There are uncountable
copies of the Mona Lisa
on the Earth, all forgeries.
This includes Mona Lisa herself,
the well-known forgery
of a woman’s face.
The woman’s face
is anonymous
and much debated.
Her station is absolute.
She is said to hang on the wall
and contain the whole world.
Her appeal is manifold,
but mainly that her eyes
will follow you in and
out of the room,
the way you wish
her eyes would
follow you.
Leonardo da Vinci (Italian, 1452–1519)
Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo, known as the Mona Lisa (the Joconde in French),
c. 1503–19
Oil on panel
Collection of the Louvre Museum