Mona Lisa is a Man
Is the woman in Leonardo da Vinci’s famous Mona Lisa truly a woman at all? While most modern historians argue that the portrait was modelled by Lisa del Giocondo, evidence suggests the Mona Lisa was actually based upon a male subject.
Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is perhaps the most famous painting in history. Artists, historians, and viewers of the painting have questioned its creation, purpose, and meaning for centuries. It remains the most acclaimed attraction at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, where visitors continue to question Mona Lisa’s smile — or lack thereof.
The Mona Lisa is not a portrait of the Florentine merchant’s wife Lisa del Giocondo, but of da Vinci’s own assistant, Gian Giacomo Caprotti, whom da Vinci himself nicknamed Salai. Leonardo da Vinci was gay, and may even have had a relationship with Salai, whose main facial features arise in many of da Vinci’s works. There are also two recorded paintings of the Mona Lisa, both created by Leonardo da Vinci, and the latter of which looks shockingly similar to Salai.
First, we will determine Leonardo da Vinci’s relationship with the subject in question, Salai. Da Vinci may have been gay, and it is possible he had a sexual relationship with Salai.
In Florence, Italy, in 1476, da Vinci and a small group of men were accused of sodomy. All of the men involved were acquitted of the crime, but the event suggests that da Vinci, whether he acted upon his homosexuality or not, was involved with the scene.
Let us refer to renowned psychologist Sigmund Freud’s psychological analysis of Leonardo da Vinci, “A Psychosexual Study of Infantile Reminiscence.” In this evaluation, Freud clearly identifies da Vinci as retaining homosexual traits. Freud writes, “… tradition actually designates Leonardo of homosexual feelings.” Freud goes on to explain the relationship between maternal experiences and homosexuality, continually using da Vinci as an example. During his lifetime, Leonardo da Vinci never married, had no children, and had limited personal relationships with women, preferring the company of handsome assistants and artists such as Salai.
Another author, Charles Nicholls, quotes a conversation between Italian painter Gian Paolo Lomazzo and Leonardo da Vinci which suggests a sexual relationship between Da Vinci and Salai.
Nick Squires, a news writer, informs us that Salai joined da Vinci’s household at ten years old in 1490. According to Nicholls and da Vinci’s own notes, Salai was a troubled charge — he thieved and misbehaved, racking up an extensive list of expenses he cost da Vinci. Da Vinci himself nicknamed the boy “Salai,” meaning “little devil” or “demon.”
Yet, Salai remained in da Vinci’s household for nearly thirty years. After da Vinci’s death, Salai retained a plot of land and a house that he had built on da Vinci’s property. Upon Salai’s death, art history analyst Jack M. Greenstein writes that twelve works traceable to Leonardo da Vinci remained in Salai’s possession; this included a copy of the Mona Lisa.
Evidence suggests that Leonardo da Vinci was, indeed, gay. However, he may or may not have had a sexual relationship with Salai. Nevertheless, his affection for Salai is obvious.
Secondly, the most inspiring evidence that the Mona Lisa is based upon Salai resides in da Vinci’s actual artwork, as many of da Vinci’s various drawings and paintings share similar masculine features — features known to be Salai’s.
At some point during Salai’s youth, da Vinci sketched Salai and titled this sketch as “Drawing of Salai.”
Several of da Vinci’s works include male features seen in this drawing. Da Vinci’s paintings St. John the Baptist, Bacchus, and the Mona Lisa depict Salai’s characteristic nose, lips, and forehead.
Nick Squires writes that art detective “(Silvano Vincenti) claims the Mona Lisa’s nose, forehead and smile are strikingly similar to other paintings by Leonardo which used Salai as a model, among them portraits of St. John the Baptist and St. Anne and an erotic drawing, The Incarnate Angel, which depicts a young man with an erection.”
Thirdly, there are two recorded paintings of the Mona Lisa, both proved to be created by Leonardo da Vinci.
Had Lisa Gherardini been involved in either production of the Mona Lisa, it would have been the earlier version of the Mona Lisa, which is not the painting displayed by the Louvre Museum.
The Mona Lisa Foundation offers a comprehensive timeline for both copies of the Mona Lisa, claiming that the earlier version (the Isleworth Mona Lisa) was painted around 1503 to 1506. According to the Mona Lisa Foundation, in 1503, Agostino Vespucci “witnesses” Leonardo da Vinci painting a portrait of Lisa del Giocondo. Giorgio Vasari historically called the Isleworth Mona Lisa unfinished, which suggests it was not a commissioned portrait, but a prototypal painting. Leonardodavinci.net even states in a biography about da Vinci that “The Mona Lisa was also a constant work in progress for Leonardo da Vinci.”
The timeline from the Mona Lisa Foundation also places da Vinci in 1513 as painting the Louvre version of the Mona Lisa in Rome, quote “probably using the ‘Earlier Mona Lisa’ portrait of Lisa del Giocondo as a model.” According to the Mona Lisa Foundation, the Mona Lisa displayed by the Louvre is painted with a glaze that da Vinci only developed in his later life. If Lisa del Giocondo was, indeed, included in the creation of the Mona Lisa, it was only in the Isleworth Mona Lisa, which is clearly more feminine than the Mona Lisa and does not contain the sharpness that is characteristic of Salai’s facial features.
Lastly, while many art historians believe the Mona Lisa is modelled after Lisa del Giocondo, the evidence clearly suggests the contrary.
Jack M. Greenstein quotes Italian historian Carlo Pedretti as saying that the original title of the Mona Lisa, La Giocondo, was a “’generic title,’” meaning a “jocund, or smiling woman.” Other historians falsely believe that the title was of the woman’s name, Lisa del Giocondo. However, according to Greenstein, even Salai’s inventory of the painting listed it as a “painting called La Giocondo’ rather than a ‘painting of La Giocondo.’” The title is also odd if we believe the Mona Lisa is a commissioned portrait because it does not offer a specific name as in Leonardo da Vinci’s other female portraits, Ginevra de’ Benci and La Belle Ferronierre.
There is also no receipt of any commission for the Mona Lisa, and thereby no concrete proof that the Giocondo family commissioned da Vinci to paint a portrait of Lisa Gherardini.
Lisa Gherardini, or Lisa del Giocondo, was not part of da Vinci’s typical clientele. Da Vinci was a famous artist even at the time, and he was commissioned by royalty and by noble families. Lisa Gherardini was the wife of a rich silk merchant, but her name was not well-known.
We know that there are two Mona Lisa paintings, both created by Leonardo da Vinci. The Isleworth Mona Lisa was painted around 1503 to 1506, and one historical figure claims he witnessed da Vinci painting Lisa Gherardini in 1503. It is possible Lisa del Giocondo was painted by da Vinci, and even that she is the subject of the Isleworth Mona Lisa. However, she cannot possibly be the model for the Mona Lisa.
In conclusion, there is a large and obvious collection of evidence not only suggesting that Lisa del Giocondo is not the subject of the Mona Lisa, but that the Mona Lisa was modelled by da Vinci’s very own assistant, Gian Giacomo Caprotti.
Sigmund Freud and many historians confirm that Leonardo da Vinci was gay, and there is historical evidence that he might have had a sexual and romantic relationship with his assistant, Salai. There is no denying that da Vinci had a fondness for Salai, even if you do not believe da Vinci was a homosexual. Many of da Vinci’s drawings and paintings, including the Mona Lisa, portray Salai’s features, and all are comparable to his direct “Drawing of Salai.” There are also two recognized Mona Lisa paintings, both proved to be created by da Vinci and the latter of which contains Salai’s major facial features.
The Mona Lisa is perhaps the most famous and commonly known painting. It has immense historical significance, and a much more interesting history than any of us know. We often assume that historical documents, artwork, writings, and events, are clear-cut aspects of our history, but there is always something more to them. In the case of the Mona Lisa, she is not modelled after Lisa del Giocondo and is, in fact, not modelled after a woman at all. It is a painting based upon Leonardo da Vinci’s long-time friend, companion, and possible lover, Salai.
Bibliography
Greenstein, J. (2004). Leonardo, Mona Lisa and “La Gioconda”. Reviewing the Evidence. Artibus Et Historiae, 25(50), 17–38. doi:10.2307/1483789
Leonardo da Vinci Biography. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.leonardodavinci.net/leonardo-da-vinci-biography.jsp
Leonardo’s Late Glazing Technique. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://monalisa.org/2017/10/13/leonardos-late-glazing-technique/
Nichols, C. (n.d.). Leonardo Da Vinci: Flights of the Mind. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=KWCNItrBe6oC&oi=fnd&pg=PT18&dq=Leonardo+da+vinci+salai&ots=jY3WIkFF9m&sig=ZDtGnyWYQfV70NKikUxPizkHgKA#v=onepage&q=salai&f=false
Squires, N. (2016, April 21). Mona Lisa based on da Vinci’s gay lover, art detective claims. The Telegraph. Retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/20/mona-lisa-based-on-da-vincis-gay-lover-art-detective-claims/
Sigmund, F. & Brill, A. A. (1916). Leonardo da Vinci : a psychosexual study of an infantile reminiscence. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/leonardodavincip00freu/page/62
Timeline of the ‘Earlier Mona Lisa.’ (n.d.). Retrieved from http://monalisa.org/the-earlier-version/provenance-2/
