The Mona Lisa (/ˌmoʊnə ˈliːsə/; Italian: Monna Lisa [ˈmɔnna ˈliːza] or La Gioconda [la
dʒoˈkonda], French: La Joconde [la ʒɔkɔ̃d]) is a half-length portrait painting by the Italian
Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci that has been described as "the best known, the most visited,
the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world." The Mona
Lisa is also one of the most valuable paintings in the world. It holds the Guinness World Record for
the highest known insurance valuation in history at US$100 million in 1962 (equivalent to $650
million in 2018).
The painting is thought by many to be a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del
Giocondo, and is in oil on a white Lombardy poplar panel. It had been believed to have been painted
between 1503 and 1506; however, Leonardo may have continued working on it as late as 1517.
Recent academic work suggests that it would not have been started before 1513. It was acquired
by King Francis I of France and is now the property of the French Republic, on permanent display at
the Louvre Museum in Paris since 1797.
The subject's expression, which is frequently described as enigmatic, the monumentality of the
composition, the subtle modelling of forms, and the atmospheric illusionism were novel qualities that
have contributed to the continuing fascination and study of the work.
The title of the painting, which is known in English as Mona Lisa, comes from a description
by Renaissance art historian Giorgio Vasari, who wrote "Leonardo undertook to paint, for Francesco
del Giocondo, the portrait of Mona Lisa, his wife." Mona in Italian is a polite form of address
originating as "ma donna" – similar to "Ma'am", "Madam", or "my lady" in English. This became
"madonna", and its contraction "mona". The title of the painting, though traditionally spelled "Mona"
(as used by Vasar), is also commonly spelled in modern Italian as Monna Lisa ("mona" being a
vulgarity in some Italian dialects), but this is rare in English.
Vasari's account of the Mona Lisa comes from his biography of Leonardo published in 1550, 31
years after the artist's death. It has long been the best-known source of information on
the provenance of the work and identity of the sitter. Leonardo's assistant Salaì, at his death in 1524,
owned a portrait which in his personal papers was named la Gioconda, a painting bequeathed to him
by Leonardo..
That Leonardo painted such a work, and its date, were confirmed in 2005 when a scholar
at Heidelberg Universitydiscovered a marginal note in a 1477 printing of a volume by ancient
Roman philosopher Cicero. Dated October 1503, the note was written by Leonardo's
contemporary Agostino Vespucci. This note likens Leonardo to renowned Greek painter Apelles,
who is mentioned in the text, and states that Leonardo was at that time working on a painting of Lisa
del Giocondo.
In response to the announcement of the discovery of this document, Vincent Delieuvin, the Louvre
representative, stated "Leonardo da Vinci was painting, in 1503, the portrait of a Florentine lady by
the name of Lisa del Giocondo. About this we are now certain. Unfortunately, we cannot be
absolutely certain that this portrait of Lisa del Giocondo is the painting of the Louvre."
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. The
Italian name for the painting, La Gioconda, means "jocund" ("happy" or "jovial") or, literally, "the
jocund one", a pun on the feminine form of Lisa's married name, "Giocondo". In French, the title La
Joconde has the same meaning.
Before that discovery, scholars had developed several alternative views as to the subject of the
painting. Some argued that Lisa del Giocondo was the subject of a different portrait, identifying at
least four other paintings as the Mona Lisa referred to by Vasari. Several other women have been
proposed as the subject of the painting. Isabella of Aragon, Cecilia Gallerani, Costanza d'Avalos,
Duchess of Francavilla, Isabella d'Este, Pacifica Brandano or Brandino, Isabela Gualanda, Caterina
Sforza—even Salaì and Leonardo himself—are all among the list of posited models portrayed in the
painting. The consensus of art historians in the 21st century maintains the long-held traditional
opinion that the painting depicts Lisa del Giocondo..
Ivan Vincent A. Ballano BSHM-1
By: Leonardo da Vinci
