Lisa del Giocondo

Overview

For centuries, the identity of the woman in the Mona Lisa was a subject of intense speculation, with theories ranging from a disguised self-portrait of Leonardo to a depiction of Isabella d'Este or Pacifica Brandani.

However, a clinching archival discovery at the Heidelberg University Library in 2005 provided definitive evidence for the identification as Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo. This evidence consists of a handwritten marginal note by Agostino Vespucci, a secretary to Niccolò Machiavelli, dated October 1503.

Lisa Gherardini was born into a noble family in Florence and married Francesco in 1495. The portrait was likely commissioned to celebrate the birth of their second son, Andrea, or the acquisition of their new home.

Vespucci's note confirms that Leonardo was actively working on "the head of Lisa del Giocondo" at the same time he was preparing for the Battle of Anghiari commission. This firmly aligns with the 1550 account provided by Giorgio Vasari, whose reliability on this point had previously been questioned due to his 50-year distance from the painting's creation.

While the identity of the sitter is now considered "beyond doubt," debate continues regarding the specific panel in the Louvre. Leonardo never delivered the painting to the Giocondo family, carrying it with him to France and continuing to work on it as late as 1517.

Why It Matters

The resolution of Lisa del Giocondo’s identity provides a concrete chronological anchor (1503) for the development of High Renaissance portraiture and validates early historiographic sources that were previously dismissed as anecdotal.

Timeline

• 1479: Birth of Lisa Gherardini in Florence.
• 1495: Marriage to Francesco del Giocondo.
• 1503: Leonardo begins the portrait in Florence shortly after returning from service with Cesare Borgia.
• October 1503: Agostino Vespucci writes the marginal note confirming Leonardo is working on Lisa’s portrait.
• 1504: Raphael sketches the portrait in Leonardo’s studio.
• 1513-1517: Leonardo possibly resumes work on the portrait in Rome and France.
• 1519: Portrait is acquired by King Francis I after Leonardo’s death.
• 1542: Death of Lisa Gherardini.

Key Claims

• Supported: Identified as Lisa Gherardini by contemporary eye-witness
• Supported: Portrait begun in 1503 to celebrate birth of a son
• Supported: Vespucci note confirms Vasari's 1550 account
• Supported: Leonardo kept the painting until his death in 1519
• Uncertain: Work was intentionally left unfinished in parts
• Supported: Raphael's sketch proves he saw it in 1504
• Highly Probable: Louvre panel is the same as the Giocondo commission