Mona Lisa

April 14, 2014
In this entertaining book, Hales (La Bella Lingua) attempts to reconstruct the obscure life of Mona Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo, the wife of a prosperous Florentine merchant, Francesco del Giocondo, who either commissioned the painting from Leonardo da Vinci or was approached by the artist to create the smoky portrait now ensconced in the Louvre. Combining history, whimsical biography, personal travelogue, and love letter to Italy, the book portrays Lisa Gherardini as a Renaissance Everywoman; Hales colors the blank spaces in her life with Renaissance cultural history, and considers the education she may have received, the etiquette she would have observed, what she would have eaten, what clothing she likely wore, the nature of her sex life, and much more. The result is an accessible, vivid examination of women’s lives in Florence in the period. Occasionally, though, this coloring can lead to flights of fancy that are difficult to take seriously, such as the sensationalist notion that perhaps artist and sitter “forged such an intense connection that all else seemed to fall away in a moment suspended in time.” As Hales whisks around Italy, interviews historians, inspects Ghirlandaio’s frescoes in the church of Santa Maria Novella, rents a villa in the Tuscan countryside and an apartment in Florence, and lunches with a Florentine princess, American readers will envy the lifestyle and enjoy the ride. Agent: Joy Harris, Joy Harris Literary Agency.

May 15, 2014

Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile has captured the imaginations of generations of art lovers. Hales (La Bella Lingua) seeks to understand the story behind the painting by recounting the life of Lisa Gherardini (1479-1542), the widely accepted model for Leonardo da Vinci's 16th-century masterpiece. Gherardini's ancestry, life, and death are explored, as well as those of her husband (and likely commissioner of the famous portrait) and artist da Vinci. Owing to a dearth of sources on the subject's life, however, the book reads as an exploration of what life would have been like for a woman of Gherardini's station in Renaissance Florence rather than a retelling of her specific story. The enduring appeal and legacy of the painting are also addressed, although controversies surrounding its subject and origin are only briefly mentioned. Interspersed throughout the narrative are anecdotes about the author's personal experiences while researching the book, as she uncovers a Florence that is very different from the city as it was in da Vinci's time. These asides add pathos that casual readers will appreciate but that will frustrate academics. VERDICT This engaging account of a Renaissance woman will appeal to a general audience.--Rebekah Kati, Walden Univ. Lib., Morrisville, NC

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