The Real Mona Lisa: It May Not Be Hanging in the Louvre

This is No DaVinci Code Fiction; There Really Are Two Mona Lisa Paintings

The DaVinci Code has produced more than its fair share of controversy. From the suggestion that Jesus produced offspring to the mysteries of the Catholic sect Opus Dei, the book and movie contain enough information to polarize entire nations. One of the controversies of the book - yet another controversy not originated by author Dan Brown, but merely extended by him - concerns DaVinci's most famous painting, the Mona Lisa. Is the Mona Lisa a self-portrait of DaVinci? Controversial, yes.

But how's this for an even greater controversy: The Mona Lisa painting we all know is not the real Mona Lisa.

Which is not to say that it's a forgery, though since the painting was notoriously stolen from the Louvre in 1911 there is always the slight possibility that the painting hanging there now is a forgery. But there is another Mona Lisa painted by Leonardo DaVinci with claims to being the real Mona Lisa.

DaVinci was well-known for his obsession with La Gioconda, the woman in the painting. Her famous smile may be the result of the comedians that were hired to get her to smile; DaVinci began painting her shortly after the death of her child. DaVinci didn't just sit down one day and whip out the most famous painting in history. In fact, he spent several years trying to get it just right. Actually, there is some debate as to whether he ever thought he got it just right. According to several biographies, DaVinci handed over an unfinished portrait to her husband, coming back to work on it intermittently. Eventually, the portrait ended up in the possession of King Francis of France. It is commonly accepted that this is the very same portrait now hanging in the Louvre and featured in most ads for The DaVinci Code.

Some, however, are less than convinced.