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. This sensational find will transform our
understanding of the world’s most famous picture.
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, 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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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. 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.
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.
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.
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