About this item
Everybody knows her smile, but no one knows her story: Meet the flesh-and-blood woman who became one of the most famous artistic subjects of all time - Mona Lisa.A genius immortalized her. A French king paid a fortune for her. An emperor coveted her. Every year more than nine million visitors trek to view her portrait in the Louvre. Yet while everyone recognizes her smile, hardly anyone knows her story. "Combining history, whimsical biography, personal travelogue, and love letter to Italy...Mona Lisa is an entertaining" (Publishers Weekly) book of discovery about the world's most recognized face. Who was she? Why did the most renowned painter of her time choose her as his model? What became of her? And why does her smile enchant us still? Dianne Hales, author of La Bella Lingua, became obsessed with finding the real Mona Lisa on repeated trips to Florence.
About the Author
Dianne Hales, a prize-winning, widely published journalist and author, was awarded an honorary knighthood by the President of Italy in recognition of her best-selling book, La Bella Lingua: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language.
Her newest book, MONA LISA: A LIFE DISCOVERED, blends biography, history, and memoir to tell the story of Lisa Gherardini, the flesh-and-blood woman in the world's most praised and parodied painting. Dianne Hales takes readers with her to uncover Lisa's colorful family history, explore her neighborhoods, and meet her present-day descendants. In this voyage of discovery, we come to know Lisa as a daughter of Florence, a Renaissance woman, a merchant's wife, a loving mother, a devout Christian, and a "noble spirit."
Dianne has served as a contributing editor for Parade, Ladies Home Journal, Working Mother and American Health and has written for many national publications, including Family Circle, Good Housekeeping, New York Times, Readers' Digest, Washington Post, Woman's Day, and World Book. In addition to more than a dozen trade books, she is the author of 24 editions of the leading college health textbook, An Invitation to Health.
