The Nude Mona Lisa, close up 1

The Nude Mona Lisa is a cartoon, meaning it served as a draft for the elaboration of an ambitious work of art.

This large scale drawing on paper, measures 74.8 cm high by 56 cm wide. It is one of the largest cartoons to have survived from the period that shows an isolated full sized figure.

It represents a young women seated in three-quarter profile with her hands crossed. Her breast is exposed and she seems to be gazing at the viewer with an ambiguous smile. Her hair, skillfully coiffed and braided, underline her exceptional beauty.