Friday, February 10, 2012

Lisa’s sister

Apparently one of da Vinci’s apprentices painted his own version of the Mona Lisa while the master was creating his masterpiece.  That work has now been found in Spain’s El Prado:

article-2095047-118CFA9A000005DC-275_306x423The earliest copy of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, Mona Lisa, has been found in the vaults of a Spanish museum, looking younger and more ravishing than the original.

[…] Museum officials said it was almost certainly painted by one of Leonardo da Vinci's apprentices alongside the master himself as he did the original.

[…] Painted alongside the original, historians say it gives another insight into what the model for one of the world's most famous paintings actually looked like.

The copy has been part of the Prado collection for years but officials said they did not realise its significance until a recent restoration revealed hidden layers.

The artwork features the same female figure, but had been covered over with black paint and varnish.

Two years ago, to get the copy ready for a da Vinci exhibition to be held in Paris this year, tests were done and restorers discovered something hidden under the black coat.

When the black covering was removed, a Tuscan landscape very similar to the one in the original emerged.

The Prado painting was long thought to be one of dozens surviving replicas of the masterpiece made after Leonardo's death but it is now believed to have been painted by one of his key pupils, Francesco Melzi, working alongside the master.

[…] Ms Mozo said the underdrawing of the Madrid replica was similar to that of the original, which suggests both were begun at the same time and painted next to each other, as the work evolved.

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More at the Daily Mail.

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