The Restless Viking: Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa

This article was originally published on March 22, 2021 on The Restless Viking website.

Leonardo de Vinci’s Mona Lisa was painted around 1503.

We happened upon a small Leonardo di Vinci museum when we were in Rome. (Feb. 2020) It was under a church near the Piazza del Popolo. We were intrigued and found the most magnificent displays of Leonardo’s artwork and inventions. This replica of the Mona Lisa painting was captivating!

There’s a lot of mystery surrounding this renaissance painting. Who had commissioned Leonardo de Vinci to paint this portrait using oil paints on wood? There are two hypotheses. Francesco del Giocondo, a well to do man in Florence, had just married a youthful Lisa in 1495. He had been widowed twice and wanted a portrait of his young bride. The other possibility was that the ruler of the Republic of Florence, Giuliano de Medici had Lisa as his mistress. We will never know for sure who had enlisted Leonardo de Vinci to paint this stunning portrait.

We do know that Lisa Gherardini was a woman from Florence. She modeled for this painting which took Leonardo four years to complete. Leonardo used the Sfumato technique when working on this piece. This technique means “vanishing” which refers to the shadowed blending of the figure and the background. Traditionally renaissance painters created distinct lines. Leonardo also added a fantasy, mountainous background which was questionable in the early 1500’s where realism had been the norm.

The Roman Catholic Pope in Rome didn’t regard Leonardo’s work. So, Leonardo packed up and moved to France where he was appreciated and treated well. In 1507 Leonardo was appointed as Court Painter and Engineer by King Louis XII of France.

Here’s another mystery. Why did Leonardo bring the Mona Lisa painting with him to France? It had been painted in Italy and many Italians believed it should stay in their country. With the Mona Lisa in Leonardo’s possession and his ill feelings toward the Pope, he took it with him. The French people have embraced this painting as their own. The debate about where the portrait belongs, however, has continued for centuries.

The Mona Lisa held a place of honor in King Louis XIV home during his reign of 72 years. (1638-1715) It was at the Palace of Fontainebleau and later at the Palace of Versaille. While in France a varnish was applied to the portrait.

Napoleon Bonapart hung the Mona Lisa in his bedroom in the Tuileries in 1800. The Tuileries means ’tiles.’ Napoleon’s home had been built where clay tile kilns had once been in central Paris. In 1793 the Louvre Museum is constructed at this location and opens to the public.

The Mona Lisa was installed in the Grand Gallery at the Louvre in 1804. Murmurs continued as to Italy’s claim on the piece of art.

In 1908 Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian, moved to a rooming house in Paris and secured a job as a custodian at the Louvre. After years of planning Vincenzo Peruggia made his recon action and stole the Mona Lisa in 1911. He had planned to bring it back to Italy. The Mona Lisa gained world wide notoriety from Vincenzo Peruggia’s antics. People rallied for her return to the Louvre in Paris.

Vincenzo Peruggia was found guilty and put in prison for six months. In Italy he was honored as a hero for his patriotism. His actions created many more capers involving the Mona Lisa.

After two years the painting was returned to France and more security measures were put in place at the Louvre.

In 1956 two separate vandalizations took place causing some minor damage to the piece. The first was a person tried to throw acid on the portrait. Another time that same year a Bolivian Ugo, Ungaza Villegas, threw a rock that shattered the protective glass and scraped off a chip of paint from Mona Lisa’s elbow.

In January of 1963 Jackie Kennedy, the United States first lady, requested that the Mona Lisa be brought to the United States. French President de Gauell permitted the masterpiece to be displayed at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. followed by the Metropolitan Museum of the Arts in New York City. It had been a very unique privilege for our country.

In 1974 while on display in Tokyo a woman was upset with the lack of disabled access at the museum. She sprayed red paint to vandalize the Mona Lisa. She never caused damage to the artwork itself. She had been quickly subdued.

Over the years several different cross bars along the back of the painted wood have been added: beechwood, maple and metal. Several times the Mona Lisa has been moved to storage temporarily for updates and upgrades to security and remodeling.

Renovations to the Louvre Museum were made to the tune of $6.3 million in 2003. The Mona Lisa now has her own room with a sky light allowing natural rays to highlight the piece. The room has a controlled temperature of 43 degrees Fahrenheit. Shatterproof glass encases the artifact. Ropes keep visitors at a distance from the secure painting.

In 2019 a separate queuing feature (a lining up area) was added so people wouldn’t have to wait so long to see the portrait. Once inside the room, one is allowed thirty seconds to view the relic. Noah confirmed the long line and the short time his group had to view The Mona Lisa from a distance over the heads of the crowd.

Piazza del Poplo, Rome, Italy
Museo Leonardo di Vinci was a secret museum in the basement of a church.

We were so fortunate to be able to find the small Leonardo di Vinci museum in the Piazza del Poplo, Rome. What a lucky find for us! Italians claim ownership over this painting, although they only have a well done replica. The five small rooms held the magic of Leonardo di Vinci’s art and inventions. We were able to spend up close, personal time with this masterpiece.

Did you know that the Mona Lisa has her own mailbox for fan mail? Did you know that the piece can never be bought or sold. She belongs to the people of France.

Chuck and Martha Hayden, aka The Viking and Poppins, enjoy going on adventures off the beaten path. They also like to share their explorations with others. The Viking is a retired expedition leader while Poppins is a retired teacher. The two offer independent views of their journeys showcasing places, people, and cultures as they explore the world. Visit and follow them on their website and social media accounts. Website | Facebook | Instagram |YouTube