The Mona Lisa is one of the most famous paintings in the world due to its technical mastery and mystique. Many unanswered questions remain about both the painting and the woman who sat for it. Art historians constantly search for clues to solve the puzzle. New facts about the painting were uncovered as recently as 2007 when the portrait was scanned by a special camera made by French engineer Pascal Cotte. The scan revealed details which can not be seen by the naked eye.
The Beginning
The oil painting is one of many works by famed Italian artist and inventor, Leonardo da Vinci. He began the painting in 1503, though it was not completed for four years. In 1516, the painting was purchased by King Francois, the king of France at the time. The painting has legally belonged to the French government ever since.
Missing Parts
One of the biggest mysteries in the history of the Mona Lisa is the content of the original picture. According to arthistoryguide.com, many art historians believe that the picture was trimmed by King Francois after da Vinci's death. While some scholars dispute this, the most accepted belief is that there were columns on either side of the woman.
"Madam Lisa"
Though the identity of the woman in the picture is not confirmed, it is most widely accepted that her name was Lisa Gherardini. This explains the title of the painting, whose literal Italian translation is "Madam Lisa."
Gherardini was married to Francesco Giocondo, a prominent Italian cloth merchant who commissioned the painting. The painting was possibly commissioned to celebrate one of two events in the lives of Gherardini and Giocondo that occurred near the time of the painting: the purchase of a home or the birth of their son.
Another less popular theory is that the painting is not of a woman at all, but rather is a self-portrait of da Vinci in woman's clothing.
Theft
The Mona Lisa left the hands of the French government once in 1911 when it was stolen from the Musee de Louvre. The culprit was Eduardo de Valfierno, a Louvre employee. He made off with the painting by hiding in a nearby broom closet until after hours and then removing the painting from the walls of the museum.
De Valfierno's plan was to recreate several copies of the painting and attempt to sell each as the original, but the plan backfired. The painting was recovered in 1913 when an observant art dealer spotted the original work in de Valierno's possession and contacted authorities.
Homes
While the painting has spent most of its life at the Musee de Louvre where it is currently displayed, it had a few other homes over its long life. It hung on the walls of the French royal family's palace up until the French Revolution. After this revolution the Louvre became an art gallery and the Mona Lisa was placed on its walls for public display.
Aside from the theft, it was removed from the walls of the Louvre only two other times. The first time was by Napoleon who liked the painting so much that he had it placed on his bedroom walls for several years before returning it to the Louvre.
The second time it was taken from the museum was for safekeeping. During World War II the French government had several priceless works of art housed at the museum, including the Mona Lisa, transported to secret hiding places. The destination is unknown to this day, but the painting was boarded up and sent to a safe place by train. It was returned to the Louvre after the war where it hangs today behind thick glass.
