Every Known Version: The Column Presence Breakdown

The column mystery isn’t confined to the Louvre. Across a dozen known versions and copies—from Raphael’s 1504 sketch to private collections in Switzerland—we find a pattern that defies simple explanation. Some show full architectural frames, others show none. Understanding how and why these versions differ is central to solving the enigma of what Leonardo actually painted.

No Columns (Minimal Bases Only)

Version	Date	Support	Columns	Location
Louvre Mona Lisa	c.1503—1519	Poplar panel, 77 × 53 cm	Tiny partial bases only	Musée du Louvre, Paris
Prado Mona Lisa	c.1503—1516	Walnut panel	Partial bases (matches Louvre)	Museo del Prado, Madrid
Hekking Mona Lisa	17th century	—	Minimal/absent	Sold Christie’s Paris 2021

Louvre Mona Lisa

The original Leonardo, scientifically proven never to have been trimmed. Painted on poplar panel measuring 77 × 53 cm. Examined multiple times with modern imaging techniques—infrared reflectography, X-radiography, and multispectral analysis—all confirm the composition as we see it today. No hidden columns beneath the surface paint.

Prado Mona Lisa

A contemporary workshop copy, likely painted simultaneously with the Louvre version. 2012 infrared analysis proved identical pentimenti and underdrawing marks with the original. Shows the same minimal column bases as the Louvre, establishing that the composition without full columns was known by Leonardo’s workshop from the outset.

Hekking Mona Lisa

Catalogued as work of an “anonymous Italian follower.” Follows the Louvre composition and appears in 19th-century provenance records. Sold at Christie’s Paris in 2021. Represents the kind of later copy that adheres to the established Louvre formula, with columns absent.

Full Columns Present

Version	Date	Support	Columns	Location
Raphael’s 1504 Sketch	1504	Paper, 22.2 × 15.9 cm	Full Ionic columns	Louvre inv. 3882
Isleworth Mona Lisa	Disputed c.1503—1510?	Canvas, 84.5 × 64.5 cm	Full prominent columns	Private, Switzerland
Hermitage Mona Lisa	Mid-16th c.	Canvas, 63.2 × 85.2 cm	Full columns	Hermitage, St. Petersburg
Oslo/Vernon Copy	Early 17th c.	Panel	Full columns	Nasjonalmuseet, Oslo
Walters Museum Copy	c.1635—1660	—	Full columns	Walters Art Museum, Baltimore

Raphael’s 1504 Sketch

The earliest visual documentation of the painting, made one year into Leonardo’s work. Universally accepted as copied from direct observation. The sketch shows full Ionic columns with capitals, shafts, and bases—architectural elements not present in the Louvre painting today. This is the single most compelling piece of evidence for the column paradox.

Isleworth Mona Lisa

Highly controversial. Painted on canvas rather than panel—unusual for Leonardo. Carbon-14 analysis suggests creation within Leonardo’s lifetime (c.1503—1510). Mainstream scholars reject it as Leonardo’s work. The version shows a younger Lisa and full prominent columns, which some cite as the “earlier version” hypothesis.

Hermitage Mona Lisa

A German-Flemish copy from the mid-16th century. Shows full columns in composition. Demonstrates how the column tradition persisted in later workshop copies and suggests a well-documented visual model existed.

Oslo/Vernon Copy

Long falsely labeled with a “1525” signature to suggest early dating. Material analysis proves it is actually 17th century. Despite the false provenance, it shows full columns, fitting the pattern of later copies preserving the architectural framing.

Walters Museum Copy

Dated c.1635—1660, this copy also displays full columns. Part of the documented tradition of later artists reproducing the compositional elements they understood to be part of the Mona Lisa design.

Pattern Analysis

When we arrange these versions chronologically, a striking timeline emerges:

1504 (Raphael): Full columns documented in direct observation
c.1503—1516 (Contemporary workshop/Prado): Minimal or absent columns
16th—17th centuries (Later copies): Mostly full columns, consistent across independent versions
Louvre (today): No full columns, only partial bases

This pattern does not fit neatly into conventional explanations. It suggests a “column tradition” originating from a source other than the Louvre painting itself—but whether that source was a separate Leonardo original or a convention of artistic interpretation remains unresolved.

The Version Paradox

The pattern suggests a “column tradition” originating from a source other than the Louvre painting—but whether that source was a separate Leonardo original or artistic convention remains the central question.