Wer war Mona Lisa? - 2008-04-30

Wer war Mona Lisa wirklich?         Giuseppe Pallanti (geb. 1951), Wirtschaftswissenschaftler in Florenz, stieß bei seinen historischen Forschungen über Landgüter im Chianti zufällig auf den Namen Gherardini und erinnerte sich, bei Vasari gelesen zu haben, Mona Lisa sei eine geborene Gherardini gewesen.

Er recherchierte weiter und begab sich in den Florentiner Archiven auf eine Zeitreise zurück in die Toskana der Früh- und Hochrenaissance. So entdeckte er u.a. das Testament Francesco del Giocondos, in dem viel über dessen zweite Frau Lisa, genannt "la Gioconda", zu erfahren ist, und Dokumente, die belegen, dass Leonardos Vater, ein angesehener Notar, mit Giocondo geschäftlich in Verbindung stand.

Bis zum spektakulären Diebstahl der "Mona Lisa" aus dem Louvre 1911 waren Vasaris Angaben zur Identität der Dargestellten nicht in Frage gestellt worden. Jetzt interessierten sich plötzlich die Presse und die Zunft der Historiker für die schöne Unbekannte. Teils abenteuerliche Thesen machten die Runde, u.a. dass es sich um eine Geliebte Giuliano de' Medicis oder gar ein Selbstportrait Leonardos als Frau handelt.

Pallanti kreist seine drei Hauptpersonen - Lisa Gherardini, Francesco del Giocondo und Leonardo - mit Hilfe der historischen Dokumente auf zwei Ebenen ein: vor dem Hintergrund der politischen und sozialen Verhältnisse im Florenz des 15. und frühen 16.

Jahrhunderts und mit einer überraschend detailreichen Schilderung des Alltagslebens der Kaufmannsfamilie del Giocondo, ihrer Geschäfte, ihrer gesellschaftlichen Stellung und ihrer Kontakte zu den prominenten Figuren der Stadt.

Mona Lisan hymyn jäljillä, by Helja Laukkanen, Mondo, Helsinki - 2007-03-09

Mona Lisa: mystery no more, by Vivien Cuttle, ABC News - 2007-01-23

Over the years, art historians have given Leonardo Da Vinci's famous portrait multiple identities, ranging from a relative of the artist to a prostitute.

But in 1550, about 44 years after the painting was completed, the 16th century painter and art historian Giorgio Vasari claimed the portrait was of Lisa Gherardini Del Giocondo.

And now, the discovery of a will and a grave lend support to Vasari's theory.

Historian Giuseppe Pallanti has spent years researching the woman behind the portrait and has written two books on the subject.

His research shows Lisa married Francesco del Giocondo in 1495, when she was 16 years old.

Now Pallanti has unearthed Ser Francesco's will, in which he asks their youngest child, Marietta, to take care of his "beloved wife".

Marietta had become a nun, Suor Ludovica, so she took her mother to the nearby Sant'Orsola convent, where it appears Lisa's buried.

Pallanti found the church's archives, which state, "Monna Lisa di Francesco del Giocondo died on 15 July 1542 and was buried in Sant'Orsola".

And apparently the Mona Lisa was well-loved – the church records show the whole community showed up to say goodbye at her funeral.

Mona Lisa war da Vincis Nachbarin, Focus - 2007-01-19

New evidence on Mona Lisa model, by Mark Duff , BBC News - 2007-01-19

Mona Lisa's smile has intrigued art lovers for centuries.
An Italian art historian says he believes he has found the last resting place of the woman behind Leonardo da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa painting.

Most experts agree that it is Lisa Gherardini - the wife of a wealthy merchant in Florence.

But Giuseppe Pallanti now says records from the time show that she died aged 63 in July 1542 and was buried in a now dilapidated convent in Florence.

The historian says she had seen out the last years of her life there.

After poring through thousands of official records from the time, Mr Pallanti believes Lisa Gherardini was widowed and ill when she died.

He says the documents also show that she was still a famous figure in Florentine society: the whole parish turned out for her funeral.

Even in death, it would seem, the woman who helped give the world the Mona Lisa was recognised as having something very special about her.

Did Leonardo know Mona Lisa? by CNN's Alessio Vinci - 2005-09-27

Mona Lisa is one of the world's most enduring symbols of feminine allure. Was she the creation of Leonardo's da Vinci's imagination? Or was he inspired by a real woman in the streets of 16th century Florence?

New research and a newly published book now support a claim first made almost 500 years ago -- that she really existed and that she was the wife of a rich silk merchant.

Researcher Giuseppe Pallanti spent more than 25 years pouring over Florence's archives.

He came across land and marriage records written in the 1490s which he says prove that Mona Lisa existed -- and that Leonardo's family was closely connected to her husband, Francesco del Giocondo, a wealthy silk trader.

"These documents prove without a doubt that del Giocondo was a client of Leonardo's father, who was a famous notary in Florence," Pallanti says.

Italian professor solves Da Vinci mystery, China Daily - 2005-09-14

La Gioconda? Era una nobile chiantigiana. Corriere della sera - 2005-09-09

Riddle of Mona Lisa is finally solved: she was the mother of five - 2005-08-01

Giuseppe Pallanti, a teacher from Florence who has spent 25 years researching the city's archives, has discovered the first clear evidence that da Vinci's family was closely connected to the silk trader, Ser Francesco del Giocondo, who married Lisa Gherardini in 1495.

Mr Pallanti has also established that Giorgio Vasari, the Italian biographer of Renaissance artists who, in 1550, named the silk merchant's wife as the subject of the portrait, was a credible source, having known the Giocondo family personally.