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‘Mona Lisa’ Copy Done Hand in Hand With da Vinci

Mona Lisa Copy Done Hand in Hand With Leonardo da Vinci | La Gioconda

A copy of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa that was painted at the same time as the original in the same studio is displayed at the Prado Museum in Madrid Wednesday Feb. 1, 2012. Spain's Prado Museum says the copy it has of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa was painted at the same time as the original perhaps making it the earliest replica of the masterpiece. A museum spokeswoman said the work was painted side by side with the 16th century original that hangs in the Louvre in Paris and was done by one of Leonard's key students. (AP Photo/Paul White)

MADRID (AP) — A “Mona Lisa” copy owned by Spain‘s Prado Museum was almost certainly painted by one of Leonardo da Vinci’s apprentices alongside the master himself as he did the original, museum officials said Wednesday.

The stunning find of what the Prado now says is probably the earliest known copy of La Gioconda will give art lovers and experts an idea of what the Mona Lisa looked like back in the 16th century, said Gabriele Finaldi, the museum’s deputy director collections.

“It is as if we were in the same studio, standing at the next easel,” he told reporters.

 

 

The copy has been part of the Prado collection for years and displayed occasionally but no one paid much attention to it because around the woman in the Mona Lisa was a stark black background, not the pretty landscape seen in the original.

Two years ago, to get the copy ready for a da Vinci exhibit later this year in Paris, where the original hangs in the Louvre, tests were done and this gave restorers a hint that something lie under the black coat, which was added in the 18th century for reasons not fully understood.

When the black covering was removed, a Tuscan landscape very similar to the one in the original emerged.

And X-ray tests which allow experts to peek under a painting’s surface to see how it developed as it was composed showed that changes made in the copy were similar to changes made to the original as it evolved.

Varnish has also been removed from the Mona Lisa’s face, making it look brighter and younger than the face coated with cracked, darkish varnish at the Paris museum.

“You can imagine that this is what the Mona Lisa looked like back in the 16th century,” Finaldi said.

Miguel Falomir, the Prado’s director for Italian painting, said the copy gives art lovers and experts a chance “to admire the Mona Lisa with totally different eyes.”

He and Finaldi said the museum’s best guess is that the copy was done by a da Vinci apprentice named Francesco Melzi, because of the style observed in it.

Besides the black background, one other difference from the original is the woman in the copy has eyebrows and the Mona Lisa in the real masterpiece does not.

There are dozens of the surviving replicas of the masterpiece from the 16th and 17th centuries.

The Louvre supports the Prado’s new evaluation of the painting, Finaldi said.

The Prado plans to put it on display later this month before it travels to France for the da Vinci show.

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Ciaran Giles contributed to this report.

Comments (10)

  • arty6164
    Posted on February 3, 2012 at 7:10pm

    I would’ve thought the x-rays would show the numbers underneath the paint. Guess not.

    Report Post »  
  • Winkycat
    Posted on February 3, 2012 at 3:30pm

    To copy an artists work is the best form of flattery even though the copy can never be like the original. One copy that has survived the ages and civilizations is the face of the Greek God Zeus, which was copied to represent the Roman God Jupiter and finally was copied by Michelangelo to represent God the father in the creation of man depicted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel,..

    Report Post »  
  • dontbotherme
    Posted on February 2, 2012 at 9:59pm

    It’s beautiful!

    Report Post »  
  • Mikev5
    Posted on February 2, 2012 at 7:45pm

    Not even close to looking like the real thing are you people nuts its missing that Leonardo da Vinci‘ special flare the copys face looks child like the Masters has depth and life that only Leonardo da Vinci’ could capture to not see the differences you must be blind.

    Report Post » Mikev5  
  • David286 - FL
    Posted on February 2, 2012 at 4:10pm

    If it was done at the same time is it really the copy or was da Vinci’s a copy of what he was teaching his student to show him a different technique?

    Report Post » David286 - FL  
  • jrhenline
    Posted on February 2, 2012 at 11:59am

    Really pretty cool. I like the copy better than the original. I was a little disapointed when I say the real thing in Paris. The guard kept yelling that flashes from cameras were not allowed but the mob of Italian tourists completely ignored him and flashed away.

    Report Post »  
  • Inkbottle
    Posted on February 2, 2012 at 9:51am

    I like that dot and line, because then I can consider myself an artist! :)

    Report Post » Inkbottle  
  • Bryancpe
    Posted on February 2, 2012 at 9:34am

    I am completely fascinated by this find. It is amazing. A historic piece of art that transcends time.

    Report Post » Bryancpe  
  • grannyrecipe
    Posted on February 2, 2012 at 5:56am

    I’m sorry, I love art and am artistic myself but I‘m not getting the whole Mona Lisa thing and why it’s considered to be a pinnacle in art. It’s like Zsa Zsa Gabor , just famous for being famous.

    Report Post » grannyrecipe  
    • @leftfighter
      Posted on February 2, 2012 at 7:31am

      Hey- it’s better than the thick red line and blue dot on a canvas that passes for art today.

      Just sayin’.

      Report Post » @leftfighter  

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