Secrets of the Dead

The Mona Lisa Mystery

Hers is the most famous smile in the world, visited and studied by thousands every year, a priceless work of art —the one and only Mona Lisa. Or is it unique? With its striking similarities to the painting in the Louvre Museum, the so-called Isleworth Mona Lisa has remained an art world mystery since she was found in 1912. Did Leonardo da Vinci paint the legendary portrait twice?

Preview | The Mona Lisa Mystery

30s

Discover a portrait of a younger and more beautiful Mona Lisa that predated the famous Louvre masterpiece. In September 2012, headline news shook the art world. A secret da Vinci had been uncovered, a portrait of a younger and more beautiful Mona Lisa that predated the famous Louvre masterpiece.

Previews + Extras

  • Theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre

    S13 E5 - 1m 45s

    In the summer of 1911, the relatively obscure Mona Lisa portrait was stolen from a Renaissance gallery in The Louvre Museum. The scandal soon made the Leonardo da Vinci painting a household name. A handyman Vincenzo Peruggia committed the crime, removing the wooden panel portrait from its frame and escaping in broad daylight the following day when the museum was closed.

  • What Is the Isleworth Mona Lisa?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    What Is the Isleworth Mona Lisa?

    S13 E5 - 4m 13s

    Two years before the death of Leonardo da Vinci, the aging artist was visited by Cardinal Luigi d'Aragona to survey his works. A diary written by the Cardinal’s secretary suggests da Vinci showcased a Mona Lisa portrait different than the one now on display in The Louvre Museum.

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