15/7/09

“Vanished Smile”

When my own book on the “Mona Lisa” is finished, it is my ardent wish that it be as
readable and engaging as R.A. Scotti’s latest book, “Vanished Smile: The Mysterious
Theft of the Mona Lisa”.

Anyone interested in the Mona Lisa should enjoy Ms. Scotti’s latest work. (Other
historical fiction by her hand: “Basilica: The Splendor and the Scandal – Building St.
Peter’s” and “Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938”). This most recent published
recounting of Mona Lisa’s tale, is very readable and aptly summarizes the history and
mysteries swirling around Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”.

On August 21, 1911, the Mona Lisa was discovered missing from the Louvre. This book
tells of that event and the years until her strange recovery. And to help tell the story of the
theft, Ms. Scotti educates us about the painting.

The book is a history lesson that reads like a novel.

Having read many books about Leonardo’s lady, this volume will be the one I will be
recommending to those intent on understanding Mona’s story and her hold on the world.

Ms. Scotti’s book has given me the tools to better understand what was happening in the
world the moment of Mona’s disappearance.

- In the same timeframe as the building of the Titanic, Mona is taken from the
Lourve.
- Captain Scott was in pursuit of reaching the South Pole.
- Forensic detection was an emerging field…Fingerprinting, a new tool. A nascent
process that Mona Lisa’s investigation helped fine tune.
- World War I was looming. Kaiser Wilhelm II was expanding his reach. Making
Germany an early suspect in Mona’s disappearance. A staged distraction perhaps?
- Picasso was an emerging talent. And for a time, a suspect in Mona Lisa’s theft.
- J.P. Morgan, the American tycoon, was also suspected in the disappearance.
- The director of the Lourve, Jean Homollo was away at the time of the theft. He
was in the Yucatan Peninsula with a group of archaeologist, beginning to uncover
the Mayan civilization.

The picture Ms. Scotti paints, puts me inside the world and affairs of 1911. And it has
helped me better understand the impact Mona’s unscheduled departure made on the lives
of the residents of 1911.

It’s fascinating.
In 1911, hundreds of years after Leonardo last laid brush to this painted panel, Mona Lisa
goes on to touch people’s lives and influence history.

For me, it is this historical context of the years surrounding her disappearance and
recovery that I most enjoyed. But other readers I think will relish the succinct and artful
way Ms. Scotti lays out Mona’s entire story.

It’s not as in-depth as other books.

It’s not as scholastic.
It’s not riddled with references from other tomes.
Nor heavily laden with footnotes that take up as much real estate as the text.

It is written to engage.

It is as easy to recommend this book, as it was to read. This book has everything.

History. Mystery. Passion. Drama. Scandal. A damsel in distress.

And it’s peppered with questions that never are fully answered, but left to the readers
imagination and future debate.

For those interested in art… in crime stories… in love stories… in mysteries… in the
Mona Lisa…”Vanished Smile” is a satisfying read.

And while I laude this addition to the Mona Lisa collective, I can’t help but think this is
yet one more item wherein an artist has used the Mona Lisa to further themselves or a
cause. One more item that re-fashions the Mona Lisa image.

I am continually amazed at Mona Lisa’s reach and staying power.