She is Lisa del Giocondo, wife of Florentine businessman Francesco del Giocondo, according to notes written in the margins of a book by a friend of Leonardo da Vinci as the artist worked on the masterpiece, the school said in a statement this week.
The discovery by a University of Heidelberg library manuscript expert appears to confirm what has long been suspected. Del Giocondo was first named as the likeness in the painting by Italian writer Giorgio Vasari in , who also dated the work at between and , the university said. Compounding the mystery, vague references in , and pointed to other identifications. But the find by Heidelberg library expert Armin Schlechter settles the matter, according to the university. The friend, Agostino Vespucci, dated his notes October , also helping to pin down the exact time Leonardo was working on the painting.
The discovery was actually made in but was not widely known until a German radio station aired it in a report last week. All Sections. About Us. B2B Publishing. Business Visionaries. Hot Property.
Times Events. Times Store. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options. And the smile of the Mona Lisa belongs to. By David Rising.
