Leonardo Da Vinci And The Mona Lisa As Playing Cards
Kishor Gordhandas
4 April 2008, 15:17
Known mostly for his paintings, the most extraordinary genius of the Renaissance, Leonardo was a brilliant engineer, mathematician, architect and scientist. He was truly the quintessential Renaissance Man, whose talents characterized the ideals of ingenuity and creativity. For Leonardo, there was no authority greater than the eye, which he characterized as the “windows of the soul.” Today, even a school-going student knows him as the painter of the world famous painting Mona Lisa. His restless mind and insatiable curiosity led him to make important discoveries and innovations in disciplines as diverse as engineering, anatomy, aeronautics, art theories, music etc.
He was born on Saturday, the 15th April, 1452 near Vinci town in Italy. He grew up with his father, Ser Piero, He was a mischievous boy and was often embarrassing the teacher by asking many questions. He was proficient in Mathematics and drawing pictures. At his 18 years of age, his name was included in the painters’ group of the flourishing city, Florence. He started painting his Last Supper on the walls of the Signora Palace of Florence in the year 1495. Seeing this painting, Louis XII was so excited by the project that he wanted to take the wall on which the painting was produced, along with the painting back to France. You will never forget the faces of all the twelve disciples and the bright image of Christ. In the painting, Christ is shown as saying: “One of these twelve would betray me”.
Leonardo wrote his will in the April month of 1519 and breathed his last in the following month, on the 2nd of May. He spent his last years in the service of the French Monarchy and died near Amboise in the Loire Valley. He used to say, those who work fully during day time get a good sleep at nights and those who work throughout their lifetime would get a happy end /good death.
Starting in the year 1503, he began work on a small painting, a portrait; 30.25” X 21.25”, and finished it in 1506. This portrait is of Madonna Lisa di Antonio Maria Gherardini, wife of the wealthy Florentine citizen Francesco del Giocondo, who commissioned Leonardo to produce the portrait of his young wife in 1503. This was the world famous Mona Lisa, which gained even more notoriety on August 21 1911, it was stolen from the Salon Carre in the Louvre, only to be discovered in a hotel in Florence two years later.
Currently, the painting has its own room in The Louvre. The painting travelled all the way to Japan in 1974. At that time the Emperor of Japan presented the owners of the Mona Lisa, a thick, bullet-proof glass box,157” X 98”. Once a year, the box is opened and the painting of is completely surveyed and scrutinized. Drawn some 500 years ago, the painting continues to surprise many a traveller and analysts! Those who have seen it personally, say that once you look at the image of Mona Lisa, you do not want to move from the spot. The 16th century writer, Firenzoula states that the slight opening of the lips at the corner of the mouth was considered in that period a sign of elegance.
According to Professor and Neurologist, Margaret Livingstone of USA, Mona Lisa’s smile would disappear if you look at it straight on, but when you look directly at any other part of the painting, the smile would seem to be inviting you. In short, if you want to see Mona Lisa smiling, keep away from her mystic smile!
The picture is surprisingly small, yet for nearly 500 years, The Mona Lisa has inspired poetry, songs, sculptures, paintings, novels, myth, rumour, forgeries, theft, and her face currently appears in countless advertisements in newspapers, magazines, hoarding, television, and all over the world. When first seen, she was considered to have brought a new dimension of lifelike reality to the art of painting.
Since the 16th century it has been kept in the Royal Museum Collection of France. In the year 1517, King Francois of France recognized the genius of Leonardo and persuaded Leonardo to stay there and purchased the painting for 4000 Gold Mohurs. According to the legend, Leonardo died in the King’s arms. French people know the picture as Jaconda., and Italians call it La Gioconda. In Italian language, La Gioconda means a light-hearted woman.
Many playing cards manufacturers in USA, Spain, Italy, and France have brought out playing cards showing the Mona Lisa as souvenirs. A few years back, the Italian company, Imagommage brought out a pack of cards called: Collected Cards: Leonardo, showing 52 cards of his Notebook. France’s Editions Dussere manufactured a deck of Leonardo Da Vinci’s with 54 playing cards and Parody Productions, USA brought out a nice 54 playing cards’ deck called the Da Vinci Deck that says on one side of the box: “Learn the history behind the quest for the Holy Grail.”
Enclosed are a few selected cards with Leonardo, Mona Lisa, and one or two related personalities such as ‘King Francois’, and The Last Supper. Some 15 years ago Spain’s Comas Co. brought out a very unusual pack of cards exclusively of Mona Lisa. The twelve court cards; Kings, Queens and Jacks show twelve imaginary. unnamed, Mona Lisas. However, each can be recognized as being one of either an Egyptian Mona Lisa, Roman Mona Lisa, Japanese Mona Lisa, Red Indian Mona Lisa, etc. It would be interesting to try identifying each Mona Lisa pictured here!
In 2003, La Scarabeo of Italy, famous for bringing out many interesting Playing Cards, such as The Sun King Cards; The Moon Race Playing Cards; Karma Sutra Playing Cards; Portraits of a Lady Playing Cards etc. manufactured a Leonardo Da Vinci TAROT of 78 cards. It is stated in a booklet issued along with this Tarot set: “The Leonardo Tarot is worthy of admiration. It is not simply an academic exercise but something more, almost as if the works by the genius Vinci are able to reveal here their most intimate nature, that of the Arcana of the intellect and the spirit”.
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