The Mona Lisa has bene copied many times but this time, it was very disturbing how alike it looked. Found during a family inventory, this reproduction was auctioned €273,000 at Artcurial this November 9, 2021 in Paris. estimated between €150,000 and €200,000, this exceptional and rare piece of work stirred up envy.
Made with an oak panel from circa 1600 and signed by the School of Fontainebleau, this copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting has been already displayed in Vienna and Brussels because of how perfect it looks. According to auctioneer Matthieu Fournier for Le Figaro, “it is not rare to see a copy of the Mona Lisa, but this one is in a formidable state of preservation”. The painter is not famous but Fournier underlines a moving process, “so accurate it must have been made in front of the original”. It makes one think this copy has been made when the Mona Lisa was still in Fontainebleau.
This exceptional copy is in a better state then the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, although a few details betray the imitation. But it does the illusion for the buyer! A former copy was auctioned for a record of €2.9 million in June. The painting was displayed in Artcurial gallery from November 5 to 8 at the Rond-Point des Champs-Élysées, before the auction sale on November 9th.
In the meantime, you can still admire the real Mona Lisa, still safe and sound at the Louvre.
