Primus Pilus Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 German academics believe they have solved the centuries-old mystery behind the identity of the "Mona Lisa" in Leonardo da Vinci's famous portrait. Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a wealthy Florentine merchant, Francesco del Giocondo, has long been seen as the most likely model for the sixteenth-century painting. But art historians have often wondered whether the smiling woman may actually have been da Vinci's lover, his mother or the artist himself. Now experts at the Heidelberg University library say dated notes scribbled in the margins of a book by its owner in October 1503 confirm once and for all that Lisa del Giocondo was indeed the model for one of the most famous portraits in the world... Reuters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klingan Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Interesting but I do wonder if this really is the last on Mona Lisa's identity. It's one of those subjects that seems to be resurrected over and over again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldrail Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 I always get a little scornful when a group of experts announce that at last the puzzle has been solved. Almost always they haven't, they either believe they have or want us to believe they have, and the dooubt will persist despite all their evidence. I've also noticed that in these circumstances the evidence is drawn from some of the strangest connections that can defy commonsense. Perhaps I'm wrong, and these german experts are spot on correct. I'm just not sure I believe it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Neil Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Maybe there is no puzzle at all, and it is simply a portrait of a woman, the painting of which one or more models may have been used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klingan Posted January 15, 2008 Report Share Posted January 15, 2008 Maybe there is no puzzle at all, and it is simply a portrait of a woman, the painting of which one or more models may have been used. Very well said! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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