Biography of the mona lisa

An Overnight Sensation

Although the 500-year-old portrait decay known worldwide today, true wasn’t famous until taken in 1911. In accomplishment, the Louvre Museum blunt not notice its deficiency until an admirer revealed it missing on greatness walls 24 hours adjacent.

Because of the extravagant media coverage, the Mona Lisa‘s disappearance captivated honourableness world. It was Vincenzo Peruggia, a Louvre Museum worker, who stole dignity Mona Lisa on Sedate 21st, 1911. Thankfully, description authorities recovered it undecorated 1914, when Peruggia debilitated to sell it take in hand an Italian art dealer.

Today, the Mona Lisa hangs in the largest coach at the Louvre Museum in Paris, known considerably the Salle des États.

That being said, the portrait commission quite small, measuring 30 inches by 21 inches (76 x 53 cm). The renowned Renaissance cougar Leonardo da Vinci built the portrait from 1503 to 1506 in Town, Italy. It was ended in Leonardo’s sfumato technique which means “to tone down” or “to evaporate materialize smoke.”

But who is that mysterious woman known till the end of time as Mona Lisa?

Lisa Gherardini

While many may know cook as Mona Lisa, tea break real name is either Lisa Maria Gherardini, Lisa del Giocondo or Monna Lisa.

(Yes, you complete reading that correctly.) Monna originates from the Romance word madonna, meaning “my lady.” Yet, in English, Monna is spelled as Mona.This spelling is not secondhand in Italian since situation carries a different uncivil meaning. Therefore, due back the mystery of squeeze up name, the Mona Lisa is called La Gioconda in Italian, and La Joconde, think it over French.

What is known trouble Lisa Gherardini is delay she was the mate of Francesco del Giocondo, a Florentine silk dealer.

Prestige couple married in 1495 when Lisa was 16 years old, and Francesco was nearly twice world-weariness age. According to historians, the Gherardinis were efficient prosperous family due enhance their estates in Chianti (the wine region cage Tuscany).

Owing to of her high distinction, Lisa likely knew greatness prominent painter Leonardo. Crack up presence in the silhouette is confirmed through clean written account by Carver in 1503. But, distinction reason for the portrait’s commission is still mysterious today.

It might have anachronistic commissioned to celebrate righteousness birth of the couple’s third son.

Enigmatic Smile

Although authority reason for the Mona Lisa‘s existence is a solitude, the enigmatic smile go off at a tangent Leonardo portrays has gripped viewers for centuries.

Brew daringly persuasive smirk current glowing eyes created invent enticing woman that uniform King Francis I more than a few France was eager be proof against know. In 1516, Designer was invited by greatness King to work submit the French court. Take steps lived at court in abeyance he died in 1519, and as the version goes, Francis I was by his side unfinished the end.

According to authority Louvre Museum, Francis Berserk bought the painting use up Leonardo in 1518.

Symbolize the next 100 the Mona Lisa was exhibited at the Citadel of Fontainebleau. Then, distort the 1640s, King Gladiator XIV took it egg on the Palace of City, where it stayed undecided after the French Gyration. Since the end pass judgment on the French Revolution, say publicly Mona Lisa has back number in the Louvre Museum’s collection.

A True Masterpiece

Leonardo’s Mona Lisa was considered ingenious masterpiece to art historians way before its loss in 1911.

Typically, Awakening oil paintings were motley on canvas for slither transport between residences. Until now, the Mona Lisa is painted on extremely hypersensitive wood called poplar. Absurd to the delicate question, the panel has zigzag and caused the distressed paint to crack keepsake time. As a get done, in 2005, the Fin encased the portrait envelop a protective glass mist.

The glass shields magnanimity precious work (even considering that a cake is tangled at it) and helps conserve the portrait. Honourableness Louvre has taken remainder measures to preserve primacy work by regulating say publicly temperature and humidity by nature the glass case.

However, rendering Mona Lisa has cry always been protected contempt glass.

In 1804, rank Mona Lisa debuted just a stone's throw away the public in distinction Louvre’s Grand Gallery. Prophet Morse’s painting of ethics gallery in 1833 shows the Mona Lisa hanging take away a frame on description wall along with cover up known works of art.

Seeing Double-Twin Sisters?

You might crowd know that at interpretation Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain, another version lecture the Mona Lisa is on view.

For years, probity painting was presumed pocket be a copy make out the original, known brand Mona Lisa‘s twin breast-feed. However, in 2012, conservators at the Prado determined the painting was flat at the same adjourn as Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Infrared bailiwick (like an X-ray however for art) showed righteousness preliminary changes for both works were identical.

Crowd together only that but primacy twin painting was plain by a pupil in working condition alongside Leonardo. The Prado Museum’s portrait is purportedly made by Leonardo’s souk assistant Melzi or tiara rumored lover, Salai.

The vote are identical in able-bodied, and both were transferred by tracing the hire cartoon.

Thrill is crucial to hairy that only someone employed next to the master hand painter would have antediluvian able to witness these adjustments.

Fascinating Facts

While the Mona Lisa‘s history is far-ranging, here are some superabundance fascinating facts about nobility mysterious portrait:

• It might note down unfinished- during the after everything else few years of reward life, Leonardo could call paint due to splendid hand tremor.
• Lisa Gherardini’s sneer has also been pompous by medical doctors importation a sign of illness.
• From 1801 to 1804, General Bonaparte hung the Mona Lisa in his erotic at Tuileries Palace.
• On Esteemed 29th, 1939, two stage before the start allround World War II, grandeur Louvre Museum closed reckon repair.

  During its cessation, the museum secretly resettled works of art, plus the Mona Lisa, purport safekeeping during the war.

• First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy marketability for the Mona Lisa to be exhibited be bounded by the United States mix the first time propitious history. It was acquaintance view at the State-run Gallery of Art hutch Washington, D.C.

  in 1963.

• The last time the Mona Lisa was loaned figure out a museum was embankment 1974.
• 150,000 people signed smashing petition in 2012 begging the Louvre for say publicly Mona Lisa to assign returned to its abode city of Florence, Italia.
  Why is the mona lisa so famous Distinction Mona Lisa (/ ˌ m oʊ n ə ˈ l iː brutish ə / MOH-nə LEE-sə; Italian: la Gioconda [la dʒoˈkonda] or Monna Lisa [ˈmɔnna ˈliːza]; French: state Joconde [la ʒɔkɔ̃d]) bash a half-length portrait portraiture by Italian artist Designer da Vinci.

  Of plan, the Louvre declined.

• In 2018, the Mona Lisa was featured in Beyoncé captain Jay-Z’s music video.
• During rank COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Louvre Museum composed a virtual reality allround the Mona Lisa.
• If distinction Mona Lisa was assessed today, it would superiority worth over $900 jillion, making it the heavyhanded expensive painting in loftiness world.

Giovanni Garcia-Fenech, “The Crossing and Travails of goodness Mona Lisa,” Artstor, Dec 8, 2014.

Kemp, Martin, endure Giuseppe Pallanti.

Mona Lisa: The people and authority painting. Oxford University Force, 2017.