• LOG IN
  • START FREE TRIAL
  • EXPLORE
    • Science
    • Natural World
    • Majestic Earth
    • Travel the World
    • History
    • Human Spirit
    • The Dark Side
  • GENRES
    • Biography
    • Space
    • Science & Tech
    • Mind & Body
    • Earth
    • Travel & Adventure
    • Nature
    • Ancient History
    • Early Modern
    • Current History
    • War & Military
    • True Crime
    • Historical Drama
    • Art & Culture
  • ARTICLES
  • EXPLORE
    • Science
    • Natural World
    • Majestic Earth
    • Travel the World
    • History
    • Human Spirit
    • The Dark Side
  • GENRES
    • Biography
    • Space
    • Science & Tech
    • Mind & Body
    • Earth
    • Travel & Adventure
    • Nature
    • Ancient History
    • Early Modern
    • Current History
    • War & Military
    • True Crime
    • Historical Drama
    • Art & Culture
  • ARTICLES
  • search
Preview
The Secret of Mona Lisa
PLAY PREVIEW

Watch 5 minute preview, FREE

Or start your Free Trial to watch all our curated award-winning documentaries.

Sign Up
share

The Secret of Mona Lisa

52MIN

The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is the most famous painting in the world. It hangs in the Louvre, as everyone knows. Her real name according to art history is “La Gioconda”, writes Giorgio Vasari, the chronicler of the Renaissance, in his diary. “La Gioconda” can be traced to Francesco del Giocondo, a rich Florentine merchant, and the Mona Lisa is the portrait of his wife Lisa del Giocondo. That much to the evidence-backed history of the painting. For many years though, there have been doubts, and they have never been more virulent than now. Because it was never really satisfactorily explained why Leonardo did not hand the portrait on to the commissioner if it was a picture of his wife. Or why the merchant never demanded the portrait from the artist, who, during his own lifetime was already considered a genius and was highly paid. A picture by him was a substantial monetary investment, and it is hardly conceivable that someone would willingly forego that. Unless the merchant never received the painting because it was unfinished. But then the Mona Lisa would not have been Lisa del Giocondo, but someone else. The well-founded new theory is as follows: the Mona Lisa is a portrait commissioned by Giuliano de’ Medici, the brother of Medici Pope Leo X., for Leonardo to paint; a portrait of his deceased love and the mother of his son Ippolto, as a kind of stand-in photograph for him, to be painted from memory. And that would explain the quizzical smile: she is smiling at the growing young Medici son. Why, though, would this theory, which so many art historians the world over are excited about, so long have been suppressed? What is the secret behind the “real” Mona Lisa? Who was she really? And why was even a Medici afraid that the true identity would be revealed to his contemporaries and to Pope Leo X? Is the search to uncover the secret of the Mona Lisa also a search to reveal the inner workings of the relationship between power and genius, and this in an epoch that was so profusely peopled by geniuses as well as political murders? That is exactly the crux of the matter. The search for the identity of the Mona Lisa homes in on the inner circle of the absolute art genius and a realm of immeasurable power, which, to this day, is embodied by the name and fame of the clan of the Medici. Thus,  focuses on the most famous painting in the world. The theme of a documentary could hardly be more exciting! The topic of the documentary could hardly be more popular! In addition it is a real sleuthing journey through dream locations: Florence, Rome, Venice, Urbino, Blois and Paris in France, Heidelberg in Germany.

Rate
share

Related Titles

The Impressionists
4 EPISODES
The Impressionists
Manet and the Birth of Impressionism
1HR 30MIN
Manet and the Birth of Impressionism
Brushstrokes: Every Picture Tells a Story
4 EPISODES
Brushstrokes: Every Picture Tells a Story
Rococo: Before Bedtime
3 EPISODES
Rococo: Before Bedtime
Renaissance Unchained
4 EPISODES
Renaissance Unchained
African Tribal Art
59MIN
African Tribal Art
Indian Tribal Art
58MIN
Indian Tribal Art
Australian Tribal Art
59MIN
Australian Tribal Art

RELATED ARTICLES

Culture
Édouard Manet and the Revealing Gaze of Modern Art

Édouard Manet and the Revealing Gaze of Modern Art

by Kevin Martin | Oct 16, 2020

Édouard Manet was, in key ways, the first “modern” painter. Born in Paris during great social upheaval,...

History
Who Was the Real Pocahontas?

Who Was the Real Pocahontas?

by Eden Arielle Gordon | Feb 27, 2020

Popularized by the Disney film, the story of Pocahontas is a crown jewel of American folklore. But was any of it true, or was the tale invented by...

History
How Hitler and the Nazis Stole Art (and Profited from the Crime)

How Hitler and the Nazis Stole Art (and Profited from the Crime)

by Kevin Martin | Jan 30, 2020

Out of 600,000 works of art stolen or looted by the Nazis during WWII, more than 100,000 are still...

Art
Seeing through Art:  Waldemar Janusczcak’s Iconoclastic Vision

Seeing through Art: Waldemar Janusczcak’s Iconoclastic Vision

by Kevin Martin | Nov 21, 2019

Viewing art can be a solitary, sometimes confounding experience. Waldemar Januszczak is seeking to change...

Art
4 Women Impressionist Artists: Confronting Barriers in the Avant-Garde

4 Women Impressionist Artists: Confronting Barriers in the Avant-Garde

by Kevin Martin | Jan 17, 2019

Marie Bracquemond, Mary Cassatt, Eva Gonzalès, Berthe Morisot – these painters, all affiliated with the...

culture
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: His Life, His Death, His Immortality

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: His Life, His Death, His Immortality

by Kevin Martin | Jul 05, 2018

In a life of only 35 years, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart created an extraordinary volume of memorable work that...

culture
Mozart and The Musical Flowering of the Age of Enlightenment

Mozart and The Musical Flowering of the Age of Enlightenment

by Kevin Martin | Sep 05, 2018

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart came to fame during the Age of Enlightenment, and his compositions were informed by...

Culture
Beethoven and His Father: Alcoholism and the Gifted Child

Beethoven and His Father: Alcoholism and the Gifted Child

by Kevin Martin | Sep 05, 2018

Ludwig van Beethoven was among the greatest composers in history, yet is often seen as a moody, dark genius....

Culture
Encroaching Silence: The Impact of Deafness on Beethoven and His Music

Encroaching Silence: The Impact of Deafness on Beethoven and His Music

by Kevin Martin | Sep 06, 2018

Ludwig van Beethoven’s music includes some of the most memorable, profound, and beautiful compositions of...

Documentaries worth watching

AVAILABLE ON

ALL PLANS INCLUDE

No Ads. No
interruptions

Watch on your Computer, TV, Phone & Tablet

New Content Added Weekly

HD, Ultra HD & 4K Quality

ACCESS 1500+ PREMIUM DOCUMENTARIES

START YOUR FREE TRIAL
Return to Preview
Your video preview has reached five-minutes and has been paused

Start a free trial to continue watching

sign up now

Already a member? Log In

OR

CONTINUE EXPLORINGAND PREVIEW MORE CURATED, AWARD WINNING DOCUMENTARIES

Related Content to The Secret of Mona Lisa
The Impressionists
4 EPISODES
Manet and the Birth of Impressionism
1HR 30MIN
Brushstrokes: Every Picture Tells a Story
4 EPISODES
Rococo: Before Bedtime
3 EPISODES
Renaissance Unchained
4 EPISODES
African Tribal Art
59MIN
Indian Tribal Art
58MIN
Australian Tribal Art
59MIN
New Releases
Ireland From Above
5 EPISODES
History's Verdict
10 EPISODES
Harem: Pleasure, Politics, and Power
2 EPISODES
Sexters 4K
45MIN
The Surprising History of Sex and Love
49MIN
The Price of Honor
1HR 49MIN
Is Anybody Out There?
51MIN
Bug Brother
49MIN
Eva Braun: Hitler's Wife
54MIN
Neanderthal Apocalypse
1HR 28MIN
The Last Chance Tiger
1HR 40MIN
Dance of the Severed Head
51MIN
Italy From Above
11 EPISODES
The Mystery of the Pink Dolphin
52MIN
Alone Against the Tasman
44MIN
Ancient Egypt: Life and Death in the Valley of the Kings
1HR 56MIN
Iran: Secret Nuclear Battle
51MIN
Spain From Above
12 EPISODES
Free Diving With Killer Whales
45MIN
The Norse: An Arctic Mystery
51MIN
Somalia: The Pirate Tapes
1HR 11MIN
June 22nd, 1940: The Sound of Surrender
53MIN
Behind Bars: The World's Toughest Prisons
13 EPISODES
Taming Wind
2 EPISODES
Hope and Fear: How Pandemics Changed the World
1HR 10MIN
Hitler's People: A Portrait of the Third Reich
2 EPISODES
From Hell to Heaven: When the Coal Mines Close
48MIN
Breathe: Yoga Saved my Life
52MIN
Yellowstone
32MIN
Planet Rethink
56MIN
Ancient Angkor: City of Temples
52MIN
Silent Sacrifice: Stories of Japanese American Incarceration
2 EPISODES
The Most Powerful Black Holes in the Universe 4k
48MIN
Salvage Code Red
6 EPISODES
Fidel Castro: An Unauthorized Biography
45MIN
Marketing The Messiah
1HR 43MIN
Ku Klux Klan: An American Story
2 EPISODES
Mystery of the Nile
47MIN
Brazil From Above
6 EPISODES
Doctors Without Borders: Dedicated To Life
4 EPISODES
A New Prehistory 4k
3 EPISODES
Clean Hands
53MIN
Popular Playlists
The Greatest Heroes: Legacy of D-Day
11 PLAYLIST TITLES
Grandeur of Rome
10 PLAYLIST TITLES
Lives of the Pharaohs
13 PLAYLIST TITLES
The Great War
3 PLAYLIST TITLES
Digging The Past
15 PLAYLIST TITLES
Sharks
6 PLAYLIST TITLES
Hitler
8 PLAYLIST TITLES
Haunted Realities
8 PLAYLIST TITLES
Ocean Realm
13 PLAYLIST TITLES
Military Technology
18 PLAYLIST TITLES
The Age of Apollo
9 PLAYLIST TITLES
The Ultimate Halloween Playlist
9 PLAYLIST TITLES
Maestro: Stories of the Great Composers
4 PLAYLIST TITLES
Rise of the Ocean Giants
13 PLAYLIST TITLES
Majestic Earth
15 PLAYLIST TITLES
North Korea: The Hermit Kingdom
4 PLAYLIST TITLES
Attack Of The Modern Diet
7 PLAYLIST TITLES
Black Holes, Violent Universe
8 PLAYLIST TITLES
Aviation: The Past and Future
15 PLAYLIST TITLES
Engineering
10 PLAYLIST TITLES
Rise of the Middle East
3 PLAYLIST TITLES
Age of Terror
4 PLAYLIST TITLES
Popular Genres
START FREE TRIAL KEEP BROWSING

Available On:

And More..

© MagellanTV, LLC 2018 - 2021

  • Gift MagellanTV
  • FAQ
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact Support
  • About

You must be signed in

Log In

Welcome back to MagellanTV

Forgot your password? Follow link to reset.

Don't have MagellanTV? Start your free trial.