Episode 23 - The Birth of a Legend, Mona Lisa

She is the most famous painting in the world, and everyone has an opinion of her. Are there better paintings in the Louvre? Sure, but she also deserves every bit of fame she has garnered for many reasons. Sadly, because of the chaos that surrounds her, you aren’t able to truly appreciate her the way you might other paintings.

Who is the woman behind the most famous painting in the world? Was she the mistress of Giuliano de’ Medici? Leonardo da Vinci in drag? A wealthy woman of the Renaissance and friend to the artists? Or was she a Florentine woman and wife of a wealthy silk & wool merchant? 

It is one of the greatest questions in art history, right up there with why she is famous in the first place. 

You know this lady as La Joconde or as the Mona Lisa. 

In this week's episode, I share the story of the real woman behind the painting and how she came to France. 

Check ClaudineHemingway.com for more details.  

Transcript

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Bonjour, bonjour, and welcome to episode 23 of Paris in Blue, Blanc, Rouge with Claudine Hemingway. That is me. And I am coming to you from Paris where it is quite toasty. It's getting pretty warm, and it's going to be that way for at least another week or so. But you know, it's the summer. C'est la vie, as we say here. But today I wanted to share a story about something that is often overlooked for the actual uh beauty that it holds, a beauty that she holds. And I love it when people say, Oh, I don't like that, or I'm not interested in that. And then I say, Oh, okay, well, let me tell you the story behind it. And there's been quite a few times that I've changed the minds of people. Once you know a little bit more about it, that also goes for me. There's things that, you know, like the ceiling aside side twambolly in the Louvre, which I used to not really love. Still don't 100% love it. But once I knew and learned more about the story behind it, I did actually appreciate it a lot more, I could say. I'll one of those stories I'll bring to you later. But today she is the most famous painting in the world, and everyone has an opinion on her. Are there better paintings in the Louvre? Sure. But she also deserves every bit of fame she has garnered for many reasons. Sadly, because of the chaos that surrounds her, you aren't able to truly appreciate her the way you might other paintings. I popped into the Louvre the other morning, went straight up to see her. Can you guess who she is yet? I could get in, be in front of her in under five minutes, and avoid most of the crowds by using a few overlooked ways to reach her. I watched for a bit and even recorded a short video of people running into the room to get the coveted front row spots. The saddest part about that was that they actually weren't even looking at her. They held up their phones, snapped a photo, and then that was it. Is she overrated, as found a few years ago in an online poll? Well, maybe a little, but you need to know her entire story and the reason why she is so famous, and also the reason why she is so revolutionary in the world of art. Over the next few months, I'll share her story from every angle possible. And at the end, you can let me know if you still think she's overrated. I guarantee you'll change your tune. Years ago, I wanted to know more about the theft of the painting itself in 1911, which I will share with you in August, and it led me deep down a rabbit hole of all things Lisa, as just about everything I do does. Today we start the story about the woman herself. Who is this woman behind the most famous painting in the world? Was she the mistress of Juliana de' Medici, Leonardo da Vinci and Drag, a wealthy woman of the Renaissance and friend to the artist? Or was she a Florentine woman and wife of a wealthy silk and wool merchant? It is one of the greatest questions in art history, right up there with why she is famous in the first place. You know this lady as La Jaconde or Homona Lisa. She hangs in the Musee de Louvre, and every day more than 25,000 people visit to snap a selfie and remark how small she is, but few realize she was a real person. Many don't even know why they have to run up the marble steps, barely looking at the wing victory on the way to take a picture and check her off the list. On Tuesday morning, June 15, 1479, Lisa Di Antonio Gerardini was born in Florence on the corner of Via Maggio and Via Sagusa, not far from the Palazzo Pitti of the Medici family. The Gerardinis were the typical Florentine family. They lived in the heart of the city, came from a well-known and established families, and attended church regularly. Her father, Anton Maria, came from a long line of wool merchants and had been married twice before, meeting Lisa's mother, Lucrezia da Caccia. Her first two wives tragically died during childbirth. Lucrezia was born in 1454 and was 15 years younger than her husband. At 25, she was practically an old maid. Lucrezia came from a well-off family that owned a prosperous wool business as well as farms and property in Chiante. Six more children follow, and she outlived her husband by just a year. Hours after her birth, Lisa was wrapped up and taken in a long procession across the Arno River to her baptism at San Giovanni. Lisa de Antonio Maria Giardini was named after her paternal grandmother, and her birth was recorded on a warm Tuesday afternoon in Florence. Little did her parents know that someday her name would be spoken around the world. The building she was born in is now gone, but a plaque marks the address. I'll have a photo on my website. In 1494, the large Giardini family moved to the other side of the Arno near Santa Croce, a move that would place her in the center of her destiny. Residing between Via de Pepe and Via Gibellina, her father met her new neighbors, the Giacondos. Francesco del Giacondo was born on March 19, 1465. The Giacondos family was also in the wool and silk business in Florence and owned multiple workshops in and around the city. He had been married once or even twice before. The paperwork is a bit murky, and he lost both wives during childbirth, just like Lisa's father. Francesco and his first wife, Camilla, already had a son that was born on February 24, 1493. But Camilla would die on July 24, 1494, while delivering their second child. Neither survived. Eight months later, on March 5th, 1495, at age 15, Lisa married the son of the neighbor, Francesco del Giacondo. The marriage ceremony in 15th century Florence was a bit different from what it is today. It began with a ring day when the bride would be taken to her future husband's for the evening. If she spent the night, it was a successful match, and the next day her dowry would be transferred to her husband. Two days later, a wedding ceremony was held in the church with the entire town in attendance. A year later, they welcomed their first son, Piero, on May 24, 1496, quickly followed by a daughter, Pierre, on May 5th, 1497. Four more children followed: Camilla in 1499, Marietta in 1500, and Andrea in 1502, and finally Giacondo in 1507. Sadly, only three survived to adulthood. The Giocondos lived between Lisa's parents and a gentleman by the name of Sierra Piero da Vinci. Sarapiera, a notary, called the Medici family a client, as well as Anton Maria Giardini and Francesco del Giocondo. Serapiero came from a long line of notaries dating back to the 13th century. Born in April 1426, and following in his grandfather's footsteps, he worked in Vinci and traveled between Pisa and Florence. On one particularly hot July night in 1451, Piero met a young Caterina di Mio Lepe. She was 15 at the time, shocking today, but the normal age to be married or bear a child back then. The result of this hot summer night would result in the birth of one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci, on April 15th, 1452. Piero didn't marry the young mother, but his parents would take care of her and little Leo once he was born. The union and result of that night was never anything shameful. The Da Vinci family was very open about it and even helped with a dowry for Catherina to marry after the birth. Piero would eventually marry four times and have 11 more children. Serpiero shared an office in Florence on the Via Ghibellina, starting as early as 1449, traveling between the Tuscan cities until finally settling with his large family just a few doors down from his office in March of 1480. Between 1484 and 1487, Serpiero served as a referee and the notary for Francesco and his brothers, a role he often filled within the family. He also worked for the Basilica of Santissima Annunziati, where Francesco de Gioconda and his wife were frequent guests. In the spring of 1500, Leonardo arrived in Florence. His father's house was bursting at the seams with children, and he stayed instead at the Anunziata, a place of worship, a convent, and also served as a hotel for visiting members of the church. Leonardo would have stayed until the autumn of 1501 when he was also going to paint a fresco within the church. It was during this time that the Giocondos met Leonardo. Leonardo was 51 years old and had completed the Last Supper in Milan just a few years before. Traveling between Tuscan towns, he was asked frequently to take on portrait commissions and turn them down. Even Isabella d'Este, the first lady of the Renaissance who amassed a large collection of art, some of which is in the Louvre, including one of the that was the very first target of Perugio on that steamy summer night in August 1911, more on that in two months. Even with Isabella's money and clout, he turned her request down. Francesco del Giocondo climbed the ranks of society. He was appointed to the council of the Silk Guild. He became a civil servant and was elected to one esteemed post after another between 1499 to 1512. It is also thought that with Francesco's connection, he helped facilitate the commission for the fresco of the Battle of Angieri in the Palazzo Vecchio. Awarded in 1504, the fresco was fraught with issues and he abandoned the project in 1505. Nothing survives today. In turn, Leonardo da Vinci agreed to paint a portrait of his wife, Lisa. He must have caught Leo on a good day. Leonardo began painting Lisa in 1503, a little over two months after the birth of her last daughter, Andrea. For days on end, the lovely Lisa sat in front of him with her right arm over her left, turned slightly and looking straight ahead. To keep Lisa entertained, Leonardo brought in a band of musicians, entertainers, and jesters, giving her a little smile, which is also one of the most notable and talked about characteristics of the painting. A portrait of that size was rarely seen. Normally they were much smaller, which is ironic because one of the most common responses to seeing her is that she is smaller than people expect. Leonardo worked on the painting for four or five years before he set it aside. Da Vinci liked to meditate on his paintings, work a little on the painting, then take a break to ponder what he would do next. So it wasn't now the norm that the painting of Lisa was unfinished. During this period, Francesco ran into a bit of a problem. The Medici family was under attack and Francesco was under suspicion of working with the exiled family. He was arrested and tossed into prison until the Medici's returned and bailed him out. Francesco never paid Da Vinci for the portrait. Years went by and tragedy struck the family. Another son, Giocondo, was born on December 20, 1507 and survived only 19 days. Their daughter Camilla entered the convent at 12 years old in 1511 and died on January 18, 1518. Worried for their lone surviving daughter Marietta, born November 11, 1500, they took her to the nearby Sant Ursula Convent. The Sant Orsola was the Ivy League of Convents. Only the women of the top notch of society could enter as members. The family had to pay for their lodging, food, and anything else that they would need throughout their lives. Marietta became Sister Ludovicia on October 20, 1521 and lived there until her death in 1579. It would also become the final home of our Lisa. It is thought that Francesco died of the plague in March of 1538. He was interred in a family vault in that Satissima Annoziari. In his will, he left everything to his children. Only three had outlived him, including sister Ludovicch. Lisa's dowry was returned to her as was the custom, and all of her clothing and jewels were hers to keep. She was placed in the care of his first son, Bartolomeo, whom Lisa adopted after their marriage and Piera. Not much is known about the last year of Lisa's life. After her husband's death, she moved into the Casa Grande with her son Piero. In her final year, the convent of Sant Ursula would be her home alongside her daughter. Lisa never saw the unfinished painting that would make her a household name worldwide. She died in the convent on July 14, 1542. The cause of death is unknown. Recently, in September 2025, in the San Lorenzo area of Florence, a monumental discovery was unearthed. The convent of San Russella dates back to the 15th century. In 1810, Napoleon had the convent closed for many years, and during World War II it served as a tobacco factory. In the 1980s, it was purchased by the Italian Ministry of Finance. It is currently being restored. Less than a year ago, beneath reinforced concrete poured in the 1980s, a series of tombs were uncovered, including the tomb thought to be that of Lisa Giacondo. A few fragments of bone remain, the school is missing, and it's unclear whether they could extract any DNA. We do know that on July 15, 1542, Lisa was interred here in the convent, not in the family vault with her husband. How do we know the painting is in fact Lisa Giacondo? It's a question historians and researchers have asked for over 500 years. The first mention of the portrait painting and its connection to Lisa was written years after the death of Leonardo and Lisa. The Florentine artist, architect, and writer Giorgio Vasari wrote of one of the most definitive guides to the artists of the Renaissance. Published in 1550, The Lives of the Most Excellent Italian architects, painters, and sculptors from Gimboe until our time. It was a series of multiple books and editions covering the greatest artists of that time. The second edition was released in 1568 and the Da Vinci chapter was greatly updated. Multiple sources, many close to Da Vinci himself, provided information, but the original description of the Mona's Lisa is still used today as a certified account, although Vassari never actually saw the painting. His account describes the painting. Seeing that the eyes had that luster and watery shine which are always seen in life, and around them were all the vivid rosy tints of skin, as well as the eyelashes, which cannot be done without the greatest ability. The eyebrows, through his having shown the manner in which the hairs rise from the flesh, were more thick and were more sparse, and curved following the pores of the skin, could not be more natural. The nose with its beautiful nostrils, rosy and tender, seemed to be alive. The mouth with its cleft and its ends united by the red of the lips to the fresh tint of the face truly seems to be not pigment, but flesh. His account comes from the subject's family members as well as other artists who saw the painting between its creation and 1550. One detail many notice today is that she doesn't have eyebrows. What changed between the first account and today? In the last few years, Lisa has undergone multiple x-rays and wavelengths of light that have uncovered even more secrets and maybe a few answers. More on that in another episode soon, or we will be here all day. In 1508, Leonardo carried the painting with him to Milan, then to Rome in 1513, and finally to France, where he spent the last years of his life. On December 9, 1550, Francois Prime arrived in Bologna to meet with Leo X after his recapture of Milan. This was the moment that a young French king met the Italian artist. At that time, Leonardo's benefactors were falling out of power and he needed to make a change. Francois Premier had asked in December of 1515 if he wanted to move to France, but Leonardo declined. By the summer of 1516, Leonardo changed his mind and accepted the king's generous offer of a palace to live in, money, and anything he needed. On August 12, 1516, at 64 years old, Leonardo with his assistant Francesco Melzi, Saleh, as well as Ambassador Pallavicini and Battista de Villini, departed Rome for the long voyage to France. Nothing survives to this day that records the exact route or the trip's notes, but there are many theories about that path from Italy. The 270 kilometer journey from Rome to Florence took nine days on foot, with about 30 kilometers per day. Staying in Florence for a few days to say goodbye to friends and family before moving on to Bologna and Castle Nova, another 220 kilometers. By September 6, the group had arrived in Milan and remained there for two weeks, during which Leonardo worked on the plans of the Sforza Castle. The castle wall had been destroyed by the Swiss army, and Francois asked Leonardo to redesign it. From Milan, the route gets very murky. Many historians over the last 500 years have proposed different ideas. Traveling in the fall, the snow began to fall, and some other routes would have been treacherous for even a young man. Possible ideas include traveling through Switzerland, and one sketch has survived of a bridge over the River Rhone. The lakeside wonderland of Anasi is also a possible option. Some report that Leonardo rode on the back of a mule for a 1,500 to 2,000 kilometer journey, others that he was carried in a chair by his two assistants. Packed in his bag were three paintings: St. John the Baptist, Saint Anne, and the Mona Lisa. As Leonardo liked to meditate on his paintings and also drift between mechanical sketches and his other pursuits, he took forever to finish anything. Some researchers believe the background landscape of Lisa was inspired by his travels through the Alps, but any notes supporting that were destroyed during the French Revolution. On October 28, 1516, Leonardo and his crew arrived at the Chateau d'Ambois to the delight of Francois Premier. Just a few weeks after, Ambassador Palavicini died of the plague. The traveling companions were all put into quarantine. Leonardo hadn't added to his journal until a month later at the end of November. The king gave his beloved artist the nearby Chateau de Plause-Louce, just a short walk away. He even created an underground tunnel linking the two together so he could visit Leonardo anytime. Francois Premier was born on September 12, 1494 and was never destined to be king of France. After his father's death, his mother, Louis de Savoie, contacted her husband's cousin, King Louis XII, and moved the family to the Palais de Louvre. Without an heir to the throne, the two decided to marry their children and name Francois I as the heir to the throne. Claude de France married Francois Premier in his Saint-Germain-en-le-Château on May 18, 1514. On January 1, 1515, Louis XII died and Francois became king of France at 20 years old. Francois Premier's mother, Louis de Savoie, loved the Italian Renaissance, and at a very early age he was raised with the love of the arts. Known as the father and restorer of letters, there was no doubt due to the influence of his mother. As soon as he took the throne in 1515, he headed off to Italy where he enjoyed the lavish meals and art. Up until Francois Premier, the kings didn't have much of an adoration for art and only a scattering of paintings decorated the medieval castles. But that was all about to change. I think of Francois Primier as the father of art for France, the man who loved it so much that he brought Leonardo da Vinci back to France and began the collection that will later become the building blocks of the Musee de Louvre. Leonardo da Vinci was only the first of the many artists who would move to Italy. The king also invited painter Nicola Machiavelli, Michelangelo, the architect Sebastiana Serlio, and the goldsmith Benciento Cialini. While living in France, Leonardo spent more time on party planning and costume design for the king than on painting. At times he picked up his brush to work on the three paintings he brought with him, but in the last three years of his life, he devoted very little time to painting. On May 2nd, 1519, Leonardo da Vinci took his last breath. He was long thought to have died in the arms of Francois Primier, as depicted in many of the paintings in the Louvre and the Petit Palais. The king and the artist were great friends, and he believed Leonardo to be the smartest man in the world and often called him father. At the time of his death, the king was in Saint Germain enlais and would not have been at the master's bedside, but it's a nice thought. Leonardo changed his will just ten days before his death on april twenty third, fifteen nineteen, leaving all of his work to Meltzi, including the three paintings. His close assistant and how he noted him in his will, servant, Gian Giacomo Caprati, known as Celai, also had numerous paintings and sketches in his hands after Da Vinci's death. Celai met Leonardo when he was just ten years old and became a trusted member of his atelier, although he constantly stole from him as a teenager. Da Vinci taught him the fine art of painting, and a few copies of Lisa are said to be by Celai himself. Celai was killed in the street brawl on January 19, 1524. Without a will, an inventory of his belongings was created on April 21st, 1525, and many paintings were listed, including a Jaconte that most likely were done by Celai and not da Vinci. What happened to Da Vinci's paintings between his death and the years that follows is also a bit of a blur. Multiple reports have very different ideas before it came into Francois Primier's hand. Celai's sister is said to have had Lisa, but these are most likely copies done in Da Vinci's presence. With so many copies out there at the time, it was hard to say. In a 17th century inventory of the royal collection, a note states that Francois had paid 4,000 gold crowns or $9.7 million today for the painting. However, it's a bit harder to find the transaction date. Many date this to 1518, a year before Leonardo's death, but if so, would she have left France with Celai then? For close to twenty years, the king of the French Renaissance kept his prized lady in his apartement de Bain, the bathroom, at the Chateau de Fontainebleau, a lavish collection of rooms that included baths and steam rooms, the last place to keep a painting and a painting on wood at that. Later it was moved to the Cabinet des Tableaux and renamed the Pavillon de Pintre, but damage had already been done. A 16th century oil painting on a wooden panel was not a match for the cold chateau with horrible heating and ventilation. Many of the paintings from the original royal collection were destroyed due to neglect and lack of understanding. Of proper art handling at the time. Today, she is held inside a concrete wall behind two layers of triple pane bulletproof non-reflecting glass separated by a few centimeters. Within the wall, 25 pounds of silicone keep the masterpiece painted on wood at a perfect 55 degrees. Sensors for temperature, movement, and even sound alert officials to the smallest issue. Each July, she is removed from her tomb and given a once it over under the tightest possible security. See, she's pretty interesting, isn't she? Anyway, there's still even today, every about once a year, every two years, something new comes out where somebody has figured out the background. They have figured out exactly who she is. I watched a BBC documentary and I could put a link of it on my website, and it goes a little bit more into what and how he painted her and underneath and the layers underneath because with technology these days, when these different wavelengths and x-rays, they could see deeper into the painting, and it was literally so fascinating. I'll put the a link to the BBC show on my website. You could watch it on YouTube, and then I'll also share more details about it. The painting, even more coming up. But uh as a little update to last week's, I have a correction on one thing. So last week when I told you the story of Pont Neuf, I had in my research everything said there was 301 of the mascarons, the masks that go around the bridge, and there was only 300 of them are men, and one is a woman being Medusa. And I was down there last week one early, early morning, and it is in fact two Medusas. So there's 299 men and two Medusas. So, you know, this is why, even when you do research, you just gotta get out and you know, hit the pavement and look for yourself. But yesterday, just yesterday on Monday evening, June 15th, at about 6 p.m., uh JR announced that they had fixed the cavern, the temporary installation that's there right now. They had fixed it. The entire tromboloi print is back. They've sewn it back together and tied it down, and the interior is now open to the public. I wasn't able to get over there this morning to go see it because I was working on this, but I am going to definitely go check it out. So make sure to follow me on Instagram, Claudine Blue Blanc Rouge, and I'll put some pictures and videos up of it. I'm kind of excited, it's supposed to have, you know, music inside and even like sensory smells and stuff. So it'll be really interesting to go check it out. I can't wait to go see that. But make sure that you subscribe and actually like the podcast. That it's always does it's always a great help when doing these. And I will bring you more stories next week. I think I'm even gonna bring a story next week to you of something, again, that is a temporary thing that's here, but does have a huge history and tie to the city. But I will be back next week with that episode and you know, hair all in the crowd of we actually like the Mona Lisa because she is pretty amazing. I'll tell you even more about why you need to like her. It's just unfortunate because she just comes, like I said, with this chaos around her. I even when I was in there the other day, I pretty much stood in there for like three minutes and I was getting annoyed because of the people running, literally running into the room. Surprise security doesn't stop them from running, but it's just kind of this crazy chaos that comes with her. But she is pretty amazing. And I have been fortunate enough to be in there when it's closed so I could get up close without all of the noise and people. And that's when I really changed my tune about her, was when I got to be up close in complete silence with her. So definitely check out my website, claudingheminaui.com. And if you are coming to Paris, make sure you reach out to book a walking tour throughout the city. I've got some really fun ones that are private and customized coming up. So if you are coming to Paris and there's something you're really interested in and you want to know more about, reach out and we'll I'll get something created for you. All right. Thank you everybody and stay cool wherever you are, especially if you're in Paris.