Who is the Mona Lisa?

On this episode we will explore the various stories surrounding the Mona Lisa. Why is this small painting depicting an unknown woman so famous? Spoiler alert, it’s not her smile.

Do we really know who she is? We will also talk about different versions of the Mona Lisa because…there is more than one! We will also discuss Da Vinci’s personal life and some of the skeletons in his closet. What you thought you knew might surprise you!

WORKS REFERRED TO IN THE EPISODE

Mona Lisa (La Joconde), Leonardo da Vinci, 1503-1506 (-1517?), oil on poplar panel, Louvre Museum, Paris

The Virgin with the Infant Saint John the Baptist adoring the Christ Child accompanied by an Angel ('The Virgin of the Rocks’), Leonardo da Vinci, 1495-1508, oil on poplar, National Gallery, London

The Virgin of the Rocks, Leonardo da Vinci, 1483 - 1486, Oil on canvas, Louvre Museum, Paris

Portrait of a Woman, Raphael (1483-1520), 1505-06, Pen and Ink on Paper, Louvre Museum, Paris

Saint John the Baptist (Salai?), Leonardo da Vinci, 1513-1516, oil on panel, Louvre Museum, Paris

Isleworth Mona Lisa, artist unknown, date unknown, Private Collection

La Gioconda (Prado Mona Lisa), Workshop of Leonardo da Vinci, between 1503-1516 oil on panel, Museo del Prado, Madrid