Carol DM
Thanks to Doc after a conversation we were having about smiles and how much are they worth.
Doc’s comment: “a picture is worth 1000 words. I wonder how much a smile is worth?”
The Mona Lisa Smile came up and I started thinking about the secrets behind this famous smile.
Here are five to share, I have many more and will share later if anyone is interested….
1. She lived with Francois I, Louis XIV and Napoleon
Although da Vinci began work on his masterpiece while living in his native Italy, he did not finish it until he moved to France at King Francois I’s request.
2. Some historians believe Mona Lisa is a self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci.
Leonardo da Vinci died in 1519, and he is buried at a French castle. Italy’s National Committee for Cultural Heritage is undertaking an investigation, and plans to dig up his skull. They want to rebuild Leonardo’s face, using CSI-style technology. Will he resemble the mysterious Mona Lisa?
3. She has her own room in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
After the Louvre launched a four-year, $6 million renovation in 2003, the painting now has its own room. A glass ceiling lets in natural light, a shatter-proof glass display case maintains a controlled temperature of 43 degrees F. and a spotlight brings out the true colors of da Vinci’s original paints.
4. It is a painting but not a canvas.
Da Vinci’s famous masterpiece is painted on a poplar plank. Considering he was accustomed to painting larger works on wet plaster, a wood plank does not seem that outlandish. Canvas was available to artists since the 14th century, but many Renaissance masters preferred wood as a basis for their small artworks.
5. Jackie Kennedy invited her to visit.
Over the centuries, French officials have only rarely let the painting out of their sight. However, when first lady Jackie Kennedy asked if the painting could visit the U.S., French President de Gaulle agreed. “Mona Lisa” went on display at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. and then at the Metropolitan Museum of the Arts in New York City.
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Did you know these secrets?
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Yes
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No
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Ok. I realize now that you have commented to me on Twitter. I did not know it was you. Have a nice day Glad to know it was you.
I rarely get on Twitter. I should have told you. Sorry.
I have written about the Mona Lisa too so I knew most of these things. It is a very interesting story and painting.
I don’t remember. It is interesting to research.
La Gioconda (sp) or the Mona Lisa (English version) is one of the most epic paintings. I have had the fortune of seeing her beauty in person (in Paris at the Louvre). It wasn’t until Dan Brown’s book that I actually started finding out about her history.
I am not surprised that you have seen the painting. Good for you Doc. You have had many happy travels.
i did, the best part was my wife got to see the Mona Lisa as well. I saw it and then 2 years later she came with me
That is great. Good memories for both of you.
they are, my wife dragged me back to the museum that weekend after my meetings were done.
I have always heard Da Vinci picked a girl to do the portrait, I even remember watching a documentary that said who was the real person behind the painting so I do not know if this picture is a self-portrait. Very interesting post. I have enjoyed it. I have been to Louvre twice but it is so huge that I saw many things but not Mona Lisa. My favourite Louvre painting is “Liberte guidant le peuple” as my Twitter profile account proves https://twitter.com/halcombenorilsk Take a look at this famous painting.
There are so many stories out there, I never know what to believe. I will check your link out, thank you!
Yes, there are a lot of theories especially when it comes to famous things like Mona Lisa.
Sometimes it is hard to know it is truth or theory.
Thank you so much for sharing that information with us.
You are very welcome. There are many more facts and secrets.
I knew about some of what you wrote. Thanks for sharing the information.
You are welcome Andre, I may share more today.
I believe that data about historic items are more of inventions than facts.
Sometimes they are, other times they are facts. We have to choose what we want to believe.
When I first saw the Mona Lisa I wrote to a museum asking why she had no Eyebrows. I got an answer that the style in those days was to remove eyebrows to make the eyes seem bigger.
Yes I have also read about the same issue. I wondered the same thing.
I was a little kid then and my mother was shocked when I got an answer to my little kid letter.
What a good memory you shared, thank you.
I was not shocked then, but as the years passed..I realised it was a big deal
We learn something new every day and I sure learned some history surrounding the Mona Lisa. Thanks for the history lesson and the smile.
And there are many more facts I did not know. Amazing what you can learn. Good to see you!