The Mona Lisa Mystery

Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa may now rank among the world's best art masterpieces—instantly recognizable, and one of the most visited (residing in Paris's Louvre Museum)—but the painting was still relatively obscure when it was famously stolen in 1911. Less well-known is the fact that around the same time another version was discovered in England: dubbed the Isleworth Mona Lisa ("mona" is an archaic Italian word for lady), the painting set off a critical firestorm. Was it an authentic da Vinci, a studio copy, or merely a fake? Filmmaker Klaus T. Steindl's PBS-aired documentary—an entry in the Secrets of the Dead series—examines the evidence on all sides. Da Vinci considered himself a "disciple of experience”—always restless, constantly tinkering and experimenting with paints and pigments. He rarely thought a painting finished, often leaving small details and backgrounds to be filled in by others in his studio. How da Vinci took on the job of painting a prosperous silk merchant's wife remains a mystery, as there is no record of a commission or evidence that da Vinci was paid for it. The Isleworth Mona also has little historical background, seems to depict a slightly younger woman, and is painted on canvas rather than the wood that Leonardo favored. The documentary presents scientific evidence comparing the Isleworth version to the original, with pigments suggesting that both paintings fall within a time before da Vinci's death in 1519 (although the Isleworth shows few signs of decay or damage due to age). Surprisingly, some written accounts of the paintings from contemporary witnesses exist, but none provide conclusive evidence. Juggling current scientific research with dramatic re-creations, the mystery explored here may never be solved, but the story is still sure to intrigue art lovers. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)