Who painted the Isleworth Mona Lisa? This is a difficult question. It is either completely painted by Leonardo da Vinci, partially painted by him, or not painted by him at all, depending on what expert is asked. However, it does appear unlikely that this painting is by da Vinci. Let’s try and break it down. We’ll look at what the Isleworth Mona Lisa is and then look at some of the arguments for and against da Vinci being the artist responsible.
The Isleworth Mona Lisa is named after the studio in Isleworth, West London, where it was displayed from 1913 until the 1960s. The painting was probably painted in the early 16th century and there is no knowledge of it until it was brought to England in 1780 by James Marwood. It was with his family until Hugh Blacker bought it in 1913 and hung it in his Isleworth studio. It was bought by Henry Pulitzer in 1962 and it was sold to a group of investors in 2008. The painting is about 10% larger than the real Mona Lisa and it is painted on canvas, while the original is painted on wood. The model in both paintings appears to be the same person, Lisa del Giocondo, although in the Isleworth Mona Lisa she is considerably younger. The head of the model is slightly further forward in the Isleworth version and the smile is different. The smile in the original is mysterious, while the smile in the Isleworth version is innocent. And, the background varies significantly. In the original, the background is of an Alpine setting and in the Isleworth version, the background is Tuscan. The Isleworth version has columns, as though the model is seated on a balcony, which the original doesn’t have. There is a lot of argument over the providence of this picture. The main problem is that it would be worth a fortune if it turned out to be a real da Vinci version of the Mona Lisa and not so much if it is just another one of the many copies.
So, what are the arguments for da Vinci having painted the Isleworth Mona Lisa? The painting is on canvas and da Vinci is known to have mostly painted on wood, but there are occasions where he did paint on canvas. When he was beginning to paint the Mona Lisa, painting on canvas was coming into fashion. Scientific analysis of the brushstrokes have shown that they are probably the same as the brushstrokes on the original Mona Lisa. The painting appears to have been painted by a left-handed artist, as da Vinci was. Analysis of the percentages of shading and light to dark ratios are also very similar to the original Mona Lisa. Da Vinci was sometimes known to work on more than one copy of a painting at the same time. The background is different, but there is evidence that the background was added in the 17th century. There is a note from 1503, from a Florentine government employee, that says da Vinci was already working on a portrait of Lisa del Giocondo at the time, which could be the younger version of her. An inventory of Salai’s, da Vinci’s assistant, estate after he died in 1525 lists a Mona Lisa, and this would be after the original Mona Lisa had been sold to King Francis I. There is a pencil drawing by Raphael from 1503 that is of the unfinished Mona Lisa painting and his drawing has columns in it, leading many to believe that he saw the Isleworth Mona Lisa and drew it.
So, what are the arguments against it being by da Vinci? A lot of the evidence appears to have been cherry picked by the Mona Lisa Foundation, a non-profit organization that was set up to investigate the providence of the picture. The problem is, it appears the foundation is funded by the consortium that bought the picture, leading to a possible conflict of interest. A lot of the evidence they have doesn’t hold up. The 1503 note that references the painting, specifically says that it is not yet finished and is nowhere close to being finished, which it would have to be if it were an earlier version. The balance of the painting is not to the level of a da Vinci painting and the smooth layering of colors that are present in the Mona Lisa aren’t present here. The personality in the model is missing as well. She appears lifeless. The version of the Mona Lisa in Salai’s estate is never claimed to be an original and was probably a copy. Da Vinci had many followers and students who learned by copying his work. There are numerous different versions of the Mona Lisa. Raphael’s drawing of the Mona Lisa was probably done from memory after he had seen the picture and he may have added the columns as a whim. It is possible that the Isleworth Mona Lisa copied the Raphael drawing, rather than the other way around. And lastly, and possibly most damning, is the fact that there is no accounting for the painting for over 200 years after the death of da Vinci. And this is what I learned today.
Image By Attributed to Leonardo da Vinci – http://www.originaldo.com/monacomp2.jpeg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9423997
Sources
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/isleworth-mona-lisa-leonardo-da-vinci-1234688132/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_del_Giocondo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isleworth_Mona_Lisa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/sep/26/mona-lisa-teenage-painting-art
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa_replicas_and_reinterpretations
https://www.free-power-point-templates.com/articles/most-expensive-paintings-in-the-world/
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20150216-a-second-mona-lisa