde'' has the same double meaning.
  
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Leonardo da Vinci began painting the ''Mona Lisa'' in [[1502]] (during the Italian Renaissance) and, according to Vasari, completed it in four years.
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==Aesthetics==
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[[Image:Mona Lisa detail background right.jpg|thumb|300px|Detail of the background (right side)]]
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Leonardo used a pyramid design to place the woman simply and calmly in the space of the painting. Her folded hands form the front corner of the pyramid. Her breast, neck and face glow in the same light that models her hands. The light gives the variety of living surfaces an underlying geometry of spheres and circles. Leonardo referred to a seemingly simple formula for seated female figure: the images of seated Madonna, which were widespread at the time. He effectively modified this formula in order to create the visual impression of distance between the sitter and the observer. The armrest of the chair functions as a dividing element between ''Mona Lisa'' and the viewer.  
  
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Leonardo took the painting from [[Italy]] to [[France]] in [[1516]] when King [[Francis I of France|François I]] invited the painter to work at the [[Clos Lucé]] near the king's castle in [[Château Amboise|Amboise]]. The King bought the painting for 4,000 ''[[Écu (coin)|écus]]'' and kept it at [[Château Fontainebleau|Fontainebleau]], where it remained until moved by Louis XIV.
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The woman sits markedly upright with her arms folded, which is also a sign of her reserved posture. Only her gaze is fixed on the observer and seems to welcome him to this silent communication. Since the brightly lit face is practically framed with various much darker elements (hair, veil, shadows), the observer's attraction to ''Mona Lisa'''s face is brought to even greater extent. Thus, the composition of the figure evokes an ambiguous effect: we are attracted to this mysterious woman but have to stay at a distance as if she were a divine creature. There is no indication of an intimate dialogue between the woman and the observer as is the case in the ''Portrait of [[Baldassare Castiglione]]'' (Louvre) painted by [[Raphael]] about ten years after ''Mona Lisa,'' and undoubtedly influenced by Leonardo's portrait.  
  
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It has for a long time been argued that after Leonardo's death the painting was cut down by having part of the panel at both sides removed. Early copies depict columns on both sides of the figure. Only the edges of the bases can be seen in the original.<ref>[http://www.kleio.org/monalisa/mlpics/787ae.htm Vernon collection copy]; [http://www.thewalters.org/wcontent/files/pages_new/mona_lisa.aspx Walters Gallery version]</ref> However, some art historians, such as [[Martin Kemp (art historian)|Martin Kemp]], now argue that the painting has not been altered, and that the columns depicted in the copies were added by the copyists. The latter view was bolstered during 2004 and 2005 when an international team of 39 specialists undertook the most thorough scientific examination of the ''Mona Lisa'' yet undertaken. Beneath the frame (the current one was fitted to the ''Mona Lisa'' in 2004) there was discovered a "reserve" around all four edges of the panel. A reserve is an area of bare wood surrounding the [[gesso]]ed and painted portion of the panel. That this is a genuine reserve, and not the result of removal of the gesso or paint is demonstrated by a raised edge still existing around the gesso, the result of build up from the edge of brush strokes at the edge of the gesso area.
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[[Image:Mona Lisa detail hands.jpg|thumb|400px|Detail of Lisa's hands, her right hand resting on her left. Leonardo chose this gesture rather than a wedding ring to depict Lisa as a virtuous woman and faithful wife.<ref>Farago, 372.</ref>]]The painting was among the first portraits to depict the sitter before an imaginary landscape. The enigmatic woman is portrayed seated in what appears to be an open [[loggia]] with dark pillar bases on either side. Behind her a vast landscape recedes to icy mountains. Winding paths and a distant bridge give only the slightest indications of human presence. The sensuous curves of the woman's hair and clothing, created through [[sfumato]], are echoed in the undulating imaginary valleys and rivers behind her. The blurred outlines, graceful figure, dramatic contrasts of light and dark, and overall feeling of calm are characteristic of Leonardo's style. Due to the expressive synthesis that Leonardo achieved between sitter and landscape it is arguable whether ''Mona Lisa'' should be considered as a traditional portrait, for it represents an ideal rather than a real woman. The sense of overall harmony achieved in the painting—especially apparent in the sitter's faint smile—reflects Leonardo's idea of a link connecting humanity and nature.
  
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The reserve area, which was likely to have been as much as 20 mm originally appears to have been trimmed at some point probably to fit a frame (we know that in the 1906 framing it was the frame itself which was trimmed, not the picture, so it must have been earlier), however at no point has any of Leonardo's actual paint been trimmed. Therefore the columns in early copies must be inventions of those artists, or copies of another (unknown) studio version of ''Mona Lisa''. The round objects each side of the sill remain as mysterious as so much of this painting.
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''Mona Lisa'' has no visible facial hair—including eyebrows and eyelashes. Some researchers claim that it was common at this time for genteel women to pluck them out, since they were considered to be unsightly.<ref>Daniela Turudich and Laurie J. Welch, ''Plucked, Shaved & Braided: Medieval and Renaissance Beauty and Grooming Practices 1000–1600'' (Streamline Press, 2003, ISBN 193006408X), 198.</ref><ref>Roy McMullen, ''Mona Lisa: The Picture and the Myth'' (Macmillan Publishers, 1976, ISBN 0333191692).</ref> For modern viewers the missing eyebrows add to the slightly semi-abstract quality of the face.
  
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=== Other versions ===
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==Theft and vandalism==
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[[Image:Mona Lisa stolen-1911.jpg|thumb|350px|Vacant wall in the Salle Carré, [[Louvre]]]]
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The Mona Lisa painting now hangs in the ''Musée du Louvre'' in [[Paris]], [[France]]. The painting's increasing fame was further emphasized when it was [[art theft|stolen]] on August 21, 1911. The next day, Louis Béroud, a painter, walked into the Louvre and went to the Salon Carré where the ''Mona Lisa'' had been on display for five years. However, where the ''Mona Lisa'' should have stood, he found four iron pegs. Béroud contacted the section head of the guards, who thought the painting was being photographed for marketing purposes. A few hours later, Béroud checked back with the section head of the museum, and it was confirmed that the ''Mona Lisa'' was not with the photographers. The Louvre was closed for an entire week to aid in investigation of the theft.
  
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It has been suggested that Leonardo created more than one version of the painting. The owners of the version known as the ''[[Isleworth Mona Lisa]]'' claim that it is an original, though the great majority of art historians reject its authenticity. The same claim has been made for a version in the Vernon collection.<ref>http://www.lairweb.org.nz/leonardo/mona.html Leonardo da Vinci</ref> Another version, dating from c.1616 was given in c.[[1790]] to [[Joshua Reynolds]] by the [[Francis Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds|Duke of Leeds]] in exchange for a Reynolds self-portrait. Reynolds thought it to be the real painting and the French one a copy, which has now been disproved. It is, however, useful in that it was copied when the original's colors were far brighter than they are now, and so it gives some sense of the original's appearance 'as new'. It is held in the stores of the [[Dulwich Picture Gallery]].<ref>Charlotte Higgins, [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1879254,00.html "Unveiled: early copy that reveals Mona Lisa as her creator intended"], [[The Guardian]], [[23 September]] [[2006]] (accessed on 23rd September 2006)</ref> There are also copies of the image in which the figure appears nude. These have also led to speculation that they were copied from a lost Leonardo original depicting Lisa naked.<ref>http://www.nigel-cawthorne.com/projects.htm</ref>
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French poet [[Guillaume Apollinaire]], who had once called for the [[Louvre]] to be "burnt down," came under suspicion; he was arrested and put in jail. Apollinaire tried to implicate his friend [[Pablo Picasso]], who was also brought in for questioning, but both were later exonerated.<ref name="monalisa25"> Howard Chua-Eoan, [https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1937349_1937350_1937357,00.html Crimes of the Century: Stealing the Mona Lisa, 1911] ''TIME'' (March 1, 2007). Retrieved May 25, 2023.</ref>
  
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=== 17th to 19th century ===
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At the time, the painting was believed to be lost forever; it would be two years before the real thief was discovered. Louvre employee [[Vincenzo Peruggia]] stole it by entering the building during regular hours, hiding in a broom closet and walking out with it hidden under his coat after the museum had closed.<ref name="louvre1" /> Peruggia was an [[Italy|Italian]] patriot who believed [[Leonardo da Vinci|Leonardo's]] painting should be returned to Italy for display in an Italian museum. Peruggia may have also been motivated by a friend who sold copies of the painting, which would skyrocket in value after the theft of the original. After keeping the painting in his apartment for two years, Peruggia grew impatient and was finally caught when he attempted to sell it to the directors of the [[Uffizi Gallery]] in [[Florence]]; it was exhibited all over Italy and returned to the Louvre in 1913. Peruggia was hailed for his [[patriotism]] in Italy and only served a few months in jail for the crime.<ref name="monalisa25" />
  
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[[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]] moved the painting to the [[Palace of Versailles]]. After the [[French Revolution]], it was moved to the Louvre. [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon I]] had it moved to his bedroom in the [[Tuileries Palace]]; later it was returned to the Louvre. During the [[Franco-Prussian War]] of [[1870]]–[[1871]], it was moved from the Louvre to a hiding place elsewhere in France.
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During [[World War II]], the painting was again removed from the Louvre and taken safely, first to ''[[Château d'Amboise]],'' then to the ''[[Loc-Dieu Abbey]]'' and finally to the [[Musée Ingres|Ingres Museum]] in [[Montauban]]. In 1956, the lower part of the painting was severely damaged when a vandal doused the painting with acid.<ref name=BBC-Faces/> On December 30 of that same year, Ugo Ungaza Villegas, a young [[Bolivia|Bolivian]], damaged the painting by throwing a rock at it. This resulted in the loss of a speck of [[pigment]] near the left elbow, which was later painted over.
  
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The painting was not well-known until the mid-19th century, when artists of the emerging [[Symbolism (arts)|Symbolist]] movement began to appreciate it, and associated it with their ideas about feminine mystique. Critic [[Walter Pater]], in his [[1867]] essay on Leonardo, expressed this view by describing the figure in the painting as a kind of mythic embodiment of eternal femininity, who is "older than the rocks among which she sits" and who "has been dead many times and learned the secrets of the grave."
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== Conservation ==
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The ''Mona Lisa'' has survived for more than 500 years, and an international commission convened in 1952 noted that "the picture is in a remarkable state of preservation."<ref name="mohen">Jean-Pierre Mohen, ''Mona Lisa: inside the Painting'' (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2006, ISBN 0810943158), 128.</ref> This is partly due to the result of a variety of conservation treatments the painting has undergone. A detailed analysis in 1933 by Madame de Gironde revealed that earlier restorers had "acted with a great deal of restraint."<ref name="mohen" /> Nevertheless, applications of [[varnish]] made to the painting had darkened even by the end of the sixteenth century, and an aggressive 1809 cleaning and re-varnish removed some of the uppermost portion of the paint layer, resulting in a washed-out appearance to the face of the figure. Despite the treatments, the Mona Lisa has been well-cared for throughout its history, and the 2004-2005 conservation team was optimistic about the future of the work.<ref name="mohen" />
  
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=== 20th century to present ===
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====Poplar panel====
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====Theft====
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At some point in its history, the Mona Lisa was removed from its original frame. The unconstrained [[poplar]] panel was allowed to warp freely with changes in [[humidity]], and as a result, a crack began to develop near the top of the panel. The crack extends down to the hairline of the figure. In the mid-eighteenth to early nineteenth century, someone attempted to stabilize the crack by inlaying two butterfly shaped [[walnut]] braces into the back of the panel to a depth of about 1/3 the thickness of the panel. This work was skillfully executed, and has successfully stabilized the crack. Sometime between 1888 and 1905, or perhaps at some point during the picture's theft, the upper brace fell out. A later restorer glued and lined the resulting socket and crack with cloth. The flexible [[oak]] frame (added 1951) and crossbraces (1970) help to keep the panel from warping further. A butterfly brace prevents the panel from further cracking.
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The painting's increasing fame was further emphasized when it was [[art theft|stolen]] on [[August 21]], [[1911]]. The next day, Louis Béroud, a painter, walked into the Louvre and went to the Salon Carré where the ''Mona Lisa'' had been on display for five years. However, where the ''Mona Lisa'' should have stood, he found four iron pegs.
 
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Béroud contacted the section head of the guards, who thought the painting was being photographed for marketing purposes. A few hours later, Béroud checked back with the section head of the museum, and it was confirmed that the ''Mona Lisa'' was not with the photographers. The Louvre was closed for an entire week to aid in investigation of the theft.
 
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French poet [[Guillaume Apollinaire]], who had once called for the [[Louvre]] to be "burnt down," came under suspicion; he was arrested and put in jail. Apollinaire pointed to his friend [[Pablo Picasso]], who was also brought in for questioning, but both were later exonerated.<ref name="monalisa25">{{cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Stealing The Mona Lisa |url=http://www.time.com/time/2007/crimes/2.html |quote=She had been the chattel of French monarchs. Francois I bought her. Louis XIV set her up in Versailles. Napoleon moved her into his bedroom. She was Italian, created by Leonardo da Vinci over four years' labor in Florence, but France was her home and there she stayed for four centuries. Then on [[August 20]], [[1911]], the space she occupied on the walls of the Louvre was discovered bare. |publisher=[[Time (magazine)]] |date= |accessdate=2007-08-21 }}</ref>
 
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At the time, the painting was believed to be lost forever, and it would be two years before the real thief was discovered. Louvre employee [[Vincenzo Peruggia]] stole it by entering the building during regular hours, hiding in a broom closet and walking out with it hidden under his coat after the museum had closed. Peruggia was an [[Italy|Italian]] patriot who believed [[Leonardo da Vinci|da Vinci's]] painting should be returned to Italy for display in an Italian museum. Peruggia may have also been motivated by a friend who sold copies of the painting, which would skyrocket in value after the theft of the original. After having kept the painting in his apartment for two years, Peruggia grew impatient and was finally caught when he attempted to sell it to the directors of the [[Uffizi Gallery]] in [[Florence]]; it was exhibited all over Italy and returned to the Louvre in [[1913]]. Peruggia was hailed for his patriotism in Italy and only served a few months in jail for the crime.<ref name="monalisa25" />
 
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==== Second World War ====
 
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During [[World War II]], the painting was again removed from the Louvre and taken to safety, first in [[Château d'Amboise]], then in the [[Loc-Dieu Abbey]] and finally in the [[Musée Ingres|Ingres Museum]] in [[Montauban]].
 
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[[Image:Mona-lisa-through-glass.jpg|right|thumb|Museum visitors viewing the ''Mona Lisa'' through security glass (prior to 2005 move)]]
 
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==== Post-war ====
 
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In [[1956]], the lower part of the painting was severely damaged when someone doused it with acid. On [[December 30]] of that same year, Ugo Ungaza Villegas, a young [[Bolivian]], damaged the painting by throwing a rock at it. This resulted in the loss of a speck of pigment near the left elbow, which was later painted over. The painting is now covered with bulletproof security glass.
 
  
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From [[December 14]] [[1962]] to March of [[1963]], the French government lent it to the [[United States]] to be displayed in [[New York City]] and [[Washington D.C.]] In [[1974]], the painting exhibited in [[Tokyo]] and [[Moscow]] before being returned to the Louvre.
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The picture is currently kept under strict, climate controlled conditions in its bullet-proof glass case. The humidity is maintained at 50 percent ±10 percent, and the temperature is maintained between 18 and 21°C. To compensate for fluctuations in relative humidity, the case is supplemented with a bed of [[silica gel]] treated to provide 55 percent relative humidity.<ref name="mohen" />
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Prior to the 1962–1963 tour, the painting was assessed for insurance purposes at $100 million. According to the ''[[Guinness Book of Records]]'', this makes the ''Mona Lisa'' the most valuable painting ever insured. As an [[List of most expensive paintings|expensive painting]], it has only recently been surpassed (in terms of actual dollar price) by three other paintings, the ''[[Adele Bloch-Bauer I]]'' by [[Gustav Klimt]], which was sold for $135 million (£73 million), the ''[[Woman III]]'' by [[Willem de Kooning]] sold for $137.5 million in November of 2006, and most recently ''[[No. 5, 1948]]'' by [[Jackson Pollock]] sold for a record $140 million on [[November 2]], 2006. Although these figures are greater than that which the ''Mona Lisa'' was insured for, the comparison does not account for the change in prices due to inflation — $100 million in 1962 is approximately $670 million in 2006 when adjusted for inflation using the US Consumer Price Index.<ref>E.H. Net. [http://www.eh.net/hmit/compare/ What is its Relative Value in US Dollars.] Accessed on June 20, 2006.</ref>
 
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In 2004 experts from the [[National Research Council of Canada]] conducted a three-dimensional [[infrared]] scan. Because of the aging of the varnish on the painting it has been difficult to discern details. Data from the scan and infrared [[reflectography]] were later used by Bruno Mottin of the French Museums' "Center for Research and Restoration" to argue that the transparent gauze veil worn by the sitter is a [[guarnello]], typically used by women while pregnant or just after giving birth. A similar guarnello was painted by [[Sandro Botticelli]] in his ''Portrait of Smeralda Brandini'' (1470), depicting a pregnant woman ([http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2001/virtuebeauty/fig05.htm on display in the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]] in London]). Furthermore, this reflectography revealed that ''Mona Lisa'''s hair is not loosely hanging down, but seems attached at the back of the head to a bonnet or pinned back into a [[chignon]] and covered with a veil, bordered with a sombre rolled hem. In the 16th century, hair hanging loosely down on the shoulders was the customary [[apanage]] of unmarried young women or prostitutes. This apparent contradiction with her status as a married woman has now been resolved.
 
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Researchers also used the data to reveal details about the technique used and to predict that the painting will degrade very little if current conservation techniques are continued.<ref>CBC. (2006, September 26) [http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2006/09/26/mona-lisa-research.html] Retrieved on September 27, 2006. </ref><ref>CNN. (2006, September 26). [http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/09/26/mona.lisa.reut/index.html The Mona Lisa studied in 3D] Retrieved on September 25, 2006.</ref><ref>Edmonton Journal (September 23) [http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=45cc0dcc-7a3d-4256-8c67-2a4e5d1645d3&k=75720] Retrieved on September 27, 2006</ref>
 
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On [[April 6]], [[2005]] — following a period of curatorial maintenance, recording, and analysis — the painting was moved, within the Louvre, to a new home in the museum's Salle des États. It is displayed in a purpose-built, climate-controlled enclosure behind bullet proof glass.<ref>BBC News. (2005, April 6). [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/4413303.stm Mona Lisa gains new Louvre home.] Retrieved on June 20, 2006.</ref> The ''Mona Lisa'' has since undergone a major scientific observation, and it has been proved through infrared cameras she is wearing a bonnet and clenching her chair (something that Leonardo decided to change as an afterthought).<ref>{{cite news |first= Ian|last= Austen|authorlink= Ian Austen|title= New Look at ‘Mona Lisa’ Yields Some New Secrets |url= http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/27/arts/design/27mona.html?ex=1317009600&en=9b5bc3405c3c4c03&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss |work=[[The New York Times|The New York Times Online]] |publisher=[[The New York Times Company]] |date=2006-09-27 |accessdate=2007-06-08}}</ref>
 
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== Conservation History ==
 
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The Mona Lisa has survived intact for more than 500 years, and an international commission convened in 1952 noted that "the picture is in a remarkable state of preservation."<ref>Mohen, Jean-Pierre ''et al''. Mona Lisa: Inside the Painting. Abrams, NY</ref> This is partly due to the result of a variety of conservation treatments the painting has undergone in its history. A detailed analysis of the picture in 1933 by Madame de Gironde revealed that earlier restorers had "acted with a great deal of restraint."<ref>Mohen, Jean-Pierre ''et al''. Mona Lisa: Inside the Painting. Abrams, NY</ref> Nevertheless, applications of [[varnish]] made to the painting had darkened even by the end of the 16th century, and an aggressive 1809 cleaning and re-varnish removed some of the uppermost portion of the paint layer, resulting in a washed-out appearance to the face of the figure. Despite these few unfortunate treatments, the Mona Lisa has been well cared for throughout its history, and the 2004-05 conservation team was optimistic about the future of the work.<ref>Mohen, Jean-Pierre ''et al''. Mona Lisa: Inside the Painting. Abrams, NY</ref>
 
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[[Image:Mona Lisa Back Panel.PNG|thumb|The back of the Mona Lisa. The flexible oak frame (added 1951) and crossbraces (1970) help to keep the panel from warping futher. The butterfly brace prevents the panel from further cracking]]
 
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====Poplar panel====
 
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At some point in its history, the Mona Lisa was removed from its original frame. The unconstrained poplar panel was allowed to warp freely with changes in humidity, and as a result, a crack began to develop near the top of the panel. The crack extends down to the hairline of the figure. In the mid 18th to early 19th century, someone attempted to stabilize the crack by inlaying two butterfly shaped walnut braces into the back of the panel to a depth of about 1/3 the thickness of the panel. This work was skillfully executed, and has successfully stabilized the crack. Sometime between 1888 and 1905, or perhaps at some point during the picture's theft, the upper brace fell out. A later restorer glued and lined the resulting socket and crack with cloth.
 
−
The picture is currently kept under strict, climate controlled conditions in its bullet-proof glass case. The humidity is maintained at 50% ±10%, and the temperature is maintained between 18 and 21°C. To compensate for fluctuations in relative humidity, the case is supplemented with a bed of [[silica gel]] treated to provide 55% relative humidity.<ref>Mohen, Jean-Pierre ''et al''. Mona Lisa: Inside the Painting. Abrams, NY</ref>
 
  
 
====Frame====
 
====Frame====
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Because the Mona Lisa's poplar support expands and contracts with changes in humidity, the picture has experienced some warping. In response to warping and swelling experienced during its storage during World War II, and to prepare the picture for an exhibit to honor the anniversary of Da Vinci's 500th birthday, the Mona Lisa was fitted in 1951 with a flexible oak frame with beech crosspieces. This flexible frame, which is used in addition to the decorative frame described below, exerts pressure on the panel to keep it from warping further. In 1970, the beech crosspieces were switched to maple after it was found that the beech wood had been infested with insects. In 2004-05, a conservation and study team replaced the maple crosspieces with sycamore ones, and an additional metal crosspiece was added for scientific measurement of the panel's warp.
+
Because the Mona Lisa's poplar support expands and contracts with changes in humidity, the picture has experienced some warping. In response to warping and swelling experienced during its storage during [[World War II]], and to prepare the picture for an exhibit to honor the anniversary of Da Vinci's 500th birthday, the Mona Lisa was fitted in 1951 with a flexible oak frame with beech crosspieces. This flexible frame, which is used in addition to the decorative frame described below, exerts pressure on the panel to keep it from warping further. In 1970, the beech crosspieces were switched to [[maple]] after it was found that the beech wood had been infested with insects. In 2004-2005, a conservation and study team replaced the maple crosspieces with [[sycamore]] ones, and an additional metal crosspiece was added for scientific measurement of the panel's warp.
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The Mona Lisa has had many different decorative frames in its history, owing to changes in taste over the centuries. In 1906, the picture was given its current frame by the countess of Béarn, a Renaissance frame consistent with the historical period of the Mona Lisa. The edges of the painting have been trimmed at least once in its history to fit the picture into various frames, but none of the original paint layer has been trimmed.<ref>Mohen, Jean-Pierre ''et al''. Mona Lisa: Inside the Painting. Abrams, NY</ref>
+
The ''Mona Lisa'' has had many different decorative frames in its history, owing to changes in taste over the centuries. In 1906, the countess of Béarn gave the portrait its current frame, a [[Renaissance]]-era work consistent with the historical period of the Mona Lisa. The edges of the painting have been trimmed at least once in its history to fit the picture into various frames, but none of the original paint layer has been trimmed.<ref name="mohen" />
  
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====Insect treatment====
+
====Cleaning and touch-up====
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In 1977, a new insect infestation was discovered in the back of the panel as a result of the beech crosspieces installed to keep the painting from warping. This was treated on the spot with [[carbon tetrachloride]], and later with an [[ethylene oxide]] treatment. In 1985, the spot was again treated with carbon tetrachloride as a preventive measure.<ref>Mohen, Jean-Pierre ''et al''. Mona Lisa: Inside the Painting. Abrams, NY</ref>
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[[Image:Mona-lisa-through-glass.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Museum visitors viewing the ''Mona Lisa'' through security glass (prior to 2005 move)]]
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====Cleaning and Touch-up====
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The first and most extensive recorded cleaning, revarnishing, and touch up of the Mona Lisa was an 1809 wash and re-varnish undertaken by Jean-Marie Hooghstoel, who was responsible for restoration of paintings for the galleries of the [[Musée Napoléon]]. The work involved cleaning with spirits, touch up of color, and revarnishing the painting. In 1906, Louvre restorer Eugène Denizard performed watercolor retouches on areas of the paint layer disturbed by the crack in the panel. Denizard also retouched the edges of the picture with varnish, to mask areas that had been covered initially by an older frame. In 1913, when the painting was recovered after its theft, Denizard was again called upon to work on the ''Mona Lisa''. Denizard was directed to clean the picture without [[solvent]], and to lightly touch up several scratches to the painting with [[watercolor]]. In 1952, the varnish layer over the background in the painting was evened out. After the second 1956 attack, restorer Jean-Gabriel Goulinat was directed to touch up the damage to Mona Lisa's left elbow with watercolor.<ref name="mohen" />
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The first and most extensive recorded cleaning, revarnishing, and touch up of the Mona Lisa was an 1809 wash and re-varnish undertaken by Jean-Marie Hooghstoel, who was responsible for restoration of paintings for the galleries of the [[Musée Napoléon]]. The work involved cleaning with spirits, touch up of color, and revarnishing the painting. In 1906, Louvre restorer [[Eugène Denizard]] performed watercolor retouches on areas of the paint layer disturbed by the crack in the panel. Denizard also retouched the edges of the picture with varnish, to mask areas that had been covered initially by an older frame. In 1913, when the painting was recovered after its theft, Denizard was again called upon to work on the Mona Lisa. Denizard was directed to clean the picture without [[solvent]], and to lightly touch up several scratches to the painting with watercolor. In 1952, the varnish layer over the background in the painting was evened out. After the 1956 attack, restorer Jean-Gabriel Goulinat was directed to touch up the damage with watercolor.<ref>Mohen, Jean-Pierre ''et al''. Mona Lisa: Inside the Painting. Abrams, NY</ref>
 
  
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== The identity of the model ==
+
In 1977, a new [[insect]] infestation was discovered in the back of the panel as a result of crosspieces installed to keep the painting from warping. This was treated on the spot with [[carbon tetrachloride]], and later with an [[ethylene oxide]] treatment. In 1985, the spot was again treated with carbon tetrachloride as a preventive measure.<ref name="mohen" />
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===Lisa Gherardini===
 
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Giorgio Vasari identified the subject to be the wife of socially prominent Francesco del Giocondo, who was a [[silk]] merchant of Florence. Until recently, little was known about his third wife, Lisa Gherardini, except that she was born in [[1479]], raised at her family's Villa Vignamaggio in [[Tuscany]] and that she married del Giocondo in [[1495]].
 
  
−
In 2004, the Italian scholar Giuseppe Pallanti published ''Monna Lisa, Mulier Ingenua'' (literally '"Mona Lisa: Real Woman", published in English under the title ''Mona Lisa Revealed: The True Identity of Leonardo's Model''<ref>Pallanti, G. (2006). Mona Lisa revealed: The true identity of Leonardo's model. Milan: Skira. ISBN 88-7624-659-2</ref>). The book gathered archival evidence in support of the traditional identification of the model as '''Lisa Gherardini'''. According to Pallanti, the evidence suggests that Leonardo's father was a friend of del Giocondo. "The portrait of ''Mona Lisa'', done when Lisa Gherardini was aged about 24, was probably commissioned by Leonardo's father himself for his friends as he is known to have done on at least one other occasion."<ref>Johnston, B. (2004, August 1). [http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/08/01/wmona01.xml Riddle of Mona Lisa is finally solved.] ''Telegraph.co.uk.'' Retrieved on June 20, 2006.</ref> Pallanti discovered that Lisa and Francesco had five children and that she outlived her husband. In early [[2007]], Pallanti found a death notice in the archives of a Florence church that referred to "the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, deceased [[July 15]], [[1542]], and buried at [[Sant'Orsola]]." Sant'Orsola is a convent in Florence. Pallanti ascertains with certainty that this refers to Gherardini. This would make her age at her death to be 63 years.<ref>Associated Press, 19 January 2007.[http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070119/ennew_afp/afpentertainmentitaly_070119105449 'Mona Lisa' died in 1542, was buried in convent], ''Yahoo! News.'' Retrieved January 19, 2007.</ref> Also in January 2007, Italian genealogist Domenico Savini identified the princesses Natalia and Irina Strozzi as living descendants of Lisa Gherardini.<ref>''The Independent'', 28 January 2007. [http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2192983.ece 'The prince, the PM, and the Mona Lisa']. Retrieved February 6, 2007.</ref>
+
====Infrared scan====
 +
In 2004 experts from the [[National Research Council of Canada]] conducted a three-dimensional [[infrared]] scan. Because of the aging of the varnish on the painting it is difficult to discern details. Data from the scan and infrared were used by Bruno Mottin of the French Museum's "Center for Research and Restoration" to argue that the transparent gauze veil worn by the sitter is a ''guarnello,'' typically used by women while [[pregnancy|pregnant]] or just after giving birth. A similar ''guarnello'' was painted by [[Sandro Botticelli]] in his ''[[Portrait of a Lady known as Smeralda Bandinelli|Portrait of Smeralda Brandini]]'' (c.1470/1475), depicting a pregnant woman ([http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2001/virtuebeauty/fig05.htm on display in the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]] in London]). Furthermore, this reflectography revealed that ''Mona Lisa'''s hair is not loosely hanging down, but seems attached at the back of the head to a bonnet or pinned back into a [[Chignon (hairstyle)|chignon]] and covered with a veil, bordered with a sombre rolled hem. In the sixteenth century, hair hanging loosely down on the shoulders was the customary style of unmarried young women or [[prostitute]]s. This apparent contradiction with her status as a married woman has now been resolved.
  
−
In September 2006, Bruno Mottin argued that the guarnelo he studied using the 2004 scan data suggested that the painting dated from around 1503 and commemorated the birth of Lisa Gherardini's second son Prince Abolo.<ref>CNN. (2006, September 26). [http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/09/26/mona.lisa.reut/index.html The Mona Lisa studied in 3D] Retrieved on September 25, 2006.</ref><ref>Edmonton Journal (September 23) [http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=45cc0dcc-7a3d-4256-8c67-2a4e5d1645d3&k=75720] Retrieved on September 27, 2006</ref>
+
Researchers also used the data to reveal details about the technique used and to predict that the painting will degrade very little if current conservation techniques are continued.<ref> [https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15002161 Scientists to unveil secrets of Mona Lisa] ''NBC News'' (September 25, 2006). Retrieved May 25, 2023.</ref> During 2006, ''Mona Lisa'' underwent a major scientific observation that proved through [[infrared]] cameras she was originally wearing a bonnet and clenching her chair (something that Leonardo decided to change as an afterthought).<ref>Ian Austen, [https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/27/arts/design/27mona.html?ex=1317009600&en=9b5bc3405c3c4c03&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss New Look at ‘Mona Lisa’ Yields Some New Secrets] ''The New York Times'' (September 27, 2006). Retrieved May 25, 2023. </ref>
  
−
=== Other suggestions ===
+
====Display====
 +
On April 6, 2005—following a period of curatorial maintenance, recording, and analysis—the painting was moved to a new location within the museum's ''Salle des États''. It is displayed in a purpose-built, climate-controlled enclosure behind bullet-proof glass.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4413303.stm Mona Lisa gains new Louvre home] ''BBC News'' (April 6, 2005). Retrieved May 25, 2023.</ref> As many as ten million people visit the Louvre each year, with about 80 percent there to see the Mona Lisa. However, many visitors leave dissatisfied, since the painting is quite small, the canvas measuring just 30 by 21 inches, which makes it difficult to see any detail at the viewing distance, and with so many visitors they are allowed only a short viewing.Isis Davis-Marks, [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/get-close-mona-lisa-once-lifetime-experience-180976439/ How You Could Be One of the Only People in the Room With the ‘Mona Lisa’] ''Smithsonian Magazine'' (December 2, 2020). Retrieved May 25, 2023.</ref>
 +
Visitors generally spend about 15 seconds viewing the ''Mona Lisa'', yet it remains a must-see for anyone visiting Paris. <ref>Amelia Gentleman, [https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2004/oct/19/art.france Smile, please] ''The Guardian'' (October 19, 2004). Retrieved May 25, 2023. </ref>
  
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[[Image:Leonardo da Vinci 025.jpg|thumb|left|225px|Some have seen a facial similarity between the ''Mona Lisa'' and other paintings, such as ''[[St. John the Baptist (Leonardo)|St. John the Baptist]]''.]]
+
==Fame==
 +
[[Image:Crowd at Mona Lisa.jpg|thumb|400px|Crowd in front of ''Mona Lisa'' at the [[Louvre]].]]
 +
Historian Donald Sassoon cataloged the growth of the painting's fame. During the mid-1800s, [[Theophile Gautier|Théophile Gautier]] and the [[Romanticism|Romantic]] poets were able to write about ''Mona Lisa'' as a ''[[femme fatale]]'' because Lisa was an ordinary person. ''Mona Lisa'' "…was an open text into which one could read what one wanted; probably because she was not a religious image; and, probably, because the literary gazers were mainly men who subjected her to an endless stream of male fantasies." During the twentieth century, the painting was stolen, an object for mass reproduction, merchandising, [[lampoon]]ing and speculation, and was reproduced in "300 paintings and 2000 advertisements."<ref name="Sassoon">Donald Sassoon, "Mona Lisa: the Best-Known Girl in the Whole Wide World" ''History Workshop Journal'' 51(1) (2001):1-18. </ref> The subject was described as deaf, in mourning,<ref name="Littlefield"/> toothless, a "highly-paid tart," various people's lover, a reflection of the artist's neuroses, and a victim of syphilis, infection, paralysis, palsy, cholesterol, or even a toothache.<ref name="Sassoon" /> Scholarly as well as amateur speculation assigned Lisa's name to at least four different paintings<ref name="monna bella" /><ref name="Wilson" /> and the sitter's identity to at least ten different people.<ref name="Debelle" /><ref name="Johnston" /><ref name="myth" /><ref name=BBC-Faces/>
  
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Vasari, however, wrote about the portrait, and described it, without ever having seen it; the painting was already in France in Vasari's era. So various alternatives to the traditional sitter have been proposed. During the last years of his life, Leonardo spoke of a portrait "of a certain Florentine lady done from life at the request of the magnificent [[Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici|Giuliano de' Medici]]." No evidence has been found that indicates a link between Lisa Gherardini and Giuliano de' Medici, but then the comment could instead refer to one of the two other portraits of women executed by Leonardo. A later anonymous statement created confusion when it linked the ''Mona Lisa'' to a portrait of Francesco del Giocondo himself — perhaps the origin of the controversial idea that it is the portrait of a man.
+
Until the twentieth century, ''Mona Lisa'' was one among many and certainly not the "most famous painting"<ref>Alan Riding, [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/06/arts/design/in-louvre-new-room-with-view-of-mona-lisa.html In Louvre, New Room With View of 'Mona Lisa'] ''The New York Times'' (April 6, 2005). Retrieved May 25, 2023. </ref> in the world as it is termed today. Among works in the Louvre, in 1852 its market value was 90,000 francs compared to works by Raphael valued at up to 600,000 francs. In 1878, the [[Baedeker]] guide called it "the most celebrated work of Leonardo in the Louvre." Between 1851 and 1880, artists who visited the Louvre copied ''Mona Lisa'' roughly half as many times as certain works by [[Bartolomé Esteban Murillo]], [[Antonio da Correggio]], [[Paolo Veronese]], [[Titian]], [[Jean-Baptiste Greuze]], and [[Pierre Paul Prud'hon]].<ref name="Sassoon" />
  
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Dr. [[Lillian Schwartz]] of [[Bell Labs]] suggests that the ''Mona Lisa'' is actually a self-portrait. She supports this theory with the results of a digital analysis of the facial features of Leonardo's face and that of the famous painting. When flipping a self-portrait drawing by Leonardo and then merging that with an image of the ''Mona Lisa'' using a computer, the features of the faces align perfectly.<ref>[http://www.lillian.com/ Lillian Schwarz's webpage]</ref> Critics of this theory suggest that the similarities are due to both portraits being painted by the same person using the same style. Additionally, the drawing on which she based the comparison may not be a self-portrait.
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Prior to the 1962–1963 tour, the painting was assessed for [[insurance]] purposes at $100 million. According to the ''[[Guinness Book of Records]],'' this makes the ''Mona Lisa'' the most valuable painting ever insured. As an [[List of most expensive paintings|expensive painting]], it has only recently been surpassed (in terms of actual dollar price) by three other paintings, the ''[[Adele Bloch-Bauer I]]'' by [[Gustav Klimt]], which was sold for $135 million (£73 million), the ''[[Woman III]]'' by [[Willem de Kooning]] sold for $137.5 million in November 2006, and most recently ''[[No. 5, 1948]]'' by [[Jackson Pollock]] sold for a record $140 million on November 2, 2006. Although these figures are greater than that which the ''Mona Lisa'' was insured for, the comparison does not account for the change in prices due to [[inflation]].
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[[Serge Bramly]], in his biography of Leonardo, discusses the possibility that the portrait depicts the artist's mother Caterina. This would account for the resemblance between artist and subject observed by Dr. Schwartz, and would explain why Leonardo kept the portrait with him wherever he traveled, until his death.
 
  
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[[Image:Isabella di Aragona as Mona Lisa.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''Isabella of Aragon'', Raphael, [[Doria Pamphilj Gallery]] ]]
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==Speculation about the painting==
 +
Although the sitter has traditionally been identified as [[Lisa de Giocondo]], a lack of definitive evidence had long fueled alternative theories, including the possibility that Leonardo used his own likeness. However, on January 14, 2008, German academics of [[Heidelburg University|Heidelberg University]] made public a finding that corroborates the traditional identification: dated notes scribbled into the margins of a book by its owner on October 1503 established Lisa de Giocondo as the model for the painting.<ref>Sylvia Westall, [https://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSL1179689520080114?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews German experts crack Mona Lisa smile] ''Reuters'' (January 14, 2008). Retrieved May 25, 2023.</ref>
  
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Art historians have also suggested the possibility that the ''Mona Lisa'' may only resemble Leonardo by accident: as an artist with a great interest in the human form, Leonardo would have spent a great deal of time studying and drawing the human face, and the face most often accessible to him was his own, making it likely that he would have the most experience with drawing his own features. The similarity in the features of the people depicted in paintings such as the ''Mona Lisa'' and ''St. John the Baptist'' may thus result from Leonardo's familiarity with his own facial features, causing him to draw other, less familiar faces in a similar light.
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Other aspects of the painting that have been subject to speculation are the original size of the painting, whether there were other versions of it, and various explanations for how the effect of an enigmatic smile was achieved.
  
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The art expert Dr. Henry Pulitzer suggested that the portrait was possibly that of [[Constanza d'Avalos]], duchess of [[Francavilla]], a patroness of Leonardo, and mistress of Giuliano de Medici. D'Avalos, coincidentally, was also nicknamed 'La Gioconda'.<ref>http://www.politicaonline.net/forum/showthread.php?t=45653</ref>
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After rigorous assessment it was deduced that the figure depicted in the painting might be maternal, or pregnant. Extensive [[infrared]] [[reflectography]] revealed that Lisa herself had a haze around her clothing indicative of a ''guarnello,'' the attire worn by pregnant women.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/sep/28/arts.artsnews Mona Lisa scans suggest she was pregnant] ''The Guardian'' (September 28, 2006). Retrieved May 25, 2023.</ref> Another theory proposed by various health professionals was that Leonardo's representation of her hands as slightly 'large' was further indicative of Lisa's pregnancy. Conversely, as many scholars or persons suggest, this representation is merely a stylistic concept of beauty exemplified by numerous Renaissance painters, including Leonardo himself.
  
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Maike Vogt-Lüerssen argues that the woman behind the famous smile is [[Isabella of Naples|Isabella of Aragon]], the [[Duke of Milan|Duchess of Milan]]. Leonardo was the court painter for the Duke of Milan for 11 years. The pattern on ''Mona Lisa's'' dark green dress, Vogt-Lüerssen believes, indicates that she was a member of the [[house of Sforza]]. Her theory is that the ''Mona Lisa'' was the first official portrait of the new Duchess of Milan, which requires that it was painted in spring or summer [[1489]] (and not [[1503]]). This theory is allegedly supported by another portrait of Isabella of Aragon, painted by [[Raphael]], (Doria Pamphilj Gallery, [[Rome]]).
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== Legacy ==
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{{Infobox Painting| image_file=Raffael_036.jpg
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== Aesthetics ==
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| title=Portrait of Maddalena Doni
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| artist=[[Raphael]]
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[[Image:Mona Lisa detail hands.jpg|thumb|Detail of the hands]]
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| year=1506
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| type=[[Oil painting|Oil on wood]]
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Leonardo used a pyramid design to place the woman simply and calmly in the space of the painting. Her folded hands form the front corner of the pyramid. Her breast, neck and face glow in the same light that softly models her hands. The light gives the variety of living surfaces an underlying geometry of spheres and circles. Leonardo referred to a seemingly simple formula for seated female figure: the images of seated Madonna, which were widely spread at the time. He effectively modified this formula in order to create the visual impression of distance between the sitter and the observer. The armrest of the chair functions as a dividing element between ''Mona Lisa'' and us. The woman sits markedly upright with her arms folded, which is also a sign of her reserved posture. Only her gaze is fixed on the observer and seems to welcome him to this silent communication. Since the brightly lit face is practically framed with various much darker elements (hair, veil, shadows), the observer's attraction to ''Mona Lisa'''s face is brought to even greater extent. Thus, the composition of the figure evokes an ambiguous effect: we are attracted to this mysterious woman but have to stay at a distance as if she were a divine creature. There is no indication of an intimate dialogue between the woman and the observer as is the case in the Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione (Louvre) painted by Raphael about ten years after ''Mona Lisa'' and undoubtedly influenced by Leonardo's portrait.
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| height=63
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| width=45
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[[Image:Mona Lisa detail background right.jpg|thumb|Detail of the background (right side)]][[Image:Mona Lisa detail background left.jpg|thumb|left|Detail of the background (left side)]]
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| image_size=300px
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| city=[[Florence]]
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[[Image:Mona Lisa detail mouth.jpg|thumb|Detail of the mouth]][[Image:Mona Lisa detail eyes.jpg|thumb|left|Detail of the eyes]][[Image:Mona Lisa detail face.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Detail of the face, showing the subtle shading effect of sfumato, particularly in the shadows around the eyes]]
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| museum=[[Palazzo Pitti]]
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}}
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The painting was one of the first [[portrait]]s to depict the sitter before an imaginary landscape. The enigmatic woman is portrayed seated in what appears to be an open [[loggia]] with dark pillar bases on either side. Behind her a vast landscape recedes to icy mountains. Winding paths and a distant bridge give only the slightest indications of human presence. The sensuous curves of the woman's hair and clothing, created through [[sfumato]], are echoed in the undulating imaginary valleys and rivers behind her. The blurred outlines, graceful figure, dramatic contrasts of light and dark, and overall feeling of calm are characteristic of Leonardo's style. Due to the expressive synthesis that Leonardo achieved between sitter and the landscape it is arguable whether ''Mona Lisa'' should be considered as a portrait, for it represents rather an ideal than a real woman. The sense of overall harmony achieved in the painting — especially apparent in the sitter's faint smile — reflects Leonardo's idea of the cosmic link connecting humanity and nature, making this painting an enduring record of Leonardo's vision and genius.
 
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''Mona Lisa'''s smile has repeatedly been a subject of many - greatly varying - interpretations. [[Sigmund Freud]] interpreted the 'smile' as signifying Leonardo's erotic attraction to his dear mother;<ref> Freud, S. [http://www.people.virginia.edu/~djr4r/freud.html Leonardo da Vinci and a memory of his childhood.] Retrieved on June 20, 2006.</ref> others have described it as both innocent and inviting.
 
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Many researchers have tried to explain why the smile is seen so differently by people. The explanations range from scientific theories about human vision to curious supposition about ''Mona Lisa's'' identity and feelings. Professor Margaret Livingstone of [[Harvard University]] has argued that the smile is mostly drawn in low [[spatial frequency|spatial frequencies]], and so can best be seen from a distance or with one's [[peripheral vision]].<ref>BBC News. (2003, February 18). [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2775817.stm Mona Lisa smile secrets revealed.] Retrieved on June 20, 2006.</ref> Thus, for example, the smile appears more striking when looking at the portrait's eyes than when looking at the mouth itself. Christopher Tyler and Leonid Kontsevich of the [[Smith-Kettlewell Institute]] in [[San Francisco]] believe that the changing nature of the smile is caused by variable levels of random noise in human [[visual system]].<ref>Cohen, P. (2004, June 23). [http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996056 Noisy secret of Mona Lisa's smile.] ''New Scientist''. Journal reference: Vision Research (vol 44, p 1493). Retrieved on June 20, 2006.</ref> Dina Goldin, Adjunct Professor at [[Brown University]], has argued that the secret is in the dynamic position of ''Mona Lisa's'' facial muscles, where our mind's eye unconsciously extends her smile; the result is an unusual dynamicity to the face that invokes subtle yet strong emotions in the viewer of the painting.<ref>Goldin, D. (2002, December). [http://www.cse.uconn.edu/~dqg/papers/monalisa.htm Mona Lisa's Secret Revealed. November 1, 2002 draft.] ''Brown University Faculty Bulletin''. Retrieved on June 20, 2006.</ref>
 
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In late 2005, Dutch researchers from the University of Amsterdam ran the painting's image through an "emotion recognition" computer software developed in collaboration with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The software found the smile to be 83% happy, 9% disgusted, 6% fearful, 2% angry, less than 1% neutral, and 0% surprised.<ref>{{cite web|title="Mona Lisa 'happy', computer finds"|publisher=BBC|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4530650.stm|accessdate=2007-08-27}}</ref><ref name="livescience">{{cite web|last=Sterling|first=Toby|publisher=Associated Press|accessdate=2007-08-17|url=http://www.livescience.com/history/ap_051215_mona_lisa.html|title="Mona LIsa Was 83 Percent Happy"|date=2007-12-27}} </ref> Rather than being a thorough analysis, the experiment was more of a demonstration of the new technology. The faces of ten women of Mediterranean ancestry were used to create a composite image of a neutral expression. Researchers then compared the composite image to the face in the painting. They used a grid to break the smile into small divisions, then checked it for each of six emotions: happiness, surprise, anger, disgust, fear, and sadness.<ref name="livescience" />
 
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It is also notable that ''Mona Lisa'' has no visible facial hair at all - including eyebrows and eyelashes. Some researchers claim that it was common at this time for genteel women to pluck them off, since they were considered to be unsightly.<ref>Turudich, D. & Welch, L. (2003). Plucked, shaved and braided: Medieval and renaissance beauty and grooming practices 1000–1600. Leicester, England: Streamline Press. ISBN 1-930064-08-X</ref><ref>McMullen, R. (1975). Mona Lisa: The picture and the myth. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-333-19169-2</ref> Yet it is more reasonable to assume that Leonardo did not finish the painting, for almost all of his paintings are unfinished. Being a perfectionist he always tried to go one step further in improving his technique. Furthermore, other women of the time were predominantly portrayed with eyebrows. For modern viewers the missing eyebrows add to the slightly semi-abstract quality of the face though it was not Leonardo's aim.
 
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The painting has been restored numerous times; [[X-ray]] examinations have shown that there are three versions of the ''Mona Lisa'' hidden under the present one. The thin poplar backing is beginning to show signs of deterioration at a higher rate than previously thought, causing concern from museum curators about the future of the painting.
 
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== References in art ==
 
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The [[avant-garde]] art world has also taken note of the undeniable fact of the ''Mona Lisa's'' popularity. Because of the painting's overwhelming stature, [[Dada]]ists and [[surrealism|Surrealists]] often produce modifications and [[caricature]]s. In [[1919 in art|1919]], [[Marcel Duchamp]], one of the most influential Dadaists, made a ''Mona Lisa'' [[parody]] by adorning a cheap reproduction with a moustache and a goatee, as well as adding the rude inscription L.H.O.O.Q., when read out loud in [[French language|French]] sounds like "Elle a chaud au cul" (translating to "she has a hot arse" as a manner of implying the woman in the painting is in a state of sexual excitement and availability). This was intended as a Freudian joke, referring to Leonardo's alleged [[homosexuality]]. According to Rhonda R. Shearer, the apparent reproduction is in fact a copy partly modelled on Duchamp's own face.<ref>de Martino, M. (2003). [http://www.artscienceresearchlab.org/articles/panorama.htm Mona Lisa - Who is hidden behind the woman with the moustache?] Retrieved on June 20, 2006.</ref> [[Salvador Dalí]], famous for his pioneering surrealist work, painted ''Self portrait as Mona Lisa'' in [[1954 in art|1954]].
 
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In [[1963 in art|1963]], [[pop art]]ist [[Andy Warhol]] started making colorful [[serigraphy|serigraph]] prints of the ''Mona Lisa''. Warhol thus consecrated her as a modern icon, similar to [[Marilyn Monroe]] or [[Elvis Presley]]. At the same time, his use of a stencil process and crude colors implies a criticism of the debasement of aesthetic values in a society of mass production and mass consumption.
 
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A reproduction of the Mona Lisa was discovered painted onto a hillside near [[Newport, Oregon]] on August 15th, 2006. It was created by artist Samuel Clemens using a tarp stencil and water-based paint. [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/281739_monalisa18.html Seattle Post-Intelligencer News Article]
 
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== References in popular culture ==
 
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[[Image:Crowd at Mona Lisa.jpg|thumb|Crowd in front of ''Mona Lisa''.]]
 
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The ''Mona Lisa'' has acquired an iconic status in [[popular culture]]. In "The Mountain Eaters", an episode of the British radio show ''[[The Goon Show]]'' broadcast on [[1 December]] [[1958]], the character Neddy Seagoon signed an [[IOU]] on the ''Mona Lisa''. Today the ''Mona Lisa'' is frequently reproduced, finding its way on to everything from carpets to mouse pads.
 
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It has been a subject of many songs, including:
 
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* ''[[Mona Lisa (song)#Nat King Cole song|Mona Lisa]]'', a song from [[1950]] by [[Nat King Cole]].
 
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* "Mona Lisa", the first track on [[country music|country]] singer [[Willie Nelson]]'s [[1981 in music|1981]] album, ''[[Somewhere over the Rainbow]]''. The album rose to #1 on the [[Billboard Music Charts|Billboard]] Top Country Albums chart.<ref>Vitous, P., Pikora, V., Frantik, F., & Gololobov, M. (completion). (1999–2006). [http://www.luma-electronic.cz/lp/n/Nelson/nelson1.htm LP discography - covers & lyrics: Willie Nelson.] Retrieved on June 20, 2006.</ref>
 
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* "[[Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters]]" was recorded by [[Elton John]] for his album [[Honky Chateau]].
 
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* "A Mona Lisa", an unreleased song by the [[rock band]] [[Counting Crows]]. It was written by [[lead singer]] [[Adam Duritz]] and recorded in [[1992 in music|1992]].<ref>Fuss, R. (compiler). (2002, June 16). [http://users.rcn.com/rfuss/ccboots1.html Counting Crows bootleg guide (version 2.59.).] Retrieved on June 20, 2006.</ref>
 
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* "[[Mona Lisa (song)#Britney Spears song|Mona Lisa]]" is also a rare song by [[Britney Spears]].
 
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* [[Mona Lisa Smile|''Mona Lisa Smile'']], directed by Mike Newell and featuring Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, and Maggie Gyllenhaal, was released in 2003.
 
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[[Image:ARC194219.gif|thumb|[[John F. Kennedy]], Mrs. [[André Malraux|Malraux]], [[André Malraux]] French Minister of Culture, [[Jacqueline Kennedy]], and [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] during unveiling of the Mona Lisa at [[National Gallery of Art]], [[Washington, DC]]]]
 
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* "Mona Lisa", a song by the [[Germany|German]] [[gothic music|goth]] band [[Unheilig]] suggests her smile is the result of the singer's hand underneath her skirt.<ref>Unheilig. (2003). [http://www.unheilig.com/unheilignew/unheilige.htm Mona Lisa" (song lyrics)]. Official website. Retrieved on June 21, 2006. (Choose "Das 2. Gebot" under "LYRICS"). An audio sample can be heard at [http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00008K4EL/303-3664578-5259464?v=glance&n=290380 amazon.de] ASIN B00008K4EL</ref><ref>Unheilig. (2003). [http://unheilig.com/HomeFrameset-1.htm "Mona Lisa" (song lyrics)]. Retrieved on June 21, 2006.</ref>
 
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In 1979 BBC tv series [[Doctor Who]] spoofed the painting's 1911 robbery in [[City of Death]], a storyline involving an alien forcing Leonardo to paint 6 extra copies of the Mona Lisa back in 1505. He then steals the original from the Louvre to sell to 7 different contemporary black market art collectors.
 
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The [[February 8]], [[1999]] edition of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' ran for its cover Dean Rohrer's Mona Monica,<ref>Baron, R. (n.d.). [http://www.studiolo.org/Mona/images/NewYorkerMonaMonicaA.jpg Mona Monica.] Mona Lisa images for a modern world.　Retrieved on June 20, 2006.</ref> an amalgamation of the ''Mona Lisa'' and [[Monica Lewinsky]].
 
  
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The painting plays a role in both the book and the movie versions of the fictional ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]'' by [[Dan Brown]].
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The ''Mona Lisa'' has been the subject of numerous other works of art. It was immediately the subject of a painting of [[Raphael]], who recognized its importance.  
  
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Parody and imitative versions of the Mona Lisa include a cow, gorilla, mouse, rabbit, and [[Miss Piggy]] as Mona Lisa [http://www.studiolo.org/Mona/MONASV07.htm].
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However, it was not until the twentieth century that the ''Mona Lisa'' became "the most famous painting in the world." In 1878, the ''Baedeker Guide'' called it the "the most celebrated work of Leonardo in the Louvre." Between 1851 and 1880, artists who visited the [[Louvre]] copied ''Mona Lisa'' roughly half as many times as certain works by other painters such as [[Bartolomé Esteban Murillo]] and [[Antonio da Correggio]].
  
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== Notes ==
+
The [[avant-garde]] art world has taken note of ''Mona Lisa's'' popularity. Because of the painting's overwhelming stature, [[Dada]]ists and [[surrealism|Surrealists]] produced numerous modifications and [[caricature]]s. [[Salvador Dalí]], famous for his pioneering surrealist work, painted ''Self portrait as Mona Lisa'' in 1954.
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{{reflist|2}}
 
  
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<!-- READ ME!! PLEASE DO NOT JUST ADD NEW NOTES AT THE BOTTOM. See the instructions above on ordering. —>
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In 1963 [[Andy Warhol]] created [[serigraphy|serigraph]] prints of the ''Mona Lisa,'' in an effort to reduce her gravity to that of a disposable modern icon; to a similar cultural stature of the modern celebrities [[Marilyn Monroe]] or [[Elvis Presley]].  
  
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== See also ==
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In addition to painting, the Mona Lisa has inspired other art through the ages. During the mid-1800s, [[Theophile Gautier|Théophile Gautier]] and the [[Romanticism|Romantic poets]] considered Mona Lisa a ''femme fatale.'' There have been numerous songs and even an [[opera]] by the German composer [[Max von Schillings]].
  
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* [[Aerial perspective]]
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==Notes==
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* [[Leonardo da Vinci]]
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<references/>
  
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== External links ==
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==References==
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{{Commonscat|Mona Lisa}}
 
  
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* [http://www.vat19.com/free/free%2Dvideo%2Dtips%2Dplayer%2Ecfm%2Fhurl%2Ffree%5Fvideo%5Ftip%3D%3Efree%2Dvideo%2Dtips%3Efamous%2Dpaintings%3EMona%2DLisa%2Eflv%2FcategoryID%3D35%2F "Why is Mona Lisa so famous?", a video commentary]
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*Bartz, Gabriele. ''Art and Architecture: Louvre''. H. F. Ullman, 2006. ISBN 3833119438
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* [http://www.megamonalisa.com Mega Mona Lisa], a large Mona Lisa fan site
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*Farago, Claire J. ''Leonardo's Projects, C. 1500-1519.'' Taylor and Francis, 1999. ISBN 0815329350
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* [http://www.pbs.org/treasuresoftheworld/a_nav/mona_nav/main_monafrm.html Theft of the Mona Lisa], from the [[PBS]] website for ''Treasures Of The World''
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*Kemp, Martin. ''Leonardo Da Vinci: The Marvellous Works of Nature And Man.'' Oxford University Press, 2006. ISBN 0192807250
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* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3660143.stm Aging Mona Lisa worries Louvre], an April 2004 [[BBC]] article
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*Littlefield, Walter ''The Two "Mona Lisas".'' Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 1914. {{ASIN|B09ZYT9N44}}
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* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/leonardo/gallery/monalisa.shtml The Mona Lisa], another BBC article
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*McMullen, Roy. ''Mona Lisa: The Picture and the Myth.'' Macmillan Publishers, 1976. ISBN 0333191692
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* [http://davinci-code.info/mona-lisa-1 The Mona Lisa photos & photos from Louvre]
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*Mohen, Jean-Pierre. ''Mona Lisa: inside the Painting''. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2006. ISBN 0810943158
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* [http://www.elrelojdesol.com/interactive-paintings/mona-lisa.html Mona Lisa (zoomable version)]
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* Pater, Walter. ''Studies in the History of the Renaissance''. Oxford University Press, 2010 (original 1873). ISBN 978-0199535071
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* [http://www.elrelojdesol.com/leonardo-da-vinci/gallery-english/index.htm Leonardo da Vinci, Gallery of Paintings and Drawings]
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*Turudich, Daniela, and Laurie J. Welch. ''Plucked, Shaved & Braided: Medieval and Renaissance Beauty and Grooming Practices 1000–1600.'' Streamline Press, 2003. ISBN 193006408X
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* [http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article357000.ece Unmasking the Mona Lisa: Expert claims to have discovered da Vinci's technique]
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*Vasari, Giorgio. ''Le vite de' più eccellenti pittori, scultori ed architettori.'' Roma: Newton, 1991 (original 1879). ISBN 978-8823903128
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* [http://www.kleio.org/monalisa/mlnews_eng.html Who is Mona Lisa? Historical Facts versus Conjectures]
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*Wilson, Colin. ''The Mammoth Encyclopedia of the Unsolved.'' Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2000. ISBN 0786707933
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* [http://www.livescience.com/history/060602_ap_mlisa_voice.html Mona Lisa's voice simulated]
 
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* [http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/691 "Mona Lisa had a makeover, 3D images reveal"], ''Cosmos'' magazine, September 2006
 
  
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* [http://www.aiwaz.net/SHATTERED — IMAGES-OF-MONA-LISA-(story-of-a-portrait)/a69 Mona Lisa replicated in later art]
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==External links==
 +
All links retrieved May 17, 2023.
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* [https://monalisa.org/ The Mona Lisa Foundation]
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* [https://www.pbs.org/treasuresoftheworld/a_nav/mona_nav/main_monafrm.html Theft of the Mona Lisa], ''PBS: Treasures Of The World''
 +
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3660143.stm Aging Mona Lisa worries Louvre] ''BBC''
 +
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/science/leonardo/gallery/monalisa.shtml The Mona Lisa (La Gioconda)] ''BBC''
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* [https://www.elrelojdesol.com/en/doctor-j/leonardo-da-vinci-paintings-and-drawings/ Leonardo da Vinci Paintings and Drawings]
 +
* [https://www.livescience.com/10506-mona-lisa-voice-simulated.html Mona Lisa's voice simulated] ''Live Science''
  
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{{Leonardo da Vinci}}
 
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Latest revision as of 15:32, 25 May 2023


Mona Lisa.jpeg
Mona Lisa
(Italian: La Gioconda, French:La Joconde)
Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1503–1506
Oil on poplar
77 × 53 cm, 30 × 21 in
Musée du Louvre, Paris

Mona Lisa (also known as La Gioconda) is a sixteenth century portrait painted in oil on a poplar panel by Leonardo da Vinci during the Italian Renaissance. The work is owned by the French government and hangs in the Musée du Louvre in Paris, France with the title Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo.

The painting is a half-length portrait and depicts a woman whose expression is often described as enigmatic. The ambiguity of the sitter's expression, the monumentality of the half-figure composition, and the subtle modeling of forms and atmospheric illusionism were novel qualities that have contributed to the painting's continuing fascination. Few other works of art have been subject to as much scrutiny, study, mythologizing, and parody.

It is one of the great icons of Western painting, perhaps the best known painting in the entire world.

Background

Main article: Leonardo da Vinci
Self-portrait by Leonardo da Vinci, executed in red chalk sometime between 1512 and 1515

Leonardo da Vinci began painting the Mona Lisa in 1503 (during the Italian Renaissance) and, according to Vasari, "after he had lingered over it four years, left it unfinished…."[1] He is thought to have continued to work on it for three years after he moved to France and to have finished it shortly before he died in 1519.[2] Leonardo took the painting from Italy to France in 1516 when King François I invited the painter to work at the Clos Lucé near the king's castle in Amboise. Most likely through the heirs of Leonardo's assistant Salai,[3] the king bought the painting for 4000 écus and kept it at Fontainebleau, where it remained until given to Louis XIV. Louis XIV moved the painting to the Palace of Versailles. After the French Revolution, it was moved to the Louvre. Napoleon I had it moved to his bedroom in the Tuileries Palace; later it was returned to the Louvre. During the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871) it was moved from the Louvre to a hiding place elsewhere in France.

Mona Lisa was not well known until the mid-nineteenth century when artists of the emerging Symbolist movement began to appreciate it, and associated it with their ideas about feminine mystique. Critic Walter Pater, in his 1867 essay on Leonardo, expressed this view by describing the figure in the painting as a kind of mythic embodiment of eternal femininity, who is "older than the rocks among which she sits" and who "has been dead many times and learned the secrets of the grave."[4]

Subject and title

Main article: Lisa del Giocondo

Mona Lisa is named for Lisa del Giocondo, a member of the Gherardini family of Florence and Tuscany and the wife of wealthy Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo.[3] The painting was commissioned for their new home and to celebrate the birth of their second son, Andrea.[5]

The sitter's identity was ascertained at the University of Heidelberg in 2005 by a library expert who discovered a 1503 margin note written by Agostino Vespucci. Scholars had been of many minds, identifying at least four different paintings as the Mona Lisa[6][7][8] and several people as its subject. Leonardo's mother Caterina in a distant memory, Isabella of Naples or Aragon,[9] Cecilia Gallerani,[10] Costanza d'Avalos–who was also called the "merry one" or La Gioconda,[8] Isabella d'Este, Pacifica Brandano or Brandino, Isabela Gualanda, Caterina Sforza, and Leonardo himself had all been named the sitter.[11][2] Today the subject's identity is held to be Lisa, which was always the traditional view.

A margin note by Agostino Vespucci from October 1503 in a book in the library of the University of Heidelberg identifies Lisa del Giocondo as the subject of Mona Lisa

The painting's title stems from a description by Giorgio Vasari in his biography of Leonardo da Vinci published in 1550, 31 years after the artist's death. "Leonardo undertook to paint, for Francesco del Giocondo, the portrait of Mona Lisa, his wife…."[1] (one version in Italian: Prese Lionardo a fare per Francesco del Giocondo il ritratto di mona Lisa sua moglie).[12] In Italian, ma donna means my lady. This became madonna, and its contraction mona. Mona is thus a polite form of address, similar to Ma’am, Madam, or my lady in English. In modern Italian, the short form of madonna is usually spelled Monna, so the title is sometimes Monna Lisa, rarely in English and more commonly in Romance languages such as French and Italian.

At his death in 1525, Leonardo's assistant Salai owned the portrait named in his personal papers la Gioconda which had been bequeathed to him by the artist. Italian for jocund, happy or jovial, Gioconda was a nickname for the sitter, a pun on the feminine form of her married name Giocondo and her disposition.[3][13] In French, the title La Joconde has the same double meaning.

Aesthetics

Detail of the background (right side)

Leonardo used a pyramid design to place the woman simply and calmly in the space of the painting. Her folded hands form the front corner of the pyramid. Her breast, neck and face glow in the same light that models her hands. The light gives the variety of living surfaces an underlying geometry of spheres and circles. Leonardo referred to a seemingly simple formula for seated female figure: the images of seated Madonna, which were widespread at the time. He effectively modified this formula in order to create the visual impression of distance between the sitter and the observer. The armrest of the chair functions as a dividing element between Mona Lisa and the viewer.

The woman sits markedly upright with her arms folded, which is also a sign of her reserved posture. Only her gaze is fixed on the observer and seems to welcome him to this silent communication. Since the brightly lit face is practically framed with various much darker elements (hair, veil, shadows), the observer's attraction to Mona Lisa's face is brought to even greater extent. Thus, the composition of the figure evokes an ambiguous effect: we are attracted to this mysterious woman but have to stay at a distance as if she were a divine creature. There is no indication of an intimate dialogue between the woman and the observer as is the case in the Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione (Louvre) painted by Raphael about ten years after Mona Lisa, and undoubtedly influenced by Leonardo's portrait.

Detail of Lisa's hands, her right hand resting on her left. Leonardo chose this gesture rather than a wedding ring to depict Lisa as a virtuous woman and faithful wife.[14]

The painting was among the first portraits to depict the sitter before an imaginary landscape. The enigmatic woman is portrayed seated in what appears to be an open loggia with dark pillar bases on either side. Behind her a vast landscape recedes to icy mountains. Winding paths and a distant bridge give only the slightest indications of human presence. The sensuous curves of the woman's hair and clothing, created through sfumato, are echoed in the undulating imaginary valleys and rivers behind her. The blurred outlines, graceful figure, dramatic contrasts of light and dark, and overall feeling of calm are characteristic of Leonardo's style. Due to the expressive synthesis that Leonardo achieved between sitter and landscape it is arguable whether Mona Lisa should be considered as a traditional portrait, for it represents an ideal rather than a real woman. The sense of overall harmony achieved in the painting—especially apparent in the sitter's faint smile—reflects Leonardo's idea of a link connecting humanity and nature.

Mona Lisa has no visible facial hair—including eyebrows and eyelashes. Some researchers claim that it was common at this time for genteel women to pluck them out, since they were considered to be unsightly.[15][16] For modern viewers the missing eyebrows add to the slightly semi-abstract quality of the face.

Theft and vandalism

Vacant wall in the Salle Carré, Louvre

The Mona Lisa painting now hangs in the Musée du Louvre in Paris, France. The painting's increasing fame was further emphasized when it was stolen on August 21, 1911. The next day, Louis Béroud, a painter, walked into the Louvre and went to the Salon Carré where the Mona Lisa had been on display for five years. However, where the Mona Lisa should have stood, he found four iron pegs. Béroud contacted the section head of the guards, who thought the painting was being photographed for marketing purposes. A few hours later, Béroud checked back with the section head of the museum, and it was confirmed that the Mona Lisa was not with the photographers. The Louvre was closed for an entire week to aid in investigation of the theft.

French poet Guillaume Apollinaire, who had once called for the Louvre to be "burnt down," came under suspicion; he was arrested and put in jail. Apollinaire tried to implicate his friend Pablo Picasso, who was also brought in for questioning, but both were later exonerated.[17]

At the time, the painting was believed to be lost forever; it would be two years before the real thief was discovered. Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia stole it by entering the building during regular hours, hiding in a broom closet and walking out with it hidden under his coat after the museum had closed.[13] Peruggia was an Italian patriot who believed Leonardo's painting should be returned to Italy for display in an Italian museum. Peruggia may have also been motivated by a friend who sold copies of the painting, which would skyrocket in value after the theft of the original. After keeping the painting in his apartment for two years, Peruggia grew impatient and was finally caught when he attempted to sell it to the directors of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence; it was exhibited all over Italy and returned to the Louvre in 1913. Peruggia was hailed for his patriotism in Italy and only served a few months in jail for the crime.[17]

During World War II, the painting was again removed from the Louvre and taken safely, first to Château d'Amboise, then to the Loc-Dieu Abbey and finally to the Ingres Museum in Montauban. In 1956, the lower part of the painting was severely damaged when a vandal doused the painting with acid.[2] On December 30 of that same year, Ugo Ungaza Villegas, a young Bolivian, damaged the painting by throwing a rock at it. This resulted in the loss of a speck of pigment near the left elbow, which was later painted over.

Conservation

The Mona Lisa has survived for more than 500 years, and an international commission convened in 1952 noted that "the picture is in a remarkable state of preservation."[18] This is partly due to the result of a variety of conservation treatments the painting has undergone. A detailed analysis in 1933 by Madame de Gironde revealed that earlier restorers had "acted with a great deal of restraint."[18] Nevertheless, applications of varnish made to the painting had darkened even by the end of the sixteenth century, and an aggressive 1809 cleaning and re-varnish removed some of the uppermost portion of the paint layer, resulting in a washed-out appearance to the face of the figure. Despite the treatments, the Mona Lisa has been well-cared for throughout its history, and the 2004-2005 conservation team was optimistic about the future of the work.[18]

Poplar panel

At some point in its history, the Mona Lisa was removed from its original frame. The unconstrained poplar panel was allowed to warp freely with changes in humidity, and as a result, a crack began to develop near the top of the panel. The crack extends down to the hairline of the figure. In the mid-eighteenth to early nineteenth century, someone attempted to stabilize the crack by inlaying two butterfly shaped walnut braces into the back of the panel to a depth of about 1/3 the thickness of the panel. This work was skillfully executed, and has successfully stabilized the crack. Sometime between 1888 and 1905, or perhaps at some point during the picture's theft, the upper brace fell out. A later restorer glued and lined the resulting socket and crack with cloth. The flexible oak frame (added 1951) and crossbraces (1970) help to keep the panel from warping further. A butterfly brace prevents the panel from further cracking.

The picture is currently kept under strict, climate controlled conditions in its bullet-proof glass case. The humidity is maintained at 50 percent ±10 percent, and the temperature is maintained between 18 and 21°C. To compensate for fluctuations in relative humidity, the case is supplemented with a bed of silica gel treated to provide 55 percent relative humidity.[18]

Frame

Because the Mona Lisa's poplar support expands and contracts with changes in humidity, the picture has experienced some warping. In response to warping and swelling experienced during its storage during World War II, and to prepare the picture for an exhibit to honor the anniversary of Da Vinci's 500th birthday, the Mona Lisa was fitted in 1951 with a flexible oak frame with beech crosspieces. This flexible frame, which is used in addition to the decorative frame described below, exerts pressure on the panel to keep it from warping further. In 1970, the beech crosspieces were switched to maple after it was found that the beech wood had been infested with insects. In 2004-2005, a conservation and study team replaced the maple crosspieces with sycamore ones, and an additional metal crosspiece was added for scientific measurement of the panel's warp. The Mona Lisa has had many different decorative frames in its history, owing to changes in taste over the centuries. In 1906, the countess of Béarn gave the portrait its current frame, a Renaissance-era work consistent with the historical period of the Mona Lisa. The edges of the painting have been trimmed at least once in its history to fit the picture into various frames, but none of the original paint layer has been trimmed.[18]

Cleaning and touch-up

Museum visitors viewing the Mona Lisa through security glass (prior to 2005 move)

The first and most extensive recorded cleaning, revarnishing, and touch up of the Mona Lisa was an 1809 wash and re-varnish undertaken by Jean-Marie Hooghstoel, who was responsible for restoration of paintings for the galleries of the Musée Napoléon. The work involved cleaning with spirits, touch up of color, and revarnishing the painting. In 1906, Louvre restorer Eugène Denizard performed watercolor retouches on areas of the paint layer disturbed by the crack in the panel. Denizard also retouched the edges of the picture with varnish, to mask areas that had been covered initially by an older frame. In 1913, when the painting was recovered after its theft, Denizard was again called upon to work on the Mona Lisa. Denizard was directed to clean the picture without solvent, and to lightly touch up several scratches to the painting with watercolor. In 1952, the varnish layer over the background in the painting was evened out. After the second 1956 attack, restorer Jean-Gabriel Goulinat was directed to touch up the damage to Mona Lisa's left elbow with watercolor.[18]

In 1977, a new insect infestation was discovered in the back of the panel as a result of crosspieces installed to keep the painting from warping. This was treated on the spot with carbon tetrachloride, and later with an ethylene oxide treatment. In 1985, the spot was again treated with carbon tetrachloride as a preventive measure.[18]

Infrared scan

In 2004 experts from the National Research Council of Canada conducted a three-dimensional infrared scan. Because of the aging of the varnish on the painting it is difficult to discern details. Data from the scan and infrared were used by Bruno Mottin of the French Museum's "Center for Research and Restoration" to argue that the transparent gauze veil worn by the sitter is a guarnello, typically used by women while pregnant or just after giving birth. A similar guarnello was painted by Sandro Botticelli in his Portrait of Smeralda Brandini (c.1470/1475), depicting a pregnant woman (on display in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London). Furthermore, this reflectography revealed that Mona Lisa's hair is not loosely hanging down, but seems attached at the back of the head to a bonnet or pinned back into a chignon and covered with a veil, bordered with a sombre rolled hem. In the sixteenth century, hair hanging loosely down on the shoulders was the customary style of unmarried young women or prostitutes. This apparent contradiction with her status as a married woman has now been resolved.

Researchers also used the data to reveal details about the technique used and to predict that the painting will degrade very little if current conservation techniques are continued.[19] During 2006, Mona Lisa underwent a major scientific observation that proved through infrared cameras she was originally wearing a bonnet and clenching her chair (something that Leonardo decided to change as an afterthought).[20]

Display

On April 6, 2005—following a period of curatorial maintenance, recording, and analysis—the painting was moved to a new location within the museum's Salle des États. It is displayed in a purpose-built, climate-controlled enclosure behind bullet-proof glass.[21] As many as ten million people visit the Louvre each year, with about 80 percent there to see the Mona Lisa. However, many visitors leave dissatisfied, since the painting is quite small, the canvas measuring just 30 by 21 inches, which makes it difficult to see any detail at the viewing distance, and with so many visitors they are allowed only a short viewing.Isis Davis-Marks, How You Could Be One of the Only People in the Room With the ‘Mona Lisa’ Smithsonian Magazine (December 2, 2020). Retrieved May 25, 2023.</ref> Visitors generally spend about 15 seconds viewing the Mona Lisa, yet it remains a must-see for anyone visiting Paris. [22]

Fame

Crowd in front of Mona Lisa at the Louvre.

Historian Donald Sassoon cataloged the growth of the painting's fame. During the mid-1800s, Théophile Gautier and the Romantic poets were able to write about Mona Lisa as a femme fatale because Lisa was an ordinary person. Mona Lisa "…was an open text into which one could read what one wanted; probably because she was not a religious image; and, probably, because the literary gazers were mainly men who subjected her to an endless stream of male fantasies." During the twentieth century, the painting was stolen, an object for mass reproduction, merchandising, lampooning and speculation, and was reproduced in "300 paintings and 2000 advertisements."[23] The subject was described as deaf, in mourning,[7] toothless, a "highly-paid tart," various people's lover, a reflection of the artist's neuroses, and a victim of syphilis, infection, paralysis, palsy, cholesterol, or even a toothache.[23] Scholarly as well as amateur speculation assigned Lisa's name to at least four different paintings[6][8] and the sitter's identity to at least ten different people.[9][10][11][2]

Until the twentieth century, Mona Lisa was one among many and certainly not the "most famous painting"[24] in the world as it is termed today. Among works in the Louvre, in 1852 its market value was 90,000 francs compared to works by Raphael valued at up to 600,000 francs. In 1878, the Baedeker guide called it "the most celebrated work of Leonardo in the Louvre." Between 1851 and 1880, artists who visited the Louvre copied Mona Lisa roughly half as many times as certain works by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Antonio da Correggio, Paolo Veronese, Titian, Jean-Baptiste Greuze, and Pierre Paul Prud'hon.[23]

Prior to the 1962–1963 tour, the painting was assessed for insurance purposes at $100 million. According to the Guinness Book of Records, this makes the Mona Lisa the most valuable painting ever insured. As an expensive painting, it has only recently been surpassed (in terms of actual dollar price) by three other paintings, the Adele Bloch-Bauer I by Gustav Klimt, which was sold for $135 million (£73 million), the Woman III by Willem de Kooning sold for $137.5 million in November 2006, and most recently No. 5, 1948 by Jackson Pollock sold for a record $140 million on November 2, 2006. Although these figures are greater than that which the Mona Lisa was insured for, the comparison does not account for the change in prices due to inflation.

Speculation about the painting

Although the sitter has traditionally been identified as Lisa de Giocondo, a lack of definitive evidence had long fueled alternative theories, including the possibility that Leonardo used his own likeness. However, on January 14, 2008, German academics of Heidelberg University made public a finding that corroborates the traditional identification: dated notes scribbled into the margins of a book by its owner on October 1503 established Lisa de Giocondo as the model for the painting.[25]

Other aspects of the painting that have been subject to speculation are the original size of the painting, whether there were other versions of it, and various explanations for how the effect of an enigmatic smile was achieved.

After rigorous assessment it was deduced that the figure depicted in the painting might be maternal, or pregnant. Extensive infrared reflectography revealed that Lisa herself had a haze around her clothing indicative of a guarnello, the attire worn by pregnant women.[26] Another theory proposed by various health professionals was that Leonardo's representation of her hands as slightly 'large' was further indicative of Lisa's pregnancy. Conversely, as many scholars or persons suggest, this representation is merely a stylistic concept of beauty exemplified by numerous Renaissance painters, including Leonardo himself.

Legacy

Raffael 036.jpg
Portrait of Maddalena Doni
Raphael, 1506
Oil on wood
63 × 45 cm
Palazzo Pitti, Florence

The Mona Lisa has been the subject of numerous other works of art. It was immediately the subject of a painting of Raphael, who recognized its importance.

However, it was not until the twentieth century that the Mona Lisa became "the most famous painting in the world." In 1878, the Baedeker Guide called it the "the most celebrated work of Leonardo in the Louvre." Between 1851 and 1880, artists who visited the Louvre copied Mona Lisa roughly half as many times as certain works by other painters such as Bartolomé Esteban Murillo and Antonio da Correggio.

The avant-garde art world has taken note of Mona Lisa's popularity. Because of the painting's overwhelming stature, Dadaists and Surrealists produced numerous modifications and caricatures. Salvador Dalí, famous for his pioneering surrealist work, painted Self portrait as Mona Lisa in 1954.

In 1963 Andy Warhol created serigraph prints of the Mona Lisa, in an effort to reduce her gravity to that of a disposable modern icon; to a similar cultural stature of the modern celebrities Marilyn Monroe or Elvis Presley.

In addition to painting, the Mona Lisa has inspired other art through the ages. During the mid-1800s, Théophile Gautier and the Romantic poets considered Mona Lisa a femme fatale. There have been numerous songs and even an opera by the German composer Max von Schillings.

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kenneth Clark, "Mona Lisa" The Burlington Magazine 115(840) (March 1973): 144.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Bob Chaundy, Faces of the Week BBC, September 29, 2006. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Martin Kemp, Leonardo Da Vinci: The Marvellous Works of Nature And Man (Oxford University Press, 2006, ISBN 0192807250), 261–262.
  4. ↑ Walter Pater, Studies in the History of the Renaissance (Oxford University Press, 2010 (original 1873), ISBN 978-0199535071).
  5. ↑ Claire J. Farago, Leonardo's Projects, C. 1500-1519 (Taylor and Francis, 1999, ISBN 0815329350), 123.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Raymond S. Stites, Mona Lisa—Monna Bella Parnassus 8 (1) (January 1936): 7–10, 22–23.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Walter Littlefield, The Two "Mona Lisas" (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 1914), 525.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Colin Wilson, The Mammoth Encyclopedia of the Unsolved (Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2000, ISBN 0786707933), 364–366.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Penelope Debelle, Behind that secret smile The Age (June 25, 2004). Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Bruce Johnston, Riddle of Mona Lisa is finally solved: she was the mother of five The Telegraph (August 1, 2004). Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Charles Nicholl, The myth of the Mona Lisa The Guardian (March 28, 2002). Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  12. ↑ Giorgio Vasari, Le vite de' più eccellenti pittori, scultori ed architettori, (Roma: Newton, 1991 (original 1879), ISBN 978-8823903128.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Gabriele Bartz, Art and Architecture: Louvre (H. F. Ullman, 2006, ISBN 3833119438), 626.
  14. ↑ Farago, 372.
  15. ↑ Daniela Turudich and Laurie J. Welch, Plucked, Shaved & Braided: Medieval and Renaissance Beauty and Grooming Practices 1000–1600 (Streamline Press, 2003, ISBN 193006408X), 198.
  16. ↑ Roy McMullen, Mona Lisa: The Picture and the Myth (Macmillan Publishers, 1976, ISBN 0333191692).
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Howard Chua-Eoan, Crimes of the Century: Stealing the Mona Lisa, 1911 TIME (March 1, 2007). Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 18.6 Jean-Pierre Mohen, Mona Lisa: inside the Painting (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2006, ISBN 0810943158), 128.
  19. ↑ Scientists to unveil secrets of Mona Lisa NBC News (September 25, 2006). Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  20. ↑ Ian Austen, New Look at ‘Mona Lisa’ Yields Some New Secrets The New York Times (September 27, 2006). Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  21. ↑ Mona Lisa gains new Louvre home BBC News (April 6, 2005). Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  22. ↑ Amelia Gentleman, Smile, please The Guardian (October 19, 2004). Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Donald Sassoon, "Mona Lisa: the Best-Known Girl in the Whole Wide World" History Workshop Journal 51(1) (2001):1-18.
  24. ↑ Alan Riding, In Louvre, New Room With View of 'Mona Lisa' The New York Times (April 6, 2005). Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  25. ↑ Sylvia Westall, German experts crack Mona Lisa smile Reuters (January 14, 2008). Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  26. ↑ Mona Lisa scans suggest she was pregnant The Guardian (September 28, 2006). Retrieved May 25, 2023.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Bartz, Gabriele. Art and Architecture: Louvre. H. F. Ullman, 2006. ISBN 3833119438
  • Farago, Claire J. Leonardo's Projects, C. 1500-1519. Taylor and Francis, 1999. ISBN 0815329350
  • Kemp, Martin. Leonardo Da Vinci: The Marvellous Works of Nature And Man. Oxford University Press, 2006. ISBN 0192807250
  • Littlefield, Walter The Two "Mona Lisas". Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 1914. ASIN B09ZYT9N44
  • McMullen, Roy. Mona Lisa: The Picture and the Myth. Macmillan Publishers, 1976. ISBN 0333191692
  • Mohen, Jean-Pierre. Mona Lisa: inside the Painting. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2006. ISBN 0810943158
  • Pater, Walter. Studies in the History of the Renaissance. Oxford University Press, 2010 (original 1873). ISBN 978-0199535071
  • Turudich, Daniela, and Laurie J. Welch. Plucked, Shaved & Braided: Medieval and Renaissance Beauty and Grooming Practices 1000–1600. Streamline Press, 2003. ISBN 193006408X
  • Vasari, Giorgio. Le vite de' più eccellenti pittori, scultori ed architettori. Roma: Newton, 1991 (original 1879). ISBN 978-8823903128
  • Wilson, Colin. The Mammoth Encyclopedia of the Unsolved. Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2000. ISBN 0786707933

External links

All links retrieved May 17, 2023.

Leonardo da Vinci
Key: *Attributed ·**Collaboration with Verrocchio ·†Lost
Paintings
Early works:

†Medusa · *Dreyfus Madonna (c. 1469) · **The Baptism of Christ (1472–75) · The Annunciation (c.1475–80)

Mature works:

*Ginevra de' Benci (1475) · *The Madonna of the Carnation (c. 1478–80) · *Benois Madonna (c.1478–80) ·St. Jerome in the Wilderness (c.1480) · The Adoration of the Magi (1481) · The Virgin of the Rocks (c. 1483–86) · *Lady with an Ermine (1488–90) · *Portrait of a Musician (1490) · *Madonna Litta (1490–91) · *La belle ferronière (1495–98) · The Last Supper (1498) · *Madonna of the Yarnwinder (1501) · Mona Lisa (1503–05/07) · The Virgin of the Rocks (c. 1505–08) · †The Battle of Anghiari (1505) · †Leda and the Swan (c. 1508) · The Virgin and Child with St. Anne (c. 1510) · St. John the Baptist (1513–16) · *Bacchus (1515)

Recent attributions:

**Tobias and the Angel (1470–80) ·

The Holy Infants Embracing (c. 1486–90)
Leonardo self.jpg
Sculpture
Sforza monument (unexecuted)
Works on
paper
Vitruvian Man (1492) ·The Virgin and Child with St Anne and St John the Baptist (c. 1499–1500)
Manuscripts
Codex Atlanticus ·Codex Leicester ·Codex Trivulzianus
Inventions
Leonardo's robot ·Viola organista

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