November 2016 ITALIA! 67LA GIOCONDA –
HER TRUE IDENTITY
While at the court of Urbino,
Giuliano de’ Medici’s many lovers
included Pacifica Brandani, a
local courtesan, and when his
brother Giovanni was made Pope
Leone X, Giuliano followed him
to Rome, ignorant of the fact
that Pacifica was carrying his
first son. Brandani died soon
after giving birth but as soon as
he learnt of the boy’s existence,
Giuliano brought him to grow up
at the Vatican. Basically a happy
child who enjoyed playing with
his uncle, the Pope, he was upset
about never having known his
natural mother, so to rectify things, Giuliano commissioned Leonardo
da Vinci, also at the Vatican just then, to paint a posthumous portrait
of her. Sadly, Giuliano died before the painting was completed and, not
having been paid, da Vinci took it with him on his move to France.
The long-term misunderstanding arose from a question of
nicknames. When asked who the picture portrayed, da Vinci said it was
the wife of Il Giocondo – both Giuliano de’ Medici and the husband of
Florentine Mona Lisa had been labelled as ‘jocund’.➤ You can follow the art landscape trails for yourself or with a
guide: find out more at http://www.montefeltroveduterinascimentali.euINFORMATION
the wife of Il Giocondo – both Giuliano de’ Medici and the husband of
Florentine Mona Lisa had been labelled as ‘jocund’. Florentine Mona Lisa had been labelled as ‘jocund’. Florentine Mona Lisa had been labelled as ‘jocund’.still very much intact – one of the loveliest being San Leo,
perched upon a spur of rock, with its charming castle that
we know to have been restored by Duke Federico.
Yet now, knowing that you are within landscapes
painted by two of the world’s most celebrated artists,
Montefeltro has become really special. The landscapes
of Della Francesca and Da Vinci had always been
considered idealistic, imaginary... And looking over the
ranges of hills, rivers snaking between them, and craggy
outcrops blending in with stone castles and villages
clinging on where they can, you can understand why.
To actually be here is a moving experience.Rosetta’s voice is full of wonder: “Just imagine Leo up
here on horseback, exactly where we are now”
The Mona Lisa herself, perhapsLa Gioconda, by Leonardo da VinciIT144.ArtLandscapes.sg6.indd 67 28/09/2016 14:00pm