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Leonardo di ser Pietro DA VINCI, known as Leonardo da Vinci (Vinci, 1452 – Amboise,1519)
Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo
Between 1503 and 1506
© Musée du Louvre/A. Dequier - M. Bard |
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Denon
1st Floor
Salle des Etats
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Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo |
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The world's most celebrated painting has lost none of its mystery. Should it be regarded as a portrait of Mona Lisa, wife of Francesco del Giocondo, painted in Florence between 1503 and 1507, or as a representation of ideal beauty?
The face is seen in front view, the bust in three-quarter view, with the sitter's hands crossed on an armrest. This manner of depiction is in keeping with Northern European portrait tradition, and would be borrowed by Leonardo's contemporaries. He nevertheless infused his model with an essential quality: he brought her to life. The life-sized scale, the nearness of the figure whose hands are in the foreground, and the treatment of the gaze turned towards the spectator all contribute to this sense of vitality. The famous smile, which Vasari described as "divine," invites the onlooker to meditate upon Platonic theories, according to which the smile on a graceful face is a reflection of the beauty of the soul. Could this smile lighting up her face simply be an onomastic reference that confirms La Gioconda's identity ("giocondo" in Italian meaning "light-hearted")?
This impression of lifelikeness is also produced by Leonardo's use of sfumato, a technique that replaced firm outlines with hazy transitions from light to dark. It was the "right distribution of light" that gave rise to volume and suggested distance. The landscape behind the figure is bathed in a "light mist," and the mountains in the background are swathed in the atmospheric envelope.
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Go back to the Great Gallery, walk along it until the Tribune (Room 12).
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