I do Google myself at times to get a feel what readers are saying, and I’ve learned that many of you appreciated the afterword I wrote for THE BORGIA BRIDE. (When I wrote early scenes in that novel, I thought, “Everyone’s going to think that I came up with the unbelievable, gruesome notion that Sancha’s grandfather kept a ‘museum’ of his mummified enemies.” Also, the Borgias’ behavior often strained credibility, so I wanted my readers to know that the more fantastic parts of the novel weren’t just the result of a histrionic imagination.)
Quite honestly, I was late delivering I, MONA LISA and didn’t have time to write an afterword again. So here’s a bit of “insider information,” if you will, about the way I put the story together.
Far less is known about Lisa Gherardini, the heroine of I, MONA LISA, than Sancha of Aragon, the heroine of THE BORGIA BRIDE This gave me a lot of fictional leeway; even so, I have to admit that I did not adhere so scrupulously to the facts that were known. So if you’re reading the novel and you’re scratching your head wondering just what was true about her and the other historical characters in the novel – and what “facts” were born of my imagination, here’s a quick rundown.
1) Yes, Lisa was the daughter of Antonio Gherardini, the wool merchant, and she did live on the Via Maggio in the city’s district of Santo Spirito. Her birthday is recorded as June 15, 1479, a fact reflected in the novel.
2) Highly probable: Lisa went at some point and heard the monk Savonarola preach.
3) Fact: Lisa’s family knew the Medici. She probably met the young Giuliano de’ Medici – they were close in age, and a few historians have speculated that they had a crush on each other.
4) Fact: Lisa married Francesco del Giocondo, a silk merchant, on the 5th of March in 1495.
5) Fact: Francesco del Giocondo was a higher-up in city government during Savonarola’s “reign,” and he and Lisa attended the Bonfire of the Vanities.
So where did I have my way with history? Well… there’s no record of Lisa Gherardini marrying Giuliano de’ Medici, or being openly romantically involved with him.
That’s where I had a bit of naughty fun. While most historians agree that the Mona Lisa is the portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco Giocondo and daughter of Antonio di Gherardini, there’s some doubt. Some records state that the portrait is of “Giuliano de’ Medici’s mistress,”who lived with him in Rome.
Aha! thinks I. What if she was both Francesco Giocondo’s wife and Giuliano de’ Medici’s mistress? So I sat down and wrote a novel which reconciled both assertions.
Now, here’s another fun fact for you. A few years ago, someone tore down a wall at the monastery at Santissima Annunziata in Florence, and discovered a hidden suite of rooms. On one of the walls was a bit of fresco, with some well-worn images of birds. It has been suggested that the birds were the work of one Leonardo from the hamlet of Vinci, especially since records show Leonardo often stayed at Santissima Annunziata when he had business in Florence (during his Milan period).
And the Giocondo family chapel – where members went to pray – just happened to be at Santissima Annunziata. This is the sort of juicy historical coincidence that sets my writer’s heart aflutter. No doubt Lisa’s visits to the chapel coincided with some of Leonardo’s stays at the monastery.
Now, my big confession. About halfway through the writing of the novel, an Italian researcher uncovered more facts about Lisa Gherardini – in particular, the fact that she had not one, but several children by Francesco. When I confessed this to my (sage yet adorable) editor, he wisely said, “It’s okay. Just lose the extra kids.” So I lost the kids, because too many children would have muddled the plot.
That’s all I can think of for now to tell you. I’m sure as we get further along, a toothsome tidbit or two will occur to me, and I’ll share them with you. In the meantime, thanks for reading.
