La Gioconda del Prado is a well-preserved exact copy of the Mona Lisa. It was made by one of Leonardo da Vinci’s students. Discovered in 2012, it shows details that are no longer visible in the Mona Lisa anymore.
This extraordinary copy of the Mona Lisa was painted by one of Leonardo da Vinci’s students. It was likely Francesco Melzi or Salaì. They painted it alongside the master himself.
Long thought to be just another replica, it sat unnoticed in Madrid’s Prado Museum for centuries. But in 2012, during restoration, infrared scans revealed it was painted in real time, mirroring Leonardo’s own brushstrokes and composition.
What sets it apart? Unlike the original, which has darkened and cracked over 500 years, this version has been far better preserved. It reveals background details and colors now faded or lost in the original.
On da Vinci’s original, the black background once thought to be novel was actually over painted in the 18th century.
On the official Louve, the Paris, France museum where the painting is displayed behind bullet proof glass, they discuss why the art is likely the most famous in the world:
“But perhaps it is due to Leonardo’s wonderful ‘sfumato’ technique – multiple thin layers of transparent glaze, creating a misty effect that makes the painting shimmer with life? Or simply because it is a work by the undisputed genius of the Italian Renaissance? Then again, it could be because the Mona Lisa was stolen, then recovered, and made front-page news? Or because the portrait has been copied or referenced so often, by so many artists?”
When it was removed, a vivid landscape—matching da Vinci’s—was revealed, offering a rare glimpse into what the Mona Lisa may have looked like when it first left Leonardo’s studio.
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By award-winning Texas author Cynthia Leal Massey.
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Awesome student! 🙂
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It’s the smile; you zero in on it. Come to think of it, did people who had portraits done then even ever smile; I can’t think of any.
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Great report! Love it.
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Good stuff, Jack. Mona Lisa, the equivalent of a Sears portrait from the 80s. We all had it done, and it wasn’t very good. Leo had so many students doing his paintings that he lost control of the process. The girl was not happy, and someone either let out a fart or dropped their pants to make her smile. Either the girls back then were not that good-looking, or he picked a homely model. I’m not buying any of it, just saying from a Texas artist.
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