The Detroit times., 1914-02-09
QUEER SMILE
OF MONA LISA
IS EXPLAINED
Artist Surrounded Mourning
Model With Buttons to Drive
Away Sadness
DAUGHTER DIED WHILE
SHE SAT FOR PAINTER
Mystery of Peculiar, Haunting
Expression Solved by Old
Historian

PARIS, Feb g.--The unprecedented
enthusiasm over the return OF the
Mona Lisa to Paris takes US back 10
the days OF her first arrival, 400 years
and more ago.
yincenzo Perugia. the italian art
artisan who abducted her from the
Louvre in 1911 10 give her back TO
Florence, is completely mistaken ia
his facts.
Mona Lisa was always a Paris resi-
dent.
Al the moment when Perugia imag-
ines her To have been stolen" from
Italy 'by Napoleon" she had not
been living in Italy for 300 years.
Mona Lisa was brought 10 Paris by
her father, Leonardo ia Vinci who
sold her 70 King Francis for $4,000
/ of our money! terrific price In those
days.
When first exhibited in the palace
OF the Louvre 400 years ago, there
was a rush OF all the nobilities OF
Paris to see her, comparable only 10
the present ovation of her return.
Leonardo was the star guest OF the
French king, more run after and ad'
mired in Paris than in his native
Italian city, and he could sell every
scrap OF his works. In his baggage,
when he came to France, he brought
the Mona Lisa.
why does she smile so sadly ask
ed the French king.
Leonardo never told him. Yet he
knew why.
Why does Mona Lisa smile so sadly?
Here. at last, is her true pathetic
history. Now is the time 70 tell II.
Mona Lisa has too long been misun-
derstood
The crowds stand round her, fas.
cinated by her lifelike qualities, held
BY her mystery. awestruck by her rep
ultation. puzzled, Interested, inquiring.
disappointed even, asking II II rs the
right one
They know they ought TO like this
picture, the most famous portrait or
all time, the sphinx OF Beauty,
Leonardo's treasure of the Louvre
rive seen prettier women"
Miracle of painting (reading from
guide book, in which the art OF por.
traiture has probably approached
nearest to perfection"
occupied the artist four years and
then he pronounced ii unfinished"
wife of Francesca del Gio-con.
do
more divine than human. held TO
be marvellous and living, equal TO ma
ture."
..She looks elderly"
"She looks sly
Look like servant girl"
mo. she looks a lady, anyhow.
Even those whose first expression Is
"Euhl" return and stare again. Are
they struck by the fact that Francis
I paying 1000 gold ecus for this por-
trait OF an Italian, woman he had
never seen or heard of. kept IL locked
iealously in his "gilded room" at
Fontainebleau. Or that Louis XIV.
hung 1t in his bedroom at Versailles
1 think not What the honestminded
Philistines worry over is: What Is
she smiling att"
There Is mystery and fascina-
ton about the portrait, Independent
OF the extraordinary things which the !
worlds geniuses have discovered In IL. |
Ii Is not portrait that becomes in
teresting because We know something |
of the woman II represents. On the |
contrary, the woman grows interest |
ing because we have this portrait OF |
her.
Up to two years ago all that the |
world knew OF Mona Lisa Gherar- |
didini. third wife Of francesca del /
Giocondo OF Florence, was that Leon /
ardo da vinci painted her between |
1901 and 1904, and that Leonardo was |
her husbands friend Friendship did /
not prevent the painter from selling |
the portrait Immediately 10 the king |
OF France. his patron. So La |
Joconde," has always been French |
property. because Joyial Francis l., |
learning IL to be the portrait OF a lady |
named Giocondo, by a perhaps even |
unconscious pun called IL La Jo- T,
conde." 'the jocund- one" gay, lively |
and light-hearted.
Ciocondo is not French family !
name. Ia Joconde" stuck. And so. |
for certain deep-sea thinkers. Mona |
Lisa's smile became obviously saucy. I
sportive, firtatious and naughty:
while plain people were reminded OF
Shakespeare's "jocund morn" and
took gentle cheer for granted. Yet
they wondered. "She Is kind-of smil-
ing" | heard a man say; but is she
jocund?"
They claimed her TO he worse yet
Tame discovered IN her smile that
"The critics have found that Mona
Lisa's husband was az his third wife.
consequently no longer young man"
SAYS Tame "Her smile may easily
rail at her husband and fiatter Leon.
ardo'"
Would you like to have NJ. Tame
Judge you by your photograph? But
that is nothing Her smile so upset
Michelet. the historian, that ho used
( 70 go 10 the portrait "as the bird goes
/. to the snake" he says. TheOphile
Gautier discovered that she is flirting
with the whole world "thfs strange
creature whose look promises un.
known joys and whose expression is
diviney ironic.N
she smiles. he said with hooking
4 voluptueusness" on the thousands who
admire her Arsene Houssaye. when
he was manager of the Theatre-Fran-
Gals. saw shining from that smile"
Only 1.-THE soul OF Leonardo In love"
Bonnaman, who all but wrote book
about her, cries that those lips have
paled with love and bear the trace Of
Kisses"
III Don Juan had met Mona Lisa"
says Theophile Gautier darkly. "he
Would have been saved writing on his
Mt the names OF 1000 women lie
4 would have written but one, and tho
& Tags of hfs love would have refused
% carry him further, They would
( Nave melted TN their feathers fen, IN
~ black heat OF those eyes,