OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen
Pictured is a replica of the portrait of Mona Lisa, which Dunkirk resident Joe Reading recently discovered at his home.
Joe Reading heard a crash in his home as a picture fell from the wall and broke against the floor. The photo, which belonged to his late mother, was sitting amongst the broken frame.
As he picked up the pieces of glass from the floor, he found another picture was in the pile of glass, hidden behind the photo that hung harmlessly in his Dunkirk home for decades. The photo was familiar, as it replicated arguably the world’s most famous painting, Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait of Mona Lisa.
The portrait is an 8 by 11.5 print on parchment paper. The bottom right corner appears to be dated 1601. The bottom left corner has faded cursive writing that is difficult to make out, loosely resembling da Vinci’s name. The famous painter died in 1519.
Reading has been hesitant to have his discovery authenticated for fear of others touching the portrait he has carefully tucked away in a folder, which he keeps in a drawer in his home. While the famous portrait of Mona Lisa hangs in the Louvre, an art museum in Paris, France, replicas of the portrait have gone for thousands, and even millions. Reading is hopeful he can fetch a hefty sum in return for his discovery.
“I’m hoping this is going to be something,” Reading said.
A former city of Dunkirk employee, who worked in various roles for decades, Reading lives on Dunkirk’s Lincoln Avenue. He took care of his mother for many years before her death at the age of 93. He hopes that this discovery is fate’s way of paying him back for the time he devoted to caring for her.