Leonardo’s “Mona Lisa” wasn’t the portrait of Mona Lisa Gherardini, wive of Francesco del Giocondo. It was a portrait of Leonardo’s mother. And it was the only painting that Leonardo always carried with him, wherever he went. Of course, this is just another theory (although supported by the actual historic evidence) as only Leonardo knew the truth. But in the case of the modern portrait of Mona Lisa with the sunglasses, the model was alive and could be found. That was my new assignment. And I have managed to photographically investigate her without arising suspicions. Like all of us, she was closer to her original self that she could ever have imagined…
