Earliest
copy of Mona Lisa found in Prado
Experts
say the painting was completed at the same time as Leonardo’s original
Published
online: 01 February 2012
A detail of the nearly-conserved Prado copy of the Mona Lisa
(Photo: © Museum Nacional del Prado)
A copy of the Mona Lisa has been discovered in
the Prado which was painted in Leonardo’s studio—created side by side
with the original that now hangs in the Louvre [1]. This
sensational find will transform our understanding of the world’s most famous
picture.
*See also :
The National Gallery’s blockbuster
exhibition could mark a turning point for Leonardo scholars
Conservators at the Prado in Madrid recently made an
astonishing discovery, hidden beneath black overpaint. What was assumed to be a
replica of the Mona Lisa made after Leonardo’s death had actually been
painted by one of his key pupils, working alongside the master. The picture is
more than just a studio copy—it changed as Leonardo developed his original
composition.
The final traces of overpaint are
now being removed by Prado conservators [2], revealing the fine details of the
delicate Tuscan landscape, which mirrors the background of Leonardo’s
masterpiece. Darkened varnish is also
being painstakingly stripped away from the face of the Mona Lisa,
giving a much more vivid impression of her enticing eyes and enigmatic smile[3].
In the Louvre’s original, which will not be cleaned in the
foreseeable future, Lisa’s face is
obscured by old, cracked varnish, making her appear almost middle aged [4].
In the Prado copy we see her as she would have looked at the time—as a radiant
young woman in her early 20s.
Leonardo da Vinci, and particularly his masterpiece the Mona Lisa, attracts endless sensationalist theories. However, the discovery of the contemporary copy has been accepted by the two key authorities, the Prado and the Louvre [5].
Leonardo da Vinci, and particularly his masterpiece the Mona Lisa, attracts endless sensationalist theories. However, the discovery of the contemporary copy has been accepted by the two key authorities, the Prado and the Louvre [5].
Uncovering
the truth
Until recently, curators at the Prado had no idea of the
significance of their copy of the Mona Lisa. There are dozens of
surviving replicas from the 16th and 17th centuries. The Madrid version was believed by some specialist to have been
painted fairly early, but the absence of the landscape background meant that it
aroused little interest (there is no substantive entry on it in the Prado’s
collection catalogues) [6] .
Although the portrait is finely painted, the dull, black
background had a deadening visual effect on the image of the young woman. The sitter is generally believed to
represent Lisa Gherardini, the wife of the Florentine cloth merchant Francesco
del Giocondo [7] .
The Prado’s painting was until
recently assumed to be on oak (rarely used in Italy at the time) and
therefore a work by a northern European artist [8] . José Ruiz Manero, the author of a
study of Italian art in Spanish collections, concluded that the picture was
Flemish.
Last year, the panel was examined and found to be walnut, which was used in Italy (as is poplar, used for the original of the Mona Lisa). In size, it is close to that of the original: the Louvre’s painting is 77cm x 53cm and the Prado’s copy 76cm x 57cm.
Last year, the panel was examined and found to be walnut, which was used in Italy (as is poplar, used for the original of the Mona Lisa). In size, it is close to that of the original: the Louvre’s painting is 77cm x 53cm and the Prado’s copy 76cm x 57cm.
In a paper presented two weeks ago at a technical conference
at London’s National Gallery, coinciding with its exhibition “Leonardo da
Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan” (until 5 February), conservators revealed
that they had discovered that the black background was a later addition. This
conference was not covered in the media (for a report, see our February print
edition).
A striking photograph was presented at the conference, showing the picture’s condition after 90% of the black overpaint had been removed, leaving just a small section in the upper right. Visually, the landscape transforms the work, bringing the picture to life.
There was an even greater surprise: infrared reflectography images of the Prado replica were compared with those obtained in 2004 from the original of the Mona Lisa in the Louvre. This process enables conservators to peer beneath the surface of the paint, to see underdrawing and changes which evolved in the composition.
The
underdrawing of the Madrid replica was similar to that of the Mona Lisa
before it was finished. This suggests that the original and the copy were begun
at the same time and painted next to each other, as the work evolved.
Identifying
the painter
It
is quite possible that Leonardo’s assistant met Lisa and may even have been
present when she sat for the master. Although no drawings survive, Leonardo
probably began by sketching her face and pose. She may also have come to the
studio when finishing touches were being applied to the face in the painting.
The
Prado's technical specialist Ana González Mozo describes the Madrid replica as
“a high quality work”, and in the paper she presented at the London conference,
she provided evidence that the picture was done in Leonardo’s studio. The
precise date of the original is uncertain, although the Louvre states it was
between 1503 and 1506.
Bruno
Mottin, the head conservator at the Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des
Musées de France, believes that the most likely painter of the Prado copy was
one of Leonardo’s two favourite pupils.
Mottin
proposes that it was either Andrea Salai, who originally joined Leonardo’s
studio in 1490 and probably became his lover, or Francesco Melzi, who joined
around 1506. If the Prado replica is eventually attributed to Melzi, it
suggests a late date for the original.
What
the copy reveals
The
Madrid copy of the Mona Lisa is important for what it tells us about
Leonardo’s studio practice. The production of a second version, painted
alongside the original, is intriguing. It adds credence to Martin Kemp’s theory
that Leonardo may also have had a hand in both versions of The Madonna of
the Yarnwinder, 1501-07, one owned by the Duke of Buccleuch and the other
by a New York private owner (formerly in the Lansdowne collection).
But
what is most exciting about the Prado replica is what it reveals about
Leonardo’s original. In the Madrid copy there are areas that are better
preserved than in the Louvre painting. The replica gives us more detail of the
spindles of the chair, the frill on the edge of the fabric on Lisa’s chest and
the semi-transparent veil around her left shoulder, arm and elbow.
The
Prado's curator Miguel Falomir believes the replica can probably be identified
as a portrait listed in the 1666 inventory of Madrid’s Alcazar Palace, although
it remains unclear when it first reached the Spanish royal collection.
Coming
into the light
Falomir
suspects the black overpaint was probably added in the mid-18th century. The
reason for this addition is obscure, since the background landscape remained in
good condition and Leonardo’s original painting was already very highly
regarded. The overpaint may have been added to integrate the copy into an
interior with other portraits set against dark backgrounds.
During the past few months, this black covering has been painstakingly stripped away at the Madrid conservation studio, with the final area of dark overpaint due to be removed in the next few days. Later varnish has also been taken away from the rest of the picture, most importantly the face.
During the past few months, this black covering has been painstakingly stripped away at the Madrid conservation studio, with the final area of dark overpaint due to be removed in the next few days. Later varnish has also been taken away from the rest of the picture, most importantly the face.
The
fully conserved replica is expected to be unveiled at the Prado in Madrid in
mid-February. It is then due to be loaned to the Louvre in Paris, as a late
addition to its exhibition on “Leonardo’s Last Masterpiece: The Sainte Anne”
(29 March-25 June). There it will be seen in the same galleries as the
original, giving specialists and visitors the first chance to compare the two
works. After 500 years, the two versions of the Mona Lisa from
Leonardo’s studio will be reunited again.
Explanation :
Present
Perfect :
[1]
Tiruan (lukisan) Mona Lisa telah ditemukan
di Prado yang dilukis
di samping Leonardo studio yang
dibuat berdampingan dengan yang
asli yang sekarang menggantung
di Louvre.
[5]
Namun,
penemuan tiruan (lukisan)
kontemporer telah diterima oleh
kedua kunci pelukis yaitu Prado dan Louvre.
Present
Tense :
[4]
Wajah Lisa tidak
dikenal karena
telah lama,
minyak
rengas yang telah retak, membuatnya tampak hampir tengah berusia.
[7]
Pengasuh umumnya dipercaya mewakili Lisa Gherardini, istri pedagang
kain Giocondo Florence
Francesco del.
Present
Continuous :
[2]
Jejak terakhir dari overpaint
sekarang sedang dihapus oleh Konservator
Prado.
[3]
Minyak rengas yang gelap juga sedang susah payah disingkirkan dari muka Mona Lisa, memberikan kesan
yang jauh lebih hidup dari
mata memikat dan
senyum misterius.
Past
tense :
[6]
Versi Madrid dipercayai oleh beberapa pakar yang telah dilukis cukup dini, tetapi tidak adanya latar belakang lanskap berarti
sehingga menimbulkan minat yang sedikit (tidak ada entri substantif di
dalam katalog koleksi
Prado).
[8] Lukisan Prado
itu sampai saat ini diasumsikan pada pohon ek (jarang digunakan di Italia pada saat
itu) dan karena itu sebuah karya dari seniman Eropa utara.
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