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Why might the Mona Lisa have been created?
The model, Lisa del Giocondo, was a member of the Gherardini family of Florence and Tuscany, and the wife of wealthy Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo. The painting is thought to have been commissioned for their new home, and to celebrate the birth of their second son, Andrea.
What does Mona Lisa’s painting imply?
Mona Lisa, also known as La Gioconda, is the wife of Francesco del Giocondo. It is a visual representation of the idea of happiness suggested by the word “gioconda” in Italian. Leonardo made this notion of happiness the central motif of the portrait: it is this notion that makes the work such an ideal.
Was the Mona Lisa painted twice?
Disparate dates proposed for the initiation and completion or abandonment of the Mona Lisa are claimed to indicate that there were actually two different paintings worked on at different times, with one version being begun in 1503 and left unfinished, and the Louvre Mona Lisa being begun after 1513.
Why are there two Mona Lisa paintings?
A number of experts have argued that Leonardo made two versions of the Mona Lisa (because of the uncertainty concerning its dating and commissioner, as well as its fate following Leonardo’s death in 1519, and the difference of details in Raphael’s sketch—which may reflect that he made the sketch from memory).
Is the Mona Lisa a copy?
Although there are dozens of surviving copies of the Mona Lisa from the 16th and 17th centuries, the Prado’s Mona Lisa may have been painted simultaneously by a student of Leonardo in the same studio where he painted his own Mona Lisa, so it is said to be the copy with the most historical value.
What are some interesting facts about the Mona Lisa?
Interesting Facts: The Mona Lisa. The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci and is believed to be a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco Giocondo. For such a famous painting, it is surprisingly small; it measures just 30 inches by 21 inches (77 cm by 53 cm).
How many versions of the Mona Lisa did Leonardo da Vinci paint?
Scholars also agree that Leonardo created more than one version of the Mona Lisa; in addition to the del Giocondo commission, there was likely a second commissioned by Giuliano de Medici in 1513. The Medici version is believed to be the one that hangs in the Louvre today.
Is the Mona Lisa really Lisa Gherardini?
However, a note written in 1503 by Agostino Vespucci, an Italian clerk who was assistant to Niccolò Machiavelli, indicates that Leonardo told Vespucci he was indeed working on a painting of del Giocondo’s wife. In general, art historians agree that the Mona Lisa really is Lisa Gherardini.
Is the Mona Lisa’s expression enigmatic?
These findings are the latest in a large field of research into the Mona Lisa ‘s enigmatic expression over the years.