10 facts about the Mona Lisa painting

10 facts about the
Mona Lisa
painting

Retrieved from
https://www.leonardodavinci.net/the-mona-lisa.jsp

• 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. The French king
displayed the painting in his Fontainebleau palace
where it remained for a century. Louis XIV removed it to
the grand Palace of Versailles. At the outset of the 19th
century, Napoleon Bonaparte kept the painting in his
boudoir.

2. 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

• 3. She has her own room in the Louvre Museum in Paris.

After the Louvre launched a four-year, $6.3 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 little spotlight brings out the true colors
of da Vinci's original paints.

4. The eyes have it.

People have come up with all sorts of theories about the
painting, some educated and some downright silly. In
2010, members of the Italian National Committee for
Cultural Heritage announced that microscopic scrutiny
of the work had revealed new discoveries. In the
madonna's right eye, the artist's initials L.V. appear.

• 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.

6. A thief made her famous.

Although in the art world, the painting had always been
an acknowledged masterpiece, it wasn't until it was
stolen in the summer of 1911 that it would capture the
attention of the general public. Newspapers spread the
story of the crime worldwide. When the painting finally
returned to the Louvre two years later, practically the
whole world was cheering.

• 7. Picasso was under suspicion for the theft. During
the investigation, the gendarmes went so far as to
question known art dissidents such as Pablo Picasso
about the theft. They briefly arrested poet
Guillaume Apollinaire, who had once said the
painting should be burned. Their suspicions proved
to be unfounded.

8. She receives fan mail.

Since the painting first arrived at the Louvre in 1815,
"Mona Lisa" has received plenty of love letters and
flowers from admirers. She even has her own
mailbox.

• 9. Not everyone is a fan.

Various vandals have tried to harm da Vinci's
famed masterpiece, and 1956 was a particularly
bad year. In two separate attacks, one person
threw acid at the painting, and another individual
pelted it with a rock. The damage is faint but still
noticeable. The addition of bulletproof glass
repelled subsequent attacks with spray paint in 1974
and a coffee cup in 2009.

10. She cannot be bought or sold.

Truly priceless, the painting cannot be bought or
sold according to French heritage law. As part of
the Louvre collection, "Mona Lisa" belongs to the
public, and by popular agreement, their hearts
belong to her.