This thoroughly original work of art history presents a provocative theory about Leonardo da Vinci, the Mona Lisa, and Theological Gender Equality.   The famous Mona Lisa smile has mystified viewers and intrigued historians for centuries. Completed in 1515, Leonardo da Vinci’s masterwork has hidden the lady’s secret well. Now, after years of research and analysis, W. N. Varvel has decoded the hidden meanings of Mona Lisa. In The Lady Speaks, Varnel reveals the vital message her smile conveys: a secret too dangerous for the artist to acknowledge during his life but one which he hoped future generations would understand and embrace.   The coming of the “New Jerusalem” depends on the world’s recognizing what lies behind the Mona Lisa smile. Detailing how the artist wove a calculated fabric of clues, symbols, and images, Varvel establishes not only da Vinci’s, but also Michelangelo’s, belief in Theological Gender Equality. In a thrilling achievement of art history detective work, Varvel tracks clues, links previously unnoticed connections, recreates scenarios, identifies villains and heroes, and presents a persuasive case for what the lady must be thinking.

For almost five hundred years, the Mona Lisa smile has mystified viewers and intrigued historians. Completed in 1515, the Mona Lisa has hidden the lady’s secret well. Now, after years devoted to research and analysis of the works of Leonardo da Vinci, W. N. Varvel has decoded the Mona Lisa and reveals the message within her smile, a secret too dangerous for the artist to acknowledge during his life but one which he hoped future generations would understand and embrace. The coming of the “New Jerusalem” depends on the world’s recognizing what lies behind the Mona Lisa smile. Detailing how the artist wove a calculated fabric of clues, symbols, and images, Varvel establishes not only da Vinci’s, but also Michelangelo’s, belief in Theological Gender Equality. Like a detective on the trail of a major case, Varvel tracks clues, links previously unnoticed connections, recreates scenarios, identifies villains and heroes, and weaves a tapestry of comprehensive evidence to “prove” what the lady says. For five hundred years, the lady has smiled—now she speaks.