{"id":5641,"date":"2014-05-02T08:17:12","date_gmt":"2014-05-02T08:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/?p=5641"},"modified":"2014-05-02T17:38:09","modified_gmt":"2014-05-02T17:38:09","slug":"the-secret-of-the-mona-lisa-finally-revealed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/the-secret-of-the-mona-lisa-finally-revealed\/","title":{"rendered":"The Secret of The Mona Lisa Finally Revealed"},"content":{"rendered":"

In March this year an astonishing document was uncovered during the restoration of a small pen and ink sketch by Leonardo da Vinci. The document, which seems to have been used to reinforce the back of the sketch, turned out to be a newspaper article written in 1507 and containing an interview with Da Vinci himself.<\/font><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"resume\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Da Vinci document which was discovered in March 2014<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

In the interview Da Vinci discusses, amongst other matters, his famous portrait La Gioconda, better known as La Mona Lisa. A close friend of ours, who works at the Uffizi in Florence, has kindly loaned us a copy of the article. Here is our exclusive translation into contemporary Italian of the conversation which took place between journalist Caio Sempronio and Da Vinci on the 2nd of May 1507:<\/font><\/p>\n

Sempronio:<\/font> Buongiorno Signor Da Vinci, la ringrazio per avermi concesso questa intervista
<\/strong>Good day Mr. Da Vinci, thank you for having granted me this interview<\/font><\/p>\n

Da Vinci:<\/font> Si figuri, non c\u2019\u00e8 di che
<\/strong>Think nothing of it<\/font><\/p>\n

Sempronio:<\/font> Ci potrebbe dire qualcosa sulle opere a cui sta lavorando in questo periodo, per favore? C\u2019\u00e8 qualche opera in particolare di cui vorrebbe parlare?
<\/strong>Could you tell us something about what you are working on at the moment please? Is there any particular work of art that you\u2019d like to talk about?<\/font><\/p>\n

Leonardo:<\/font> In verit\u00e0, non ho molta voglia di parlare della mia pittura in questi giorni \u2026 in effetti, mi sento un po\u2019 gi\u00f9
<\/strong>To be honest, I don\u2019t really feel like talking about my paintings at the moment \u2026 actually, I\u2019m feeling a bit low<\/font><\/p>\n

Sempronio:<\/font> Ci potrebbe spiegare perch\u00e9? \u00c8 successo qualcosa di specifico?
<\/strong>Would you mind explaining why? Has anything specific happened?<\/font><\/p>\n

Leonardo:<\/font> Beh, s\u00ec, \u00e8 successo che ho appena buttato via un quadro su cui avevo lavorato per pi\u00f9 di tre anni \u2026 \u00e8 stata una brutta esperienza!
<\/strong>Well yes, what\u2019s happened is that I\u2019ve just thrown away a painting that I was working on for three years \u2026 it was a horrible experience!<\/font><\/p>\n

Sempronio:<\/font> Devo ammettere che questa notizia mi sorprende moltissimo, dato il suo ben noto genio \u2026 cio\u00e8 non avrei mai immaginato \u2026
<\/strong>I have to admit that this news really surprises me, given your well known genius \u2026 that is, I\u2019d never have imagined \u2026<\/font><\/p>\n

Leonardo:<\/font> Basta cos\u00ec, la vicenda \u00e8 finita \u2026 avrebbe dovuto essere il mio quadro pi\u00f9 bello di sempre, invece \u2026. \u00e8 un obbrobrio!
<\/strong>That\u2019s enough, the story is over \u2026 it should have been my most beautiful painting ever, instead \u2026 it\u2019s an eyesore! <\/font><\/p>\n

Sempronio:<\/font> Senz\u2019altro sarebbe molto interessante per i nostri lettori comprendere meglio le tribolazioni di un grande maestro come lei. Posso pertanto suggerirle di spiegarci pi\u00f9 precisamente come mai \u00e8 \u2018fallito\u2019 questo quadro?
<\/strong>It would certainly be very interesting for our readers to better understand the tribulations of a great master such as yourself. Could I therefore suggest that you explain to us more clearly in what way this painting has \u2018failed\u2019?<\/font><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Did You Know? \u2026 below: some of Da Vinci\u2019s lesser know inventions<\/strong><\/font><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"carro2-001\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1. The Circular Toaster
<\/font><\/strong>–<\/font><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Da<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2. The Clockwork CD Player<\/font><\/strong>–
<\/font>–<\/font><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"gun_l\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3. The Automatic Garden Rake
<\/strong><\/font>–<\/font><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"stormimgwalls\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4. The Portable Roof
<\/font><\/strong>–<\/font><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"leonardo2_450\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5. The Self Assembling Bookcase (Ikea please take note)<\/font><\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Leonardo:<\/font> Allora, s\u00ec, ha ragione, la gente pensa che sia una cosa facile per un genio produrre una marea infinita di opere d\u2019arte \u2026 invece no, a volte anche per me le cose vanno storte. Prenda questo quadro per esempio \u2026 il concetto era semplice: una bellissima donna seduta davanti ad un classico paesaggio Toscano \u2026 punto e basta!
<\/strong>Well yes, you\u2019re right, people think that it\u2019s easy for a genius to produce an endless stream of works of art \u2026 but it\u2019s not, sometimes things go wrong for me as well. Take this painting for example \u2026 the concept was simple: a beautiful lady sitting in front of a classic Tuscan landscape, full stop!<\/font><\/p>\n

Invece no! Fin dall\u2019inizio problemi, sempre problemi con gli occhi. Piangeva continuamente, lei, sempre con gli occhi pieni di lacrime \u2026 e poi starnutiva \u2026 sempre con i fazzoletti bagnati nascosti nelle maniche. D\u2019inverno stava meglio, ma faceva troppo freddo per stare fuori a lavorare sul ritratto in giardino. Quindi aspettiamo il bel tempo, ed ecco, appena arriva la primavera la signora comincia di nuovo a piangere, a soffiarsi il naso \u2026
<\/strong>But no! Problems right from the very beginning, always problems with the eyes. She cried all the time, always with her eyes full of tears \u2026 and she sneezed \u2026 she always had soggy handkerchiefs hidden up her sleeves. In the winter she was better, but it was too cold to sit outside in the garden and work on the portrait. So we wait for the nice weather, and here we go, as soon as the spring comes the lady starts crying again, blowing her nose \u2026<\/font><\/p>\n

Per farla breve, dopo tre anni di questa storia mi sono arreso \u2026 basta, non ne posso pi\u00f9! ho gridato \u2026 torno a casa, il quadro lo butto nella pattumiera, e me ne vado nello studio ad inventare un elicottero o un sottomarino, cose semplici che non piangono o starnutiscono mai \u2026.
<\/strong>To cut a long story short, after three years I gave up \u2026 enough, I can\u2019t carry on! I shouted \u2026 I go home, throw the painting in the bin, and go off to the studio to invent a helicopter or a submarine, simple things that don\u2019t ever cry or sneeze \u2026<\/font><\/p>\n

Here the article ends. It seems that there were probably several more pages, but who knows what became of them, perhaps a shortage of toilet paper caused them to be put to other uses. As for La Gioconda however, theory has it that Leonardo\u2019s donna delle pulizie<\/strong> (cleaning lady), Alessia della Zoccola, rescued the failed painting from the bin and used it for many years as a tablecloth before her husband carted it off in order to fix a whole in the chicken hut roof. When the chicken hut finally collapsed in 1683, Alessia\u2019s grand daughter took the \u2018pretty painting of a crying lady\u2019 as she called it, up to her bedroom, where it remained hidden at the back of the closet until it was discovered many years later, in rather dilapidated condition, by the great art historian Aichi Gruboggio who happened to be staying overnight with the family whilst passing through the area in search of lost renaissance treasures.<\/font><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"article-0-035E5A2C000005DC-881_306x423\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hands up who knew that Leonardo Da Vinci invented Lego \u2026<\/font><\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Scientists now believe that La Gioconda suffered from an illness little understood in Leonardo\u2019s day \u2026 common or garden hay fever. Who knows, if nasal sprays had been available in the early 1500\u2019s perhaps La Gioconda would have turned out to be the great work that Leonardo envisioned.<\/font><\/p>\n

Now dear readers, which other Italian blog brings you such exclusive insights from the world of Art History?<\/font><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

In March this year an astonishing document was uncovered during the restoration of a small pen and ink sketch by Leonardo da Vinci. The document, which seems to have been used to reinforce the back of the sketch, turned out to be a newspaper article written in 1507 and containing an interview with Da Vinci…<\/p>\n

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