What Tom Holland has said about Mona Lisa
4 quotes · 1 episode · May 6, 2026
Tom Holland, English actor cast as Telemachus, has been quoted on Mona Lisa 4 times in 1 episode of The Rest Is History, most recently on May 6, 2026. Each quote below is verbatim and links to the moment it was said.
In their words
Holland argues that the Mona Lisa is unquestionably the most recognizable painting in history.
“It is the most recognizable painting that has ever been in the whole of history”
The Rest Is History: 667. The Mystery of the Mona Lisa (May 6, 2026) · Listen from 5:00
Holland explains that in the Victorian era the paintings that became famous were those easily copied, which initially held back the Mona Lisa.
“the paintings that had cut through in the Victorian period were those that were very easily copied”
The Rest Is History: 667. The Mystery of the Mona Lisa (May 6, 2026) · Listen from 4:53
Holland says Raphael saw the painting in progress and was strongly influenced by it.
“He comes and sees it and he's blown away by it. And it's a patently a massive influence on Raphael's painting”
The Rest Is History: 667. The Mystery of the Mona Lisa (May 6, 2026) · Listen from 47:48
Holland concludes that the painting supports an almost infinite range of interpretations.
“it is kind of infinite in the ways that it can be interpreted and seen”
The Rest Is History: 667. The Mystery of the Mona Lisa (May 6, 2026) · Listen from 1:08:16
Episodes
667. The Mystery of the Mona LisaThe Rest Is History · May 6, 2026 · 1 h 10 min
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook trace the Mona Lisa's origins, the debate over its sitter, and how it became the world's most famous painting.
Others on Mona Lisa
- Dominic Sandbrook · 2 quotes
Tom Holland on other topics
- Samurai · 9 quotes
- Odyssey · 7 quotes
- Slavery in the United States · 7 quotes
- Fall of Maximilien Robespierre · 4 quotes
- Habsburg monarchy · 4 quotes
- Jefferson–Hemings controversy · 4 quotes
- Apartheid · 4 quotes
- Greek colonisation · 3 quotes