Leonardo da Vinci: The Mona Lisa Was Stolen for 28 Months, the Vitruvian Man Is in a Drawer, and He Filled 7,000 Notebooks

May 27, 2026

Da Vinci Mona Lisa Vitruvian Man wall art DeckArts Berlin

Da Vinci biography and wall art guide. Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 – 2 May 1519): illegitimate child, left-hander who wrote in mirror script, 7,000+ surviving notebook pages, sfumato under 1 micrometre, Mona Lisa stolen 28 months. DeckArts Berlin: Mona Lisa single (~$140) and Vitruvian Man single (~$140). Ships from Berlin. UV archival ASTM I 100+ years. Canadian maple. View Mona Lisa at DeckArts →

Mona Lisa: Stolen for 28 Months

Stolen 21 August 1911 by Vincenzo Peruggia (Italian worker, previously employed installing Louvre glass cases; hid overnight; removed painting on museum’s weekly day off; concealed under coat; walked out). Missing 28 months. Caught December 1913 in Florence attempting to sell. ~7 months prison. Returned to Louvre January 1914. Louvre Paris. Subject: Lisa Gherardini identified 2005 by Armin Schlechter in 1503 Vespucci note margin. Sfumato: glazes under 1 micrometre — below unaided eye resolution. Expression’s ambiguity = consequence of sub-microscopic transitions. National Gallery London.

Vitruvian Man: A Notebook Page Almost Never Displayed

Uomo Vitruviano c.1490, pen + brown ink on paper, 34.4×24.5 cm, Gallerie dell’Accademia Venice. Almost never displayed (climate-controlled storage; paper fragility; displayed only days–weeks at irregular intervals; visitors will almost certainly find it in storage). Private notebook page solving Vitruvius De Architectura c.25 BCE problem: inscribing ideal human body simultaneously in circle (centred navel) and square (centred perineum). Not a commission; not made for any patron. One of 7,000+ notebook pages. DeckArts gift card text: “Leonardo made this c.1490 as a working notebook page — not for anyone, for himself. Solving a 1,500-year-old architectural problem on paper. The original is in a drawer in Venice. Here’s the thought, on maple.”

7,000 Notebooks, Mirror Script, Empirical Method

7,000 surviving pages of estimated 13,000–15,000 originally. Covers: anatomy (30+ dissections; heart aortic valve function not confirmed medically until 20th century); mechanics (flying machines, tanks, canal locks); geology (rock strata formations); botany (phyllotaxis); light/optics (atmospheric scattering anticipating Rayleigh by ~350 years). Mirror script (right-to-left Italian; left-hander’s natural push direction; not cryptographic). Illegitimate child’s advantage: without Latin academic education, approached all subjects empirically — “uomo senza lettere”, “I am going to deal with things directly.” As The Guardian’s Leonardo coverage notes, the notebooks continue to yield new discoveries through new analytical methods.

On the Desk: Vitruvian Man Single (~$140)

Warm white or pale grey, 125–145 cm centre (seated desk eye level). Near-monochrome warm pen-ink on warm paper from cool neutral ground. The most architecturally and intellectually specific home office facing-desk installation at DeckArts. Best gift for an architect, engineer, or STEM graduate. See: Wall Art for a Home Office 2026; Da Vinci Vitruvian Man: Complete Guide.

FAQ

Was the Mona Lisa stolen?

Yes. Stolen 21 August 1911 by Vincenzo Peruggia; missing 28 months; caught Florence December 1913; ~7 months prison; returned Louvre January 1914. Louvre Paris. DeckArts from ~$140.

Why is the Vitruvian Man almost never displayed?

The original (Gallerie dell’Accademia Venice) is kept in climate-controlled storage due to the fragility of works on paper. It is displayed publicly only for very short periods at irregular intervals — typically once every few years. Visitors to Venice who arrive specifically to see it will almost certainly find it in storage. DeckArts from ~$140.