[aculeus]

Pinging.

[Chi-townChief]

"ritratto di Caterina Sforza di Lorenzo di Credi"

[IronJack]

I always thought she was Lisa Ghiradelli, daughter of a Venetian nobleman, painted at her betrothal. I don't know where I got that from, but I didn't know there was any great mystery about her identity. I thought it was her SMILE that was supposed to be the enigma.

[IronJack]

I stand corrected. She was actually Lisa Giocondo, wife of a Florentine businessman. (Her maiden name was close to "Ghiradelli".) More Mona trivia:

She was born in 1479 and would be about 24 years old when Leonardo painted her.
Her father was a Florentine Nobel Antonio Maria Di Noldo Gherardini.
She married in 1495 at the age of 16 to Francesco Di Bartolomeo Di Zanolsi del Giocondo who was twice a widower and 19 years her senior.
They became wealthy in the silk trade.
Leonard undertook for Francesco Zanobi del Giocondo the portrait of his wife Mona Lisa.

"Mona" is an honorific for a married woman. So the portrait is really a picture of Mrs. Giocondo. Kinda loses some of its mystique, eh?

[elwoodp]

I don't care who she looks like as long as it isn't meadow soprano. Man, I hate that broad. Focusing too much on that little bitch brat almost spoiled the entire third season. What's with the producers of that show?

[dighton]

If you haven't --small chance -- read The Gioconda Smile, do.

Collected here along with other (mostly good) short stories.

[an amused spectator]

heads-up

[NYCVirago]

Caterina Sforza was a legendary figure in Renaissance Italy, a beautiful woman celebrated for her courage and known as “The Virago”.

Virago check-in...

[SunkenCiv]

Note: this topic is from 3/13/2002. Thanks aculeus.

[Rebelbase]

She'll always be Mona Lisa Vito to me.

[central_va]