When you think of the world's most famous paintings, both ancient and modern, which one comes to mind? We've previously explored "21333 Vincent van Gogh - The Starry Night" and "31208 Hokusai – The Great Wave", and today we're diving into another universally acclaimed masterpiece: the LEGO Art series' "31213 Mona Lisa".
Created by Leonardo da Vinci between 1503 and 1506, the "Mona Lisa" is the most renowned portrait of the Renaissance. It features a frontal portrait of a Florentine woman against a vast mountainous landscape. Not only was a frontal portrait rare for its time, but it also showcased da Vinci's masterful oil painting techniques and his use of sfumato, a method that allows the subject to emerge softly from the background. The woman in the painting exudes an air of mystery and elegance.
The original "Mona Lisa", source: Wikipedia
This LEGO version of the "Mona Lisa" not only reinterprets this timelessly mysterious woman but also features a background based on the original colors restored through multispectral scanning with filters. Therefore, compared to the authentic painting currently housed in the Louvre in Paris, which has faded over time, the background color is noticeably bluer—a detail we'll see in the instruction manual shortly. Now, let's begin our hands-on experience of assembling this world-famous painting!
▼ The front of the box features a premium black background, prominently displaying the finished portrait. To the right, the name MONA LISA is printed horizontally, giving the overall packaging a highly sophisticated feel.
▼ On the back, you'll find lifestyle shots, a close-up of the Mona Lisa's face, and a QR code for accompanying audio content.
▼ The completed model measures 43 × 30 cm. For comparison, the original "Mona Lisa" in the Louvre measures 77 × 53 cm.
▼ The top of the box shows the printed eye piece at a 1:1 scale.
▼ In contrast to the black box, the instruction manual uses a white background to highlight the Mona Lisa painting.
▼ The manual's content includes an introduction to the LEGO ART series, a biography of da Vinci, the impact of the "Mona Lisa" on art history, and a comparison between the original painting and the LEGO version.
▼ You can see that the difference in the background color composition is quite significant.
▼ This set contains a total of 1503 pieces, including numbered bags 1-17 and two unnumbered bags of baseplate parts. The piece count of 1503 is a tribute to the year da Vinci began creating the Mona Lisa.
▼ Just looking at the contents of bags 1-3, you can already feel the opulence! So many gold pieces await you. According to the manual, there are a total of 314 gold pieces across seven different types!
▼ Alright! Let's start building!
▼ The magnificent golden frame, constructed from all the parts in bags 1-3, has an impeccable texture. It's absolutely beautiful!
▼ The texture, created using a combination of flat and curved pieces in three styles, is incredibly layered.
▼ This is the only piece for hanging the picture this time, which we will see again later.
▼ After completing the frame, we move on to the main portrait of the Mona Lisa. Starting with the vast mountainous background, you get to enjoy assembling a large number of interesting geometric parts. For builders who enjoy creating their own MOCs, this will surely be an excellent reference.
▼ Slowly, the silhouette of the Mona Lisa begins to take shape.
▼ The section from the neck to the chest uses clip pieces to create a slight angle, which is actually very difficult to notice without close inspection.
▼ Close-ups of the face and hands reveal how LEGO uses parts in varying shades to represent the light and shadow techniques that da Vinci employed. The construction of the hair is also very interesting.
▼ The elegant pose of the right hand resting gently on the left, and the brick-built construction of the clothing, are definitely worth savoring. It's very LEGO!
▼ Using the white piece in the middle of the picture below, you can easily hang this LEGO Mona Lisa on the wall. It's worth noting that the pins securing the frame to the artwork itself are easy to remove, allowing the piece to be displayed without its outer frame.
▼ In addition to the printed eye pieces, LEGO also includes plain parts for replacement. If you builders are not fond of the printed eyes, you can switch to this more abstract representation.
▼ It might also be fun to use these eyes to create other characters. They seem to have great potential for parody (laughs).
▼ Of course, you can also mix and match to make this Mona Lisa wink.
▼ The presence or absence of the golden frame truly has a significant impact on the overall style!
LEGO 31213 "Mona Lisa" Unboxing Summary:
For this reviewer, the Mona Lisa artwork not only features inspiring geometric construction in the background, a brilliant presentation of light and shadow, and skillfully rendered facial contours and dimensionality, but also that unprecedentedly luxurious frame! The finished piece has an incredibly strong presence. As a Renaissance masterpiece, the "Mona Lisa" is rich with fascinating historical elements—created by an Italian yet now residing in France, its fame skyrocketing after being stolen, and the ongoing speculation about the true identity of the woman in the portrait. Being able to collect a Mona Lisa in LEGO form is truly exciting! Coupled with the option to swap the eyes for a different style, this set is an absolutely fantastic item to adorn any living space!
LEGO 31213 "Mona Lisa"
Recommended Retail Price: NT$3,499, Piece Count: 1503, Expected Release Date: October 1, 2024
