If you are an art lover, you’ve heard of the Mona Lisa. Leonardo da Vinci painted the portrait in the 16th century – one of the world’s most famous paintings.

After the Middle Ages, the Renaissance ushered Europe into a cultural, artistic, political, and economic rebirth. In 1503, Leonardo da Vinci began working on the Mona Lisa. 

Da Vinci completed a significant part of the Mona Lisa between 1503 and 1507. Between 1507 and 1519, he added several details to the portrait.

After da Vinci died, his favorite apprentice Salai took ownership of the Mona Lisa. Later, the King of France, Francis 1, bought the Mona Lisa and exhibited it at the Palace of Fontainebleau.

Later, toward the end of the 19th century, Italian museum staff, artist, and thief Vincenzo Peruggia stole the portrait from the Louvre and took it to Italy. However, he was caught when he tried to sell it.

One of the debates on the Mona Lisa is whether it was actually the portrait of Lisa Gheradini. The arguments were put to rest in 2005 when a German librarian at the University of Heidelberg, Dr. Armin Schelter, confirmed the identity of the Mona Lisa.

Another theory about Mona Lisa’s identity linked her to a powerful family in Renaissance Italy, the Sforza family. The proponents of this theory believe that the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, commissioned the painting.

The debate on the Mona Lisa’s identity was put to rest in the 2006 book Mona Lisa Revealed. In it, Giuseppe Pallanti wrote about Francesco del Giocondo’s last will and testament. 

Another famous theory about the Mona Lisa is that the portrait has hidden images. People who have viewed the picture claimed they saw a hidden skull in the landscape. There are also claims that Mona Lisa’s eyes have a hidden code. 

One of the long-standing puzzles about the Mona Lisa is the absence of eyebrows and eyelashes. But in 2007, French engineer Pascal Cotte revealed that Da Vinci did give the image an eyebrow. 

After zooming in on the Mona Lisa’s left eye, the engineer found a single brush stroke in the eyebrow region. Pascal always thought it was illogical for the image not to have any eyebrows or eyelashes. 

Pascal also solved the puzzle about the positioning of Mona Lisa’s right arm. The right arm lies across the image’s stomach, and many artists have questioned why da Vinci painted it that way. 

Pascal said, “The wrist of the right hand is up high on the stomach. But if you look deeply in the infrared, you understand she holds a cover with her wrist.” He also discovered that there was lace on Mona Lisa’s dress.

The painter then used transparency techniques to paint the veil on top. Also, Pascal found that da Vinci did not finish the left finger, and the elbow underwent repair after a rock was thrown at the painting in 1956.

Also, Pascal ended the controversy on the material da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa on. He revealed that the portrait was painted on an uncut poplar board. He added that staring at the enlarged infrared image of the Mona Lisa heightened her beauty and mystique. 

Another mystery that the Mona Lisa is famous for surrounds her smile. Those who have viewed the painting have given different interpretations of it. Some claimed it was a sign of happiness, while others believed it showed sadness or melancholy. 

Since the peripheral vision cannot distinguish the fine details, it sees the shadows on the Mona Lisa’s cheekbones as a smile. But if you focus on the lips and pay attention to the elements, the smile becomes a frown.

The truth of the emotion Mona Lisa’s smile portrays remains in the eyes of the beholder. But beyond the smile, there’s also the mystery of the landscape. 

Others see the landscape as a representation of the journey through life. However, the landscape and the other mysteries discussed so far are not the most shocking about the Mona Lisa. 

According to different theories, da Vinci painted Isleworth before the Mona Lisa. However, there is no solid proof that the painter created it. But to understand how Isleworth came to be, we must return to its beginning.  

Years later, Hugh Blaker, an English art collector, saw and bought the painting. He also thought the Isleworth was the original Mona Lisa. Hugh’s father, John R. Eyre, took an interest in the portrait and brought experts to study it. 

After Hugh, Henry F. Pulitzer became the next owner of Isleworth in 1962 and studied its origins. His discoveries led him to write the book, Where Is the Mona Lisa? In 1966. 

Art historian Jean-Pierre Isbouts said that Henry’s book did more harm than good and that no self-respecting historian would read it. Also, it did not help that Lord Brownlow (Peregrine Francis Adelbert Crust) also claimed to have the original Mona Lisa when Henry released his book. 

The two men offered to hold an exhibition in London in 1972 to showcase their paintings. But there is no record that they did, and Henry continued to claim his Isleworth Mona Lisa was the original painting until his demise in 1979.

It was later disclosed that the Isleworth Mona Lisa was in a Swiss bank vault for 30 years. In 2008, the painting reappeared, and this time, in possession of the newly formed Mona Lisa Foundation. 

David added that the foundation exists solely to examine the facts in the most objective way possible. Like the previous owners of the Isleworth Mona Lisa, the foundation believes that the painting belonged to da Vinci. 

While the foundation’s theory made sense, leading art scholars and historians rejected it. Historians believe there is no substance to the claim that the Isleworth Mona Lisa is an original da Vinci painting. 

Furthermore, the Mona Lisa Foundation considered that Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino sketched the Mona Lisa after seeing it once. In the painting by Raffaello, the image is flanked by two columns. 

Also, the Louvre’s Mona Lisa has never been trimmed, so it can’t be said the pillars were cut off. The foundation used this fact to support its claim of the Isleworth Mona Lisa’s authenticity. 

But the foundation pointed out that da Vinci also painted on canvas, citing the drapery on linen canvas at the Louvre as an example. The drapery is one of da Vinci’s earlier works in the 1470s.

After several back-and-forths with art historians on Isleworth belonging to da Vinci, the foundation conceded that, at least, the same artist painted the face of the Isleworth and Louvre’s Mona Lisa.