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Da Vinci’s obsession

Da Vinci’s obsession

Leonardo da Vinci worked on the painting for four years, and possibly at intervals after that. He always took it with him when he travelled, and he never signed or dated it. 

The picture went with him when, towards the end of his life, he moved to France.

At that time, it was not seen as particularly interesting, but in the middle of the 19th century Leonardo’s stock as an artist slowly rose. 

He came to be seen as the equal of the two acknowledged Renaissance greats, Michelangelo and Raphael.

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What are views on painting?

What are views on painting?

These days, most experts agree that the Mona Lisa is a portrait of Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo, wife of a Florentine silk merchant named Francesco del Giocondo (hence the name by which she is known in Italy and France, La Gioconda, or La Joconde). 

When she sat for Leonardo da Vinci, in ar...

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The hidden initials

The hidden initials

In 2010, Silvano Vinceti, chairman of Italy’s National Committee for Cultural Heritage, claimed to have discerned letters minutely painted on Mona Lisa’s eyes: L and V (Leonardo da Vinci’s initials) in the right eye, and perhaps C, E or B in the left. 

The Louvre responded that Vin...

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Who was Mona Lisa?

Who was Mona Lisa?

Over the past century, it has been proposed that Mona Lisa was a noblewoman – Isabella d’Este, Marquise of Mantua, or Costanza d’Avalos, Duchess of Francavilla.

Others have stared at that unsettling visage and seen the face of a man – Leonardo da Vinci himself, or...

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The unknown bridge

The unknown bridge

The Mona Lisa’s background landscape seems unreal, but the bridge might be one that Leonardo knew. 

It is usually said to be Ponte Buriano in Tuscany, but in 2011, a researcher claimed it depicts the Bobbio Bridge over the Trebbia, which was washed away in a flood in 1472.

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Was Mona Lisa unwell?

Was Mona Lisa unwell?

An Italian doctor looked at the swelling around her eyes and diagnosed excess cholesterol in her diet. Other conditions include facial paralysis, deafness, even syphilis.

It has been suggested that look of contentment on her face indicates she is pregnant. 

Dentists have also posite...

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The broken backdrop

The broken backdrop

The distant, dreamlike vista behind Mona Lisa’s head seems to be higher on the right-hand side than on the left. It is hard to see how the landscape would join up. 

This is subliminally unsettling: Mona Lisa appears taller, more erect, when one’s gaze drifts to the left than when it is on t...

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The bewitching smile

The bewitching smile

In 2000, scientists at Harvard University suggested a neurological explanation for Mona Lisa’s elusive smile. 

When a viewer looks at her eyes, the mouth is in peripheral vision, which sees in black and white. This accentuates the shadows at the corners of her mouth, making the smile seem b...

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Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)

Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)

H was the father of the High Renaissance style. Da Vinci made contributions to many other fields: urban planning, mathematics, botany, astronomy, invention, history, sculpting and cartography.

  • He introduced the idea of painting with aerial perspective (painting faraway objects l...

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