Introduction
Leonardo Da Vinci’s most famous painting, the Mona Lisa has had a massive impact on the world’s art scene. Many historians believe that the painting has a strong influence on the ‘Renaissance Movement’.
Da Vinci has been credited for ushering in a new way in which art was created. The half portrait painting of the Mona Lisa created a new wave. This was picked up by later great artists like Raphael who adopted the style of da Vinci’s Mona Lisa in his later portrait paintings.
Mona Lisa as painting and artwork has been the centre of numerous scandals, speculations and controversies. In this article, we are going to discuss ten mind-blowing facts about the painting.
List of 7 Fascinating Facts about the Mona Lisa Painting
- The Mona Lisa was stolen in 1911, by an Italian national of the name of Vincenzo Peruggia. He stole the painting with three other workers of the Louvre. Peruggia was arrested and put behind bars. It was stated that the painting was shown to many private collectors and travelled the length and breadth of the country.
- The painting was moved from place to place during World War II in France. The museum authorities kept moving the painting all over the countryside so that the painting was not destroyed by German and Italian fighter planes. It was finally placed at the Louver after being moved around in 1945.
- The painting is the most protected painting in the world. It is placed in a bullet-proof glass cabinet, in an air controlled vacuum so that the normal decay is prevented. Many opine that the Mona Lisa painting has a secret evacuation tunnel to save the painting in case of any natural disasters or man-made wars.
- The Mona Lisa is the most recognized painting in the world. In the 1950s, the painting went on a tour of America and was placed at the famous Metropolitan Museum in New York and the National Art Gallery in Washington. It attracted more than 40000 visitors every day. It also traveled on a tour to Tokyo and Moscow in the year 1974.
- There are many replicas of the Mona Lisa, including one, which has been called by many credible commentators as the earlier Mona Lisa. The Isleworth Mona Lisa is quite famous and continues to feed the speculation of many art historians. While some consider it as an earlier Mona Lisa, others dismiss it.
- Mona Lisa has also been credited with starting a new form or style of painting. Earlier portrait paintings were done on a side face. However, da Vinci went against the existing pattern of the times and created a three-fourth straight looking portrait with the Mona Lisa. The style becomes famous and universally accepted.
- Mona Lisa is one of the most expensive pieces of artwork in the world. According to a recent valuation done, the painting, with all its history and stories has been valued at a staggering $2.5 Billion. While the insurance amount of the painting has still not being disclosed by the Louvre authorities.
The Present Condition of the Painting
According to scholars and scientists, the painting is in quite a good condition considering it is well over five hundred years old. There are some marks, especially on the bottom part of the painting. However, these are because of an acid attack by a disgruntled woman who failed to secure French citizenship.
There are some cases of warping on the painting and restorers have added dovetails and strengthened the canvas to ensure that the painting continues to be in its best condition. Mona Lisa is also protected by the bulletproof glass as on past occasions, many vandals had tried to destroy the painting.
