08 Jul Who is Lisa del Giocondo

I’m not in the best-off moods today. I’ve been told by my Father and family that I need to pose for some old guy who wants to paint my picture. I am Lisa del Giocondo of the Gherardini family and its about 1503 or 1506 I’m not overly good with dates in the city of Florence.  That’s as much as I  know.   It’s all about the Diamond ring for me not the picture.  If he’d gone into the future and invented that magic counting machine he’s always on about maybe I could order some.

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“You’ve a nice smile,” says Leonardo to me. What’s he after I think.  Maybe he’s after a gift from me to say thank you for doing this picture.  I could buy him or one of his family a stay at a Gloucester Park Homes location found at sites like www.parkhomelife.com/our-parks/orchard-park

“Madonna if you don’t smile properly then you Dad is going to be proper mad,” says Leonardo again. I’m not hat interested I’m still enjoying the Florence scenery and taking it all in behind me.

“You will get me Good side?” I ask him. I think I look a bit paler and interesting from the left as opposed to the right.

“I will be painting you face on young lady. That is definitely you best side, replies Leonardo.

He’s a bit of charmer this one but I not budging on the smile. It’s all right for him. He doesn’t have to sit her for hours on end whilst he happily plays about with his oils and his canvas. Stopping every five minutes to do a test sketch, or, and this is the worst of it breaking of to draw and design something else. Last week he suddenly stopped. Looked up at the sky, saw a bird and then starts drawing a design on how a man, we ladies don’t get a look in it would seem, can fly. Some weird wood and canvas concoction. The person involved has to jump off a tall building and then work the machine like crazy to get it going. I think I’m better off with the picture. Can you imagine how annoying it is? All I get is “sit still”, and “don’t move about too much”. It’s hot in these dress robes as well

“Can I have a drink”, I ask the maestro.

“In a second Madonna I just need to finish this little detail. It is quite tricky.”

“Can I come and have a look”, in fact I’ve decided that I will anyway, make sure he’s not drawing an armoured vehicle to carry troops or something.

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“Um, no wait” he starts but it’s too late.

“That really is not looking like Florence Mr Di Vinci”.

“It’s not meant to be. I’ve done it to confuse people who come after us and will consider this to be a master work, it’ll wind them up something chronic I reckon.

“That’s not very nice”, I say warming to the man.

“Oh, that’s not all. I’m also going to leave it suitably vague as to who I’m actually painting. They’ll be arguing that its either you or Isabella of Aragorn, Cecilia Gallerani, Costanza D’avalos the Duchess of Francavilla. They’ll even think it’s a self portrait”. He says

“Next you ‘ll be telling me my picture will be in France and you’ll only get about 5 second to look at it!” I replied, smiling.