Who was Mona Lisa?

 Who was Mona Lisa? The secret behind Leonardo Da Vinci's painting

The Mona Lisa is one of the most famous paintings in the world, but her identity has remained a mystery for centuries. Some people believe that she is based on a historical figure, while others believe that she was entirely fictional.

The known history of Mona Lisa

The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci between 1503 and 1506.

Historical sources indicate the Palace of Fontainebleau as the first home of the famous painting. The painting was hung in Napoleon's bedroom for a while, but this did not last long.

The painting is currently in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, and has been on display there since 1797.

As one of the most valuable works of art in the world, the painting has been the target of several attempted thefts of vandalism.

In 1911, it was stolen by an Italian named Vincenzo Perugia, an employee of the Louvre, who hid the painting under his clothes and left.

Unfortunately, investigators could not determine where the painting disappeared. The daring nature of the theft really stunned the art community.

The authorities returned it two years later after Perugia tried to sell it in Italy.

A man threw acid on the lower half of the painting, severely damaging it, while it was on display at a museum in Montauban, France, in 1956.

On December 30 of the same year, a Bolivian named Ugo Ungaza Villegas threw a rock at the painting, which chipped a piece off the frame.

Other attempted vandalism occurred while the painting was on tour. For example, in 1974, a woman upset about the museum's disability policy tried to spray red paint on the painting while it was on display at the Tokyo National Museum. Since then, the Mona Lisa has been kept safe behind a bulletproof glass case.

The true identity of Mona Lisa

Throughout history, many guesses and theories have been made as to the true identity of the Mona Lisa. Some say she was a prostitute. Others say she was a noblewoman. Some say the woman was Leonardo's mother or secret lover. But unfortunately, speculation won't get us far.

Today, technological advances have given us an edge over earlier researchers.

Despite the backlash it received, a well-known 16th-century art historian named Vasari claimed that Mona Lisa was the wife of a wealthy businessman who lived in Florence, Italy.

However, it was not until 2005 that a manuscript containing vital evidence to support his claim was found in a stack of old books at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. By studying the book and its contents, researchers determined that it belonged to Vespucci, a good friend of Da Vinci.

Mona Lisa, the wife of a rich merchant

As the library reconstructed the discovery, there were still doubts about its validity. Finally, Dr. armin Schlechter, a university historian, found that a marginal note in Agostino Vespucci's October 1503 book reinforced his conclusions.

The note identifies Gioconda as none other than Lisa del Giocondo, the third wife of Francesco del Giocondo, a famous silk merchant whose family lived in Tuscany and Florence.

Lisa Gherardini was born on June 15, 1479 and was the eldest of her seven siblings. She came from a wealthy family that lost its influence over time. This happened during the early stages of the Renaissance.

On March 5, 1495, 16-year-old Lisa married Francesco del Giocondo, a wealthy Florentine textile merchant. Francesco benefited from marrying Lisa due to his family's former status and the fact that her dowry consisted of 170 gold florins and a farm.

Lisa enjoyed the benefits of marrying into the Giocondo family and her new high social status.

Why Leonardo Da Vinci painted it

Historians believe the painting was commissioned to celebrate a new baby.

Then, on March 5, 1503, Lisa and Francesco moved into an apartment near Via Della Stufa, where Piero da Vinci, Leonardo's father, lived. It wouldn't take long for Piero and Lisa to become close friends.

It was common among wealthy families to immortalize events in paintings, so this was something Giocondo did regularly. In 1503, Francesco invited four artists to portray Lisa del Giocondo, and Leonardo was one of them.

Sources say that it took Leonardo about ten years to complete the Mona Lisa, which depicts her gentleness and faithfulness.