Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 February 1917 — “Mona Lisa.” [ARTICLE]

“Mona Lisa.”

The celebrated painting, “Mona Lisa,” has two names, both of which Indicate to some extent Its origin: First, “Mona Lisa,” Mona being Italian for Madonna means My Lady. Lisa, who was the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, a friend of the artist. Besides this .name, . the famous picture id sometimes called, “La Gioconda,” which is the feminine of Giocondo and means wife of Giocondo, Both names indicate the origin of the picture which is teally a portrait of Madame Lisa Gioconda. In other words, it was painted from life. Its fame rests on the rare beauty of the face, its wonderful technique or workmanship, the, fact that it is only existing example of Da Vinci’s work tn portraiture and perhaps more than all upon the indefinable expression which the artist gave to the face, apd especially to fi pair of sparkling eyesand a mysterious half-born punile Which hav< puzzled the world for centuries to !•* terpret.—Detroit JournsL