The wife of Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo, Lisa Gherardini is traditionally believed to be the subject of Leonardo da Vinci's most famous masterpiece.
Louvre Museum/Public DomainLeonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, believed to depict Lisa Gherardini.
The Mona Lisa is one of the most famous paintings in the world, but few know about the woman depicted in it. Lisa Gherardini, a 16th-century noblewoman from the Republic of Florence, is long believed to be the figure in Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece. But who was she?
Born into a once-influential family who had lost some of their prestige, Lisa Gherardini was married off at age 15 to a 29-year-old silk merchant named Francesco del Giocondo. As del Giocondo gained more wealth, he eventually became influential in Florence’s political sphere. His success purportedly paved the way for him to commission a portrait of Gherardini from da Vinci around 1503, when Gherardini would’ve been around 24 years old.
Tradition says that da Vinci soon began the painting, depicting Lisa Gherardini in a dignified and fashionable manner. But he delayed finishing the illustration, possibly due to his other commitments, his arm injuries, and his notorious perfectionism. Ultimately, Gherardini never saw the final portrait, as da Vinci took it to France with him before his death.
Centuries later, many have speculated about whether Lisa Gherardini is actually the subject of the Mona Lisa. Some contemporary accounts suggest that the painting was indeed meant to portray her, but other theories have claimed that the Mona Lisa depicted da Vinci’s mother, various European princesses, unidentified courtesans, or perhaps even da Vinci’s lover.
Today, the Mona Lisa remains a celebrated yet mysterious masterpiece, with Lisa Gherardini widely regarded as its most likely inspiration.
The Life And Upbringing Of Lisa Gherardini
Public DomainLate 15th-century baptismal records of Lisa Gherardini.
Lisa Gherardini was born on June 15, 1479, in Florence, which is located in modern-day Italy. At the time, Florence was its own republic, and the region was led by a council called the Signoria of Florence.
The eldest of seven children, Lisa Gherardini belonged to a once-prominent Florentine family whose influence had begun to decline before her birth. Despite this, the family was relatively comfortable and owned some land.
On March 5, 1495, when Lisa Gherardini was 15 years old, she was married off to 29-year-old Francesco del Giocondo. Del Giocondo was a silk merchant, and the couple lived a modest but comfortable life in Florence, as del Giocondo’s wealth and stature gradually increased. By 1503, the couple were able to move into a larger home in Via della Stufa in Florence.
sailko/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 3.0The modern-day Palazzo Della Stufa at the corner of Via della Stufa, in Florence.
Between 1496 and 1507, Lisa Gherardini had six children: Piero, Piera, Camilla, Marietta, Andrea, and Giocondo. Unfortunately, Piera and Giocondo both died as young children, and Camilla only made it to age 19.
Despite the tragedies, Gherardini and del Giocondo enjoyed the growing success of del Giocondo’s businesses, which included not only silk but also trading in sugar, leather, and other products. His increasing power in Florence eventually culminated in him becoming part of the Signoria by 1513.
“He was active in politics, and had powerful allies in both the Republican and Medici administrations, in addition to a network of agents and contacts throughout Europe. He created a solid business dynasty, and patronised the arts,” the Mona Lisa Foundation explained in an article about the couple.
Of course, the couple are most remembered for the painting they purportedly commissioned around the same time that they moved into a larger home in Via della Stufa. Del Giocondo reportedly wanted a portrait created of his wife for the home — so he reached out to Leonardo da Vinci.
Leonardo Da Vinci’s Creation Of The Mona Lisa
Public DomainA self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci.
In the late 15th and early 16th centuries, Florence was immersed in the Renaissance, a period of cultural, social, and artistic resurgence. Notable artists of the time included Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci.
As members of the republic’s upper middle class, Lisa Gherardini and her husband would have likely enjoyed the burgeoning art scene.
It’s believed that del Giocondo asked Leonardo da Vinci to create a portrait of his wife around 1503, possibly to celebrate the birth of the couple’s new baby, their move to a bigger home, or their financial success.
At the time, da Vinci was in between jobs, so he likely was happy to accept the request. The painting began when Gherardini was around 24 years old. Da Vinci portrayed his sitter as a fashionable, dignified, and respectable wife.
Public DomainA close-up of the Mona Lisa, believed to depict Lisa Gherardini.
Unfortunately, da Vinci’s other responsibilities, possible arm injuries, and his procrastination delayed the completion of the Mona Lisa, leaving the project unfinished for years. He never delivered the work to Gherardini, and he took it with him to France before he died. Da Vinci may have been working on the painting as late as 1517, two years before he perished. Today, many believe that he still had work to do on the illustration before his death.
Lisa Gherardini ultimately never saw da Vinci’s vision of her likeness — a portrait that would captivate the art world for centuries.
Lisa Gherardini’s Life After Da Vinci — And Lingering Questions About The Painting
By most accounts, Lisa Gherardini’s life was fairly typical for an upper-middle-class Florentine woman and she lived in relative comfort. However, some historians have claimed that her story may have been far darker than reported — and she might have been unwittingly pushed into a wedding with a man who was involved in the trading of female slaves.
There’s also some evidence that Gherardini narrowly avoided a personal scandal, as two men from the influential Medici family allegedly tried to “tempt” her, but she ultimately rejected both of the men.
By 1537, Francesco del Giocondo’s health was in decline. He prepared his will, so his wife and children would be supported when he died in 1538.
Following del Giocondo’s death, Gherardini eventually fell ill. Her own death is somewhat mysterious, with some historians setting her death date in 1542 and others setting it in 1551. Either way, she had a funeral attended by a large crowd, and she was likely laid to rest at the Sant’Orsola in Florence.
As for the Mona Lisa, the painting never fell into the hands of the del Giocondo family. Upon Leonardo da Vinci’s death in Amboise, France in 1519, the painting was acquired by French King Francis I. The illustration was part of the royal collection until the French Revolution, when it fell into the hands of insurgents. It was then put on display in the Louvre in Paris in 1797.
Thomas Staub/Wikimedia CommonsThe Mona Lisa on display in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.
Though the Mona Lisa has been removed from the Louvre at certain times, especially during periods of war, it’s on permanent display at the museum, and it remains there today, with countless viewers marveling over her enigmatic smile and the mysterious background behind her, including intricate details like mountains, pathways, and even a bridge in the distance.
Since then, many researchers have wondered if the Mona Lisa truly depicts Gherardini. Some Renaissance accounts suggest that it does, like one from artist Giorgio Vasari, who wrote, “Lionardo undertook to paint for Francesco del Giocondo the portrait of Mona Lisa, his wife, and four years later left it imperfect, which work is now with King Francis of France in Fontainbleu.”
Notably, in 2005, a German scholar discovered a 500-year-old note from Agostino Vespucci, an acquaintance of Leonardo da Vinci. Vespucci said da Vinci was working on Lisa Gherardini’s portrait, seemingly confirming that she was the subject of the Mona Lisa. However, without another confirmed portrait of Lisa Gherardini, it is impossible to confirm her physical appearance and whether it matches the figure in the Mona Lisa.
Some have theorized that the “real” Mona Lisa was da Vinci’s mother Caterina, Princess Isabella of Naples, Spanish noblewoman Costanza d’Avalos, a courtesan, or da Vinci’s apprentice and possible lover Salaì. Others have even suggested that it’s a self-portrait of da Vinci himself.
In the 2010s, researchers from the National Committee for the Promotion of Historic and Cultural Heritage took on the challenge of exhuming Gherardini’s possible remains. They wanted to use 3D modeling to accurately reconstruct her face in the hopes of determining whether she was the real Mona Lisa. But the team struggled to find samples that were fit for testing, and the project ultimately did not come to any definite conclusions.
So, was Lisa Gherardini truly the figure immortalized in the Mona Lisa, an iconic masterpiece that draws tens of thousands of visitors to the Louvre each day? Based on historical evidence, it seems more than likely — but the mystery, like the Mona Lisa’s smile, remains part of its allure.
After reading about Lisa Gherardini, dive into the true story of Vincenzo Peruggia, the man who stole the Mona Lisa in 1911 — and made it a household name. Then, learn about nine allegedly haunted paintings.
