Mona Lisa's true identity revealed

[kurth]

German experts crack Mona Lisa smile
Mon Jan 14, 2008 2:00pm EST
By Sylvia Westall

BERLIN (Reuters) - German academics believe they have solved the centuries-old mystery behind the identity of the "Mona Lisa" in Leonardo da Vinci's famous portrait.

Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a wealthy Florentine merchant, Francesco del Giocondo, has long been seen as the most likely model for the sixteenth-century painting.

But art historians have often wondered whether the smiling woman may actually have been da Vinci's lover, his mother or the artist himself.

Now experts at the Heidelberg University library say dated notes scribbled in the margins of a book by its owner in October 1503 confirm once and for all that Lisa del Giocondo was indeed the model for one of the most famous portraits in the world.

"All doubts about the identity of the Mona Lisa have been eliminated by a discovery by Dr. Armin Schlechter," a manuscript expert, the library said in a statement on Monday...

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSL1179689520080114

[Olney Blue]

1. Interesting!

[Hardrada]

2. Wheeeew!

Now I can get a good night's sleep!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. I'm glad the mystery is solved...

I'm always happy when we know something about a famous painting such as this one...

[Historic NY]

4. Okay now if the figure out "The Last Supper" I will be happy.

[Blue-Jay]

8. Like why was everyone sitting on the same side of the table?

[Historic NY]

13. Maybe they had a dinner and a show. n/t

[Hardrada]

19. A Dinner Theater

[Historic NY]

20. For some reason I can see a Mel Brooks show.....bwah.

Hey he played at the palace.

[kskiska]

5. Isn't the title of the painting "La Gioconda"?

What's the mystery?

[Emit]

6. I cried when I saw the Mona Lisa.

I cried like a baby.

Thanks for the post.

[progressoid]

7. Really?

Not so much for me. I guess I wasn't in the right frame of mind when I saw it. Of course the horde of people and the bullet proof glass kind of interfered with my experience too.

I did, however, have a religious experience with a Rothko once.

[Emit]

10. lol. Yes.

But then, I've been known to cry when I hear "The Little Drummer Boy", too. :rofl:

I guess it was the anticipation of it all -- like I couldn't believe I'd ever have the opportunity to see it. As an oil painter (Art/Psych dual major), it holds a special place in my heart, as do many other paintings and artists.

Imagine my response if the bullet proof glass hadn't have been there, lol.

[progressoid]

11. To be fair, I was also getting over the flu at the time.

There is just so much to take in while trying to ignore being sick is a little daunting.

Plus I kept thinking about Audrey Hepburn and the "Winged Victory" scene from the movie Funny Face.

[RufusTFirefly]

9. How wonderful that you had such a visceral response

That's really the magic of art.

For myself, I was actually a bit disappointed when I finally got to see the Mona Lisa. I likened it to the disappointment I felt when I first saw Mount Rushmore. Both were a lot smaller than I expected.

On the other hand, I was utterly blown away by Van Gogh's, "L'église d'Auvers-sur-Oise," which hangs in the glorious Musee D'Orsay. I was completely unprepared for the brilliance of the blues in that painting. No photograph I've seen before or since does it justice.

[Emit]

12. When I saw Waterhouse's The Lady of Shalott

in the Tate gallery, I was blown away. I had a print of it, and the painting held special meaning because of the poem -- a favorite of my sister's and she had sent me a handwritten copy of it when I was in college as a Christmas gift one year -- but I never expected it to be so big. I came upon it as an accident, too. We, the same sister and I, were caught in a rain storm in London and decided to duck into the Tate. I was tired and hungry and not much up for another museum, and so I parked myself on a bench. When I looked up, this is what I saw:



It took my breath away and gave me chills. It's huge! At least 5ft by 6 ft. And beautiful in its details.

[xchrom]

15. i didn't cry -- but i was stunned at just how wonderful

the painting was.

the crowds wouldn't allow one to get as involved with looking at it as one might like.

but it's incredible.

[bklyncowgirl]

17. I was with my non-art appreciating husband and my 8 year old daughter when I saw it

You had to stand so far away from the bulletproof glass encased painting that it was hard to really appreciate the moment--the kid lsted around one minutes. My primary reaction--I didn't realize it was so small.

On the other hand I god my Louvre freak out moment over Michelangelo's "Dying Slave".

It's good to see that they've uncovered more evidence about the origins of this great work of art.

[radfringe]

14. bummer

:smirk: I thought they were going to tell us Mona Lisa was really guilliani :D

[robbedvoter]

16. LOL! My eyes! It burns!

:rofl:

[Buns_of_Fire]

18. You cover up them bosoms, Mona! You hear?

You too, Rudy.