Art in the News

The most obvious difference between the Louvre’s original and the Prado’s copy on the Mona Lisa are her eyebrows. In the Madrid version, she has distinct, partially-plucked eyebrows. In the original of the Mona Lisa, there are no eyebrows, a style which was fashionable at the time. According to Vasari, while Leonardo was painting Lisa, “he had her constantly entertained by singers, musicians and jesters so that she would be merry and not look melancholic as portraits often do”. Vasari says this produced a smile, which was “so enchanting that it was more divine than human”.