According to deutsche Welle Chinese Network, Mona Lisa is one of the most famous paintings in the world, and this painting also hides many unsolved mysteries. Its author, Leonardo da Vinci, left behind more than just a painting of a woman: the Mona Lisa's eyes always seemed to be staring at you. She has neither eyebrows nor eyelashes. She was dressed in plain, dark clothes that made it feel as if she were mourning. But why should she smile?
Infographic: Mona Lisa on display at the Louvre (Image: AFP)
To unravel the mystery of Mona Lisa's origins, art historians racked their brains. The most famous and common theories go back to the biographer Giorgio Vasari, who believes that the Mona Lisa was the wife of the Florentine silk merchant Francisco de Giocondo. Leonardo da Vinci was probably offered to paint for the rich merchant's wife in 1503.
In addition, in the 1517 historical account of the chronicler Antonio de Beatis, da Vinci wrote in a note that he created a "Mona Lisa" for the patron Giuliano Medici.
According to Beatis' written records, Leonardo da Vinci showed three paintings to Medici's friends: St. John the Baptist, The Virgin and Child and St. Anne, and paintings for a Florentine lady at the request of patron Giuliano Medici.
Thus, according to Beatis, Leonardo da Vinci created imaginary portraits of Pacifica Brendani. Brendani was the lover of Giuliano Medici, for whom she bore a son. The lover died during the course of production, and the portrait was painted to appease their children.
Both theories are popular among art historians, however, no one can say for sure who the Mona Lisa really is. In 1519, before leonardo da Vinci's death, one of his students sold a painting to the French royal family, after which it was sent to the Louvre, the Mona Lisa as it is now seen.
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