Mona Lisa, a portrait of Da Vinci's Chinese mother?
Lifestyle Desk
China Daily

HONG KONG: -- Leonardo da Vinci's mother may have been a Chinese, according to new research by a Hong Kong-based Italian historian and novelist.

On Nov 30, the Daily Mail carried an article about the theory put forward by Angelo Paratico who has spent the last 20 years living and working in Hong Kong.

"One wealthy client of Leonardo's father had a slave called Caterina. After 1452, Leonardo's date of birth, she disappeared from the documents. She was no longer working there…During the Renaissance, countries like Italy and Spain were full of oriental slaves," Paratico told South China Morning Post.

According to some reports, Da Vinci's mother was a local peasant.

Paratico also mentioned other indications of Da Vinci's Chinese ancestry, such as his writing with his left hand from left to right, his being a vegetarian (which was not common among Europeans), as well as the Chinese characteristics in Da Vinci's work.

"Mona Lisa is probably a portrait of his mother, as Sigmund Freud said in 1910. On the back of Mona Lisa, there is a Chinese landscape and even her face looks Chinese." said Paratico.

Paratico's latest non-fiction book entitled Leonardo Da Vinci: A Chinese scholar lost in Renaissance Italy is based on documentation he has uncovered during his two-year research. The book traces ties between Da Vinci and the Far East and is due to be published next year.

"I am sure up to a point that Leonardo's mother was from the Orient, but to make her an oriental Chinese, we need to use a deductive method."

Paratico said. He believes the only way to solve the mystery is to exhume some of Da Vinci’s relations in Florence and extract DNA.

According to South China Morning Post, theories that Da Vinci's mother might have been a Middle Eastern slave surfaced with papers discovered in 2002.

In 2007, University of Chieti researchers, using Da Vinci's complete fingerprints, said he might have been an Arab.

Source: http://www.asianewsnet.net/news-68429.html


-- ANN 2014-12-02

And you thought the guys on History Channel's Ancient Aliens show would say anything to make a buck when they said Leonardo was an alien. Seems he is everything but an Italian.

To be honest, I think DV was a Thai and related to Prayuth great great great grand Uncle.

As Americans, we don't have "old" things unless they were imported. Those of us who have ancestors in Europe don't get to see our history beyond about 200 years unless we travel to Europe.

The first time I saw the Mona Lisa is burned into my mind. We weren't expecting it at that moment. We were walking through the Louvre and - there it was. We knew we were going to see it, but not when.

It is haunting and amazing. I don't see anything Chinese in it, but then what would I know? It's just beautiful.

Not terribly convinced after seeing the actual painting itself...but maybe I guess....

The Thainess of the Mona Lisa is as plain as the innocence of Police Captain Chalerm's sons.

book entitled Leonardo Da Vinci: A Chinese scholar lost in Renaissance Italy

...by Angelo Paratico, An Italian scholar lost in modern day Hong Kong

Edited December 3, 201411 yr by klauskunkel

"Paratico also mentioned other indications of Da Vinci's Chinese ancestry, such as his writing with his left hand from left to right, his being a vegetarian (which was not common among Europeans), as well as the Chinese characteristics in Da Vinci's work."

Less than 10% of humans are left-handed. I am. Guess that's why I like Chinese girls and eating Chinese (food).

I have met very few Chinese veggies - they normally eat anything if it swims, flies or walks.

This guy should get together with the Turkish leader - Moslems in America before Columbus; Da Vinci Chinese; and then throw in those Ancient Alien guys off the History Channel for good measure.

Nothing really Chinese looking about her at all. Not saying it couldn't be true, but you don't look at the picture and think "oh, a Chinese woman."

Paratico must have an Arab heritage. Arabs invented the number Zero - as in Paratico has zero deductive reasoning.

It is well know that the Mona Lisa was a Rothchild

Sounds like a desperate attempt to ingratiate himself to the Chinese, bit like that toad sepp blatter did with his claim of football being invented in China.

Nothing really Chinese looking about her at all. Not saying it couldn't be true, but you don't look at the picture and think "oh, a Chinese woman."

I disagree...

Hmmmm!

Anything to make a book, sorry buck.

you guys are funny, great photoshop work !