La Gioconda del Prado after its restoration
The personification of a work of art marks the beginning of its undying fame. There are many examples of this but, without a doubt, a Gioconda is the most iconic of them, the bride of France and the Renaissance . With the discovery of the most faithful copy of it in the Prado Museum , now there will be two icons geographically located on both sides of the Pyrenees. Her journey through Europe was different, with fires and robberies included, what they do have in common is that they both left Italy and will meet again in Paris this March, five centuries after they said goodbye.
The 'art planet' is once again revolutionized with a masterpiece identified among the collections of a large art gallery, a real media bomb that exploded just a month ago and that promises to have several seasons in prime time. In short, it turns out that the ugly sister of La Gioconda, who kept the Prado Museum almost forgotten, is, after undergoing a rejuvenation session, a twin sister with perfect curls, flawless skin and elegant eyebrows.
Madrid's Mona Lisa appears gracefully in a rocky landscape, a true discovery, which was hidden under a black layer that was incorporated into the table around the 1750s. This Together with the verification that the work was painted in parallel due to the coincidence of the elements and corrections of the creative process -different from other copies of the Gioconda-, it makes it more special than any other. Its authorship is yet to be determined, although according to El Prado, it is attributed to a disciple of the Florentine master, Francesco Melzi or Andrea Salai. The debate has only just begun.
The Arno as it passes through Florence
How the two works arrived on each of the two sides of the Pyrenees is a well-known journey and 'moved' in the case of the original, but somewhat confusing at the moment for the Spanish Mona Lisa. There is evidence of its presence in El Prado since its foundation and Its existence was cataloged among the works of the gallery of the Alcazar, back in 1666.
Thus, until its authorship is clarified and it is determined which of Leonardo's disciples painted the portrait practically hand in hand with the Renaissance genius, we only know that it left Italy with its sfumato intact, that survived the fire of the Alcázar of Madrid and that later joined the ranks of the works in the Prado Museum, presumably already with the black background that has characterized it until its restoration.
The statue of Velázquez at the entrance of the Prado Museum
Leonardo's has followed fashions and the itinerant course of power throughout its history. From his Florentine invoice he saw together with Leonardo the most important cities of the Italian Renaissance : accompanied him in his Milanese years, where some experts say it was painted, to later enjoy a short stay in Rome. Later they traveled to neighboring France where Leonardo placed himself at the service of Francis I and settled in a castle near Amboise.
With the death of the genius, the Gioconda passed into the hands of the French king, although other sources claim that he bought it before he died and took it to Fontainebleau, his particular Renaissance court. From there and over four centuries he went from palace to palace, from Versailles to the Tuileries and from there to the Louvre, and to a museum. Not even Napoleon could resist his charms and ended up hanging her for a while in his personal chamber. But, without a doubt, the event that catapulted her to international stardom was the famous robbery of her in 1911, which he took her back to Florence, where she turned up two years later in the hands of one of the Louvre's guards. This purebred Italian claimed to have stolen the painting out of intense patriotic sentiment. Before returning to Paris, Mona Lisa took a vacation and toured beautiful Italy, with exhibitions in Florence, Rome and Milan.
The Louvre in Paris at night
After five centuries, her paths will cross again at the Louvre on March 29, where they will attend the exhibition 'The last work of Leonardo Da Vinci. Saint Anne's , germ of the restoration of the Mona Lisa del Prado. Until then, the rising star can be admired until March 13 in room 49 of the Madrid art gallery and when she returns she will return to the room in which she has lived for years. However, this time she will do it as the shining star that she is now, where she will surely have many more admirers than she had until her restoration. With the unlikely restoration of the Gioconda in the Louvre, perhaps the saying 'who laughs last, laughs best' is fulfilled.
Leonardo's Mona Lisa in the Louvre