Became famous after it was kidnapped and was repainted twice. Interesting facts about the "Mona Lisa" that you might not know
"Mona Lisa", also known as "Giaconda", was one of the greatest paintings by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. The work of art, around which there are still many legends, was painted around 1503 and is considered one of the most priceless works of painting.
Exactly 113 years ago, on August 21, the portrait was stolen by Vincenzo Perugia, who glassed picture frames, from France's largest museum, the Louvre. Few people know, but it was this event that made the canvas world-famous, because before it was admired by only a small number of art lovers. OBOZ.UA decided to prepare little-known facts about "Mona Lisa", about which you may not have heard.
Earlier about "Mona Lisa" knew very few people
The painting has been repainted twice
After long-term research using modern technology, experts managed to find out that originally "Giaconda" looked a little different way. According to the assumption of scientists, Leonardo da Vinci remodeled the canvas to bring it to perfection.
The portrait adorned the palace of Napoleon Bonaparte
The former emperor of France was the main connoisseur of the unique painting. Proclaiming himself ruler, Napoleon Bonaparte took the Mona Lisa from the Louvre and placed it in his Tuileries palace, where it hung for four years.
"Mona Lisa."
It is not known for certain who is depicted in the painting
According to one of the most widespread theories about the person whose image Leonardo da Vinci reproduced, the painting is a portrait of the daughter of a wealthy silk merchant, Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo. There is an assumption that the young lady's husband commissioned the work in 1503. This explains the full name of the work of art "Portrait of Mrs. Lisa del Giocondo", or the abbreviated version "Giaconda". However, some art historians assure that the Italian artist painted his self-portrait, but in the image of a woman.
Leonardo da Vinci
Source: wikipedia
The painting used to be bigger
When scientists found an ancient reproduction of a famous canvas, they concluded that the painting was much wider. For unknown reasons, its sides were cut off, so the modern size is 76.8 x 53 centimeters and its weight is 8 kilograms.
The Mona Lisa originally had eyebrows
For a long time, there were several assumptions why the woman depicted in the portrait did not have eyebrows. Some experts believed that such a feature in appearance corresponded to the standards of beauty of the time, but others assured: the artist simply did not have time to complete the work. However, in 2007, scientists conducted a digital scan of the "Mona Lisa", which showed that the young lady was clearly drawn eyebrows and eyelashes. Perhaps, over time, the small elements lost their color or were inadvertently removed during restorations.
Artist Cesare Maccari reproduced Leonardo da Vinci painting the Mona Lisa
The date the portrait was created is unknown
In most cases, artists sign their work with a date and initials. However, there are no markings of any kind on "Giaconda". The most interesting thing is that even in da Vinci's personal diaries there is no mention of the portrait, but a large number of historical documents confirm its authorship.
"Portrait of Mrs. Lisa del Giocondo".
The painting has been damaged twice by museum visitors
In 1956, an art connoisseur poured acid on the Mona Lisa, resulting in damage to the lower part of the canvas. If you look closely at the painting, you can see a small defect on the left elbow of the young lady depicted in the portrait, which appeared when one of the visitors threw a stone at her. After several incidents, the work of art was placed in armored glass, capable of withstanding a shot from a firearm.
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