An alternate version
of the Mona Lisa called
the Isleworth Mona Lisa
was locked up
in a Swiss bank vault
for forty years,
seen by nobody.
Today it remains
in a private collection.
This is believed to be
the first
and only
sitting portrait
of the woman,
two hands clasped over
a private heart.
Inside her Florentine features,
born of untold shadow,
appears the same face
but younger,
which implies the painting
is in fact older.
The Mona Lisa is thought
to be its copy.
Leonardo da Vinci (Italian, 1452–1519)
Isleworth Mona Lisa, c. 1503–06
Oil on canvas
Private collection