The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-15

Of Mona Lisa was the femal, por-
trait ordered by Giuliand de MediCi
and seen in Leonardo's studio by Car
dinal D'Aragon in 1916" page l5S,
Vol. ID
To show that there were two versions
of this subject Leonardo himself refers
to two portraits in his letter to Marshal
lie Chaumont in the following words:
II, portar con mecho due quadri iii due
Nosstre Donne di varie grandeZZe IL
quale son fatte pei Cristanissimo re"
Mrs. Heaton says in Leonardo and
His Works that Francesca del
Gioconda. the husband Of Mona Lisa
does not seem TO have commissioned the
portrait, at least it remained with the
painter until he sold il to the French
King for 1000 gold crowns. an enormous
sum at that time" Therefore. as there
were two portraits mentioned 10y
Leonardo himself, ii may he very reason
ably supposed that one or more replicas
We're produced, as was usual in artists
studios Of the period. and that it was
not necessarily the original which the
King purchased from the master.
This is what Nasari himself says of
the effect of the picture: In this por-
trait of Leonardo's, on the contrary.
tIItIe IL 81 pressing an tNpltSSi'Il
the smile SO sweet that while looking at
it one thinks it rather divine than
human, and it has ever been esteemed
wonderful look. sine life itself could
exhibit no other appearance"
This can hardly be said about the
Louvre picture. in which the expression
has been variously described as eng
matte and enchantingly diabolical, and
which Michelet, the French historian,
said fascinated him as the serpent does
the bird. The expression Of this newly
discovered work IL described as serene
and sublime.
1t has hitherto been generally stated
that the pedigree Of the Paris picture IL
known beyond question and that II
never left the palaces Of Fontainebleau
and Versailles until it was placed in the
Louvre For instance, NJ. A. Gruyet,
i'm the gazette drs Bedur Arts in 1887.
says: III entire dams lie Cabinet dore de
ontainebleau on le pere Dan le trouve
encore en- 1912 Louis XIV. lie trans
porte Versailles, GU Bailly le signalc
dams In Petite Galerie du Roy" en- 1903.
La Revolution IL fat venir Paris ct lie
place au Musee National. DE nos jours,
enfn, II prend dams le salon carre Ia
place qu'il occupe aujourdhui.'
But against this We have the unques-
tionable record of Richardson. the old
English painter. in his account of
statues. bas-rellefs and drawings i'm
Italy. France, &C." published in London,
1854. At page Is he actually describes
the French Kings pictures as being In
Coypers house. Moreover. that all is
not clear regarding the custody of the
Kings pictures is established on the
authority of Lomazzo, who says that he
saw Da Vinci's "I.eda and Swan" with
the "Mona Lisa" at Fontainebcau; but
the "Ieda" has completely disappeared
Under the entry referring to Da Ninci
he says:
"The Jocunda IL spoken OF at large by
Vasari In the life of this master.
considered it with the utmost attention,
I.andskip. and every part, and find II
the same as my fathers in every re-
spect the same particularly in the col
oring of the hands as distinguished 50
that at that distance ] could remember
no difference, nor can I tell which !
should choose"
Are these two pictures those referred
to in the words OF Fra Pletro da Nu-
volaria quoted above? 1t IL declared
that the secretary OF the Kings gallery
admitted to Richardson that many ex-
perts had doubted the authenticity OF
the Mona Lisa" In the gallery. Any
one familiar with Richardson's works
will not question for an instant the
high standard of cOnnoisseurship to
which he had attained. They evidence
an exceptional insight and knowledge OF
the works OF the old masters
The above particulars will further
Intensity the mystery surrounding the
portrait Of Mona Lisa and fully appre-
ciated by Browning In the following