After Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519) The Mona Lisa Early 17...

Estimate

£200,000 - £400,000

After Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519)
The Mona Lisa
Early 17th century
Oil on oak panel
This panel contained 3 oak boards. Analysis of their tree-ring sequences provided a date and provenance for all three boards. These results indicate that these were eastern Baltic boards derived from 2 trees, with the latest ring surviving from 1632. 

Dimensions:
31.75 in (H) x 21.75 in (W)

Provenance:
By descent, from Somerset de Chair

Literature:
The Mona Lisa Foundation, Mona Lisa: Leonardo's Earlier Version, Zurich, 2017, P. 115 under No. 2

Lot Essay:
This early copy of the ‘Mona Lisa’, considered by some to be 16th century (see Leonardo da Vinci’s Earlier Mona Lisa, illustrated P. 115, No. 2), is of a rare quality and in an exceptional state of preservation. Painted on oak panels, the paint surface has survived mostly intact and maintains a clarity sadly absent in the original and in various other copies. The hand of the artist appears to be imbedded in the Flemish tradition, as exemplified by Rubens (1577-1640) in the early 17th century.

The image of the Mona Lisa is perhaps one of the most well-known art historical images of all time and finds its source in Leonardo da Vinci's iconic portrait in the Louvre; thought to depict Lisa Gherardini, the wife of the Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo.

Renowned during its contemporary time, examples, such as our present one from the early 17th century, attest to the painting's great aura and immovable influence on art history.