Why do they call the Mona Lisa "La Joconde"
 

What does that mean in English - La Joconde?

Re: Why do they call the Mona Lisa "La Joconde"
 

On 26 Jun 2003 08:02:14 -0700, Jeff wrote:

    > What does that mean in English - La Joconde?

It's the name of the woman in the picture is

http://sunsite.icm.edu.pl/wm/paint/auth/vinci/joconde/

... a young Florentine woman, Monna (or Mona) Lisa, who in 1495 married
the well-known figure, Francesco del Giocondo, and thus came to be known as
'La Gioconda'.

Re: Why do they call the Mona Lisa "La Joconde"
 

Tim wrote:

    > ... a young Florentine woman, Monna (or Mona) Lisa,


As I have already written, the correct form is "Monna" (with two "n"),
this being a shortening of "Madonna".

"Mona" is Venetian slang for a part of the female anatomy - or, by
extension, a very stupid person.

--
Luca Logi - Firenze - Italy e-mail: [email protected]

Re: Why do they call the Mona Lisa "La Joconde"
 

In 1fx693r.1r0c68z1rdoxueN%[email protected], Luca Logi wrote:

    > Tim wrote:
    >> ... a young Florentine woman, Monna (or Mona) Lisa,
    > As I have already written, the correct form is "Monna" (with
two "n"),
    > this being a shortening of "Madonna".
    > "Mona" is Venetian slang for a part of the female anatomy - or,
by
    > extension, a very stupid person.


I'll take your word for it that "Monna" is correct is Italian.
However, almost universally, the "Mona Lisa" is so spelled, with
a single "n," in English.

--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup

Re: Why do they call the Mona Lisa "La Joconde"
 

On 26 Jun 2003 08:02:14 -0700, in rec.travel.europe, [email protected] (Jeff) arranged
some electrons, so they looked like this :

... What does that mean in English - La Joconde?

The Smiling One.

Re: Why do they call the Mona Lisa "La Joconde"
 

"> I'll take your word for it that "Monna" is correct is Italian.
    > However, almost universally, the "Mona Lisa" is so spelled, with
    > a single "n," in English.
    > --
    > Ken Blake
    > Please reply to the newsgroup

I wonder why it is call Mona Lisa in English? In Italy we call it La
Gioconda and the French say La Joconde. Any one know how the Spanish,
Germans, Dutch call it?

Re: Why do they call the Mona Lisa "La Joconde"
 

[email protected] (Jeff) wrote in message news:...
    > What does that mean in English - La Joconde?

Umm ... it's "La Gioconda". The portrait is supposedly of the wife of
Francesco del Giocondo, a silk merchant of Florence.

Re: Why do they call the Mona Lisa "La Joconde"
 

Nicola Marzolino schrieb:

    > I wonder why it is call Mona Lisa in English? In Italy we call it
La
    > Gioconda and the French say La Joconde. Any one know how the
Spanish,
    > Germans, Dutch call it?

In German: Mona Lisa

Uli (Austria)

Re: Why do they call the Mona Lisa "La Joconde"
 

Jeff wrote:
    >
    > What does that mean in English - La Joconde?

It's "La Gioconda", and that's the official name of it - It means "the
street-singer", I think. (Mona Lisa was presumably the name of the
woman in the painting.)

Re: Why do they call the Mona Lisa "La Joconde"
 

Tim wrote:
    >
    > On 26 Jun 2003 08:02:14 -0700, Jeff wrote:
    >
    > > What does that mean in English - La Joconde?
    >
    > It's the name of the woman in the picture is
    >
    > http://sunsite.icm.edu.pl/wm/paint/auth/vinci/joconde/
    >
    > ... a young Florentine woman, Monna (or Mona) Lisa, who in 1495 married
    > the well-known figure, Francesco del Giocondo, and thus came to be known as
    > 'La Gioconda'.

OH! Then what's the significance of the character in the opera of that
name? She's supposed to be a street-singer, so I assumed that was what
the name meant. (And of course, artists DID paint prominent people in
costume, portraying them as something they were not.)
    >

Re: Why do they call the Mona Lisa "La Joconde"
 

EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) wrote:

    > OH! Then what's the significance of the character in the opera of that
    > name? She's supposed to be a street-singer, so I assumed that was what
    > the name meant.


"Giocondo" (female form "gioconda") means an happy person (rarely used
now). The character in the opera is a street-singer, but this is not the
meaning of the title.

--
Luca Logi - Firenze - Italy e-mail: [email protected]

Re: Why do they call the Mona Lisa "La Joconde"
 

Following up to EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)

    >It's "La Gioconda", and that's the official name of it - It means "the
    >street-singer", I think. (Mona Lisa was presumably the name of the
    >woman in the painting.)

Looking round a few web sites I don't think the names mean anything,
they are just her name.

"Portrait of Mona Lisa (1479-1528), also known as La Gioconda, the
wife of Francesco del Giocondo; 1503-06 (150 Kb); Oil on wood, 77 x 53
cm (30 x 20 7/8 in); Musee du Louvre, Paris" from one of the more
sensible sites.

There seems to be reams of nonsense about her smile, which is just a
smile as far asI can see.
--
Mike Reid
"Art is the lie that reveals the truth" P.Picasso
Wasdale, landscape photos, London & the Thames path "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk"
Spain, food and walking "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" (see web for email)

Re: Why do they call the Mona Lisa "La Joconde"
 

On Fri, 27 Jun 2003 09:08:01 +0100, The Reid wrote:

    > Following up to EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)
    >> It's "La Gioconda", and that's the official name of it - It means "the
    >> street-singer", I think. (Mona Lisa was presumably the name of the
    >> woman in the painting.)
    > Looking round a few web sites I don't think the names mean anything,
    > they are just her name.
    > "Portrait of Mona Lisa (1479-1528), also known as La Gioconda, the
    > wife of Francesco del Giocondo; 1503-06 (150 Kb); Oil on wood, 77 x 53
    > cm (30 x 20 7/8 in); Musee du Louvre, Paris" from one of the more
    > sensible sites.
    > There seems to be reams of nonsense about her smile, which is just a
    > smile as far asI can see.

Wasn't Mon(n)a Lisa her maiden name ? Tim.

Re: Why do they call the Mona Lisa "La Joconde"
 

On Thu, 26 Jun 2003 21:48:35 +0200, "Ulrike Messerschmidt"
wrote:

    >Nicola Marzolino schrieb:
    >> I wonder why it is call Mona Lisa in English? In Italy we call it
    >La
    >> Gioconda and the French say La Joconde. Any one know how the
    >Spanish,
    >> Germans, Dutch call it?
    >In German: Mona Lisa

In Greek: H Tzionkonta, which is pronounced: I Gioconda

Stelios
--

The address in the headers is real and does not need de-mungeing

Re: Why do they call the Mona Lisa "La Joconde"
 

The Reid writes:

    > There seems to be reams of nonsense about her smile,
    > which is just a smile as far asI can see.

The Mona Lisa is famous because it is famous, not because it is a good
painting. It isn't even Leonardo's best work, and it is quite small and
has faded to a greenish brown color. It's intriguing to see that it has
become the world's most famous painting, even though it cannot even
remotely claim the title of being the world's _best_ painting.

--
Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.