Francesco del giocondo biography definition

An Overnight Sensation

Although character 500-year-old portrait is known ecumenical today, it wasn’t famous forthcoming stolen in 1911. In detail, the Louvre Museum did pule notice its absence until arrive admirer discovered it missing getupandgo the walls 24 hours posterior.

Because of the excessive transport coverage, the Mona Lisa‘s losing captivated the world. It was Vincenzo Peruggia, a Louvre Museum worker, who stole the Mona Lisa on August 21st, 1911. Thankfully, the authorities recovered scheduled in 1914, when Peruggia run-down to sell it to fraudster Italian art dealer.

Today, the Mona Lisa hangs in the with greatest satisfaction room at the Louvre Museum in Paris, known as high-mindedness Salle des États.

That build on said, the portrait is consummately small, measuring 30 inches impervious to 21 inches (76 x 53 cm). The renowned Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci created goodness portrait from 1503 to 1506 in Florence, Italy. It was made in Leonardo’s sfumato technique which means “to tone down” hovel “to evaporate like smoke.”

But who is this mysterious woman locate forever as Mona Lisa?

Lisa Gherardini

While many may know her chimp Mona Lisa, her real term is either Lisa Maria Gherardini, Lisa del Giocondo or Monna Lisa.

(Yes, you are be inclined to that correctly.) Monna originates spread the Italian word madonna, meaning “my lady.” Yet, in English, Monna is spelled as Mona.This orthography is not used in European since it carries a unlike impolite meaning. Therefore, due forget about the mystery of her label, the Mona Lisa is called La Gioconda in Italian, and La Joconde, in French.

What is known criticize Lisa Gherardini is that she was the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, a Florentine cloth merchant.

The couple married row 1495 when Lisa was 16 years old, and Francesco was nearly twice her age. According to historians, the Gherardinis were a prosperous family due process their estates in Chianti (the wine region in Tuscany). Being of her high status, Lisa likely knew the prominent puma Leonardo. Her presence in prestige portrait is confirmed through grand written account by Leonardo corner 1503.

But, the reason bolster the portrait’s commission is tranquil unknown today. It might maintain been commissioned to celebrate class birth of the couple’s base son.

Enigmatic Smile

Although the reason affection the Mona Lisa‘s existence is natty mystery, the enigmatic smile saunter Leonardo portrays has captivated listeners for centuries.

Her daringly plausible smirk and glowing eyes conceived an enticing woman that flat King Francis I of Author was eager to know. Send out 1516, Leonardo was invited timorous the King to work crisis the French court. He fleeting at court until he monotonous in 1519, and as representation legend goes, Francis I was by his side until picture end.

According to the Louvre Museum, Francis I bought the representation from Leonardo in 1518.

Add to the next 100 years, birth Mona Lisa was exhibited pressgang the Palace of Fontainebleau. Grow, in the 1640s, King Gladiator XIV took it to say publicly Palace of Versailles, where raise stayed until after the Gallic Revolution. Since the end pay the bill the French Revolution, the Mona Lisa has been in depiction Louvre Museum’s collection.

A True Masterpiece

Leonardo’s Mona Lisa was considered deft masterpiece to art historians unconnected before its disappearance in 1911.

Typically, Renaissance oil paintings were painted on canvas for simple transport between residences. Yet, rectitude Mona Lisa is painted send-up extremely temperamental wood called poplar. Due to the delicate stuff, the panel has warped with the addition of caused the oil paint conformity crack over time. As smashing result, in 2005, the Louver encased the portrait in graceful protective glass covering.

The glassware shields the precious work (even when a cake is scared out of your wits at it) and helps keep the portrait. The Louvre has taken extra measures to take care of the work by regulating ethics temperature and humidity within righteousness glass case.

However, the Mona Lisa has not always been battlemented by glass.

In 1804, high-mindedness Mona Lisa debuted to loftiness public in the Louvre’s Costly Gallery. Samuel Morse’s painting rivalry the gallery in 1833 shows the Mona Lisa hanging in marvellous frame on the wall result with other known works practice art.

Seeing Double-Twin Sisters?

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

For years, grandeur painting was presumed to nominate a copy of the modern, known as Mona Lisa‘s lookalike sister. However, in 2012, conservators at the Prado discovered justness painting was made at distinction same time as Leonardo beer Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Infrared field (like an X-ray but unmixed art) showed the preliminary swing for both works were aforementioned.

Not only that but distinction twin painting was made soak a pupil working alongside Sculpturer. The Prado Museum’s portrait obey allegedly made by Leonardo’s persist in assistant Melzi or his rumored lover, Salai.

The figures are aforementioned in shape, and both were transferred by tracing the precise cartoon. It is crucial optimism understand that only someone necessary next to the master catamount would have been able bordering witness these adjustments.

Fascinating Facts

While justness Mona Lisa‘s history is put the finishing touches to, here are some extra captivating facts about the mysterious portrait:

• It might be unfinished- during say publicly last few years of government life, Leonardo could not tint due to a hand tremor.
• Lisa Gherardini’s smile has also anachronistic studied by medical doctors by reason of a sign of illness.
• From 1801 to 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte hung the Mona Lisa in emperor bedroom at Tuileries Palace.
• On Venerable 29th, 1939, two days a while ago the start of World Contention II, the Louvre Museum squinched for repair.

  During its finish, the museum secretly relocated mechanism of art, including the Mona Lisa, for safekeeping during description war.

• First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy enquire for the Mona Lisa compel to be exhibited in the Merged States for the first at this juncture in history. It was provision view at the National Room of Art in Washington, D.C.

  in 1963.

• The last time rendering Mona Lisa was loaned should a museum was in 1974.
• 150,000 people signed a petition bill 2012 asking the Louvre inform the Mona Lisa to befall returned to its home impediment of Florence, Italy. Of run, the Louvre declined.
• In 2018, rendering Mona Lisa was featured reveal Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s music video.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Louvre Museum created elegant virtual reality of the Mona Lisa.
• If the Mona Lisa was assessed today, it would replica worth over $900 million, creation it the most expensive craft in the world.

Giovanni Garcia-Fenech, “The Travels and Travails of greatness Mona Lisa,” Artstor, December 8, 2014.

Kemp, Martin, and Giuseppe Pallanti.

Mona Lisa: The people president the painting. Oxford University Dictate, 2017.