Earliest known copy of the 'Mona Lisa' (re-)discovered in Spain

[ellisonz]

Photo: The original "Mona Lisa," left, hangs in the Louvre in Paris. A recently rediscovered copy in Madrid's Prado Museum was unveiled Wednesday and has been authenticated as the earliest known copy of Leonardo da Vinci's most famous work. Credit: Jean-Pierre Muller, Javier Sorian / AFP / Getty Images

February 1, 2012 | 3:34 pm
-- Lauren Frayer

REPORTING FROM MADRID -- Spanish art curators have discovered a secret the "Mona Lisa" kept behind that enigmatic smile: a long-lost twin.

Madrid's renowned Prado Museum unveiled on Wednesday what its curators believe is the oldest copy of Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa," painted around the same time and possibly in the same room as the original masterpiece.

"It is as if we were in the same studio, standing next to the easel," Gabriele Finaldi, the Prado's deputy director of collections, told reporters.

The so-called "Mona Lisa of the Prado" has long been in the museum's collection, tucked away in its vaults and displayed only occasionally, its significance not fully understood. Not until restorers lifted off an 18th-century coat of black paint obscuring the background did curators realize the painting was much older than that -- with a backdrop of Tuscan hills similar to the one in the original, which hangs in the Louvre in Paris.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/02/earliest-known-copy-of-the-mona-lisa-re-discovered-in-spain.html

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[Raine]

1. VERY interesting ... THANKS for posting this!

[ellisonz]

2. You're welcome.

I never knew there were so many copies!

[Luminous Animal]

3. When my daughter was 2 but nearly 3 we vistited the Louvre...

She sooo loved art and we had already visited museums in Oporto, Madrid, and Barcelona (and many points in between). In the Louvre there are small black and white photos of the most popular art mounted on the doorways to guide one through the galleries. While we were walking through, my husband kept pointing out to our daughter the little black & white photos, "Look! This is the way to the Mona Lisa! We're almost there!" When we got to painting there was a huge crowd and he lifted her on his shoulders so she could see it. She looked down at him and said, "I like the little ones better."

[ellisonz]

7. I remember that crowd.

I saw it when I was 14 and was honestly much more impressed with the rest of the museum. I'm told the Mona Lisa is only famous because it was stolen so many times. That must have been a very cute moment. Did you get to go up the Eiffel Tower?

[Luminous Animal]

9. We were all over that city! We camped in Europe for 2 and a half months...

Paris was at the end of the trip and we had planned to be there for only 4 days but while crossing the Pyrenees from Spain, France was hit with the coldest weather in late September they had had in 70 years and along with the cold came hail, storms, and flash floods (which actually washed out a camp ground and several were killed). So, we decided to skip the South of France and head straight to Paris and ended up staying there for 11 days. It was cold at night... near freezing... but lovely during the day and no rain.

So, we did go up the Eiffel Tower and that was cool but one of the most amazing experiences that we had in Paris was visiting the Musée du Cinema - Henri Langlois (no longer there - damaged by fire in 1997). When we got there, it was closed for lunch but someone forgot to completely shut the door. Our daughter was asleep in her stroller so we walked in and had the entire museum to ourselves for about and hour and a half. The collection was amazing!

Her comment was indeed very cute! She loved the statues the best so back to the statues we went!

[ellisonz]

11. Nice.

Have you seen The Way with Martin Sheen? You would probably enjoy: http://www.amazon.com/Way-Emilio-Estevez/dp/B0062VL4QA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328240990&sr=8-1

I think my favorite part of Paris is the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur but I didn't spend all that much time in it. I stayed with a French family for about 4 or 5 days in Fontainbleu, traveled throughout Greece and Italy and stopped in London on the way back to the states.

[Luminous Animal]

12. Thanks for the movie tip! The Sacre-Coeur is sooo beautiful!

We were there towards the evening when the sun was setting and it watched it turn gold.

Ah, Paris! It is a wonderful city. Though Barcelona or Mexico City (depending on my mood) are still my favorites.

[kwassa]

8. The Mona Lisa crowd was funny ....

and two Da Vinci paintings in the next room were completely ignored by that same crowd!

I got to study them closely quite by myself.

Virgin and Child with St. Anne



St John the Baptist

[ellisonz]

10. No doubt about it. Leonardo Da Vinci had talent. n/t

[Viva_La_Revolution]

4. the color and detail is beautiful!

sure helps the brain imagine how stunning the original once was.

[RZM]

5. The head on the new one seems ever so slightly tilted downward

Adding a precious additional bit of smugness to that famous smile

[ellisonz]

6. Agreed.

The effect is to place more emphasis of the smile and cheeks.