Identity of the Mona Lisa sitter
Subject in Visual Arts
Identity of the Mona Lisa sitter has come up in 1 episode across 1 podcast in TMT, including The Rest Is History. 2 people have made recorded remarks about it.
What people said
Tom HollandEnglish actor cast as Telemachus
Holland likens alternative sitter theories to doubts over Shakespeare's authorship.
“there is a slight quality of people not wanting to believe that Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare's plays”
The Rest Is History: 667. The Mystery of the Mona Lisa (May 6, 2026) · Listen from 35:07
Holland judges that the marriage of Lisa Gherardini and Francesco del Giocondo, though mercenary in origin, was relatively successful.
“although the context for the marriage is a mercenary one, it seems to have been a relatively successful marriage”
The Rest Is History: 667. The Mystery of the Mona Lisa (May 6, 2026) · Listen from 29:45
Holland argues that the painting's fame incentivises art historians to advance outlandish theories because they are guaranteed press coverage.
“if you come up with a new theory about the Mona Lisa, you'll immediately get it into the newspapers”
The Rest Is History: 667. The Mystery of the Mona Lisa (May 6, 2026) · Listen from 14:41
Dominic SandbrookBritish historian, author and co-host of The Rest Is History
Sandbrook argues that alternative sitter theories stem from people rejecting mundane explanations in favour of exotic ones.
“People just do not want a humdrum explanation, and they're groping desperately for something exotic”
The Rest Is History: 667. The Mystery of the Mona Lisa (May 6, 2026) · Listen from 35:19
Podcasts
- The Rest Is History · 1 episode
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.