Mona Lisa and the Nude Woman by Da Vinci

Few paintings in history have received as much discussion, debate and parody than has Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Believed to have been painted between 1503-1506, its mystery remains locked into the wry grin that crosses the Mona Lisa's lips. This is the distinguishing feature of what may well be the most famous portrait in the world. But upon closer consideration of this painting, as well as of The Nude Woman, a painting that is often identified as a slight variation of the original Mona Lisa, we can see that the playful smirk on the subject's face is only part of what makes her such a compelling muse.

In attempting to understand just precisely what the subject of this painting meant to the Italian Renaissance artist who captured her, it is useful to attempt to determine the identity of the figure....
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