The Mona Lisa is the most celebrated painting in the history of art. It is also one of the most mysterious. Who is hiding behind the famous smile? Why the mourning veil? Why the tormented landscape? Combining close-ups with X-rays, copies, and analogies, this detailed study of the Mona Lisa allows us to better understand the enigma, as it unveils the many facets of this incomparable work of art. AUTHOR: Art critic, novelist, and screenwriter Serge Bramly is the author of an essay on Leonardo da Vinci, which earned him Vasari Prize in 1989. He is also the French translator of Leonardo da Vinci's Codex on the Flight of Birds, as well as the author of Cheval de Léonard. ILLUSTRATIONS 60 illustrations
