A Tribute to Leonardo’s “Mona Lisa”

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First of all, it’s not from Renaissance Italy, and certainly not by Leonardo. The artist is likely Cehaku Okamoto (Japanese/American, … Read more First of all, it’s not from Renaissance Italy, and certainly not by Leonardo. The artist is likely Cehaku Okamoto (Japanese/American, 20th Century). And this painting should be titled “After Leonardo da Vinci (Italian, 1452–1519). Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo (known as Mona Lisa / La Gioconda), March 1964.”
Glad we put that to rest.
But this work does a story all its own. Finding a March 1964, J.V. Gordon stamp (photo #12) on a Mona Lisa copy reveals an intriguing timeline. The stamp directly on the frame structure indicates that this painting was either specifically commissioned, completed, or brought to San Francisco to be professionally housed in a museum-quality frame in the spring of 1964.
The timing is highly significant. Leonardo da Vinci’s original Mona Lisa went on its historic, ultra-high-security tour of the United States in early 1963, drawing millions of viewers to the National Gallery in Washington D.C. and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. This historic event triggered a massive wave of "Mona Lisa Mania" across America, leading many skilled classical painters and copyists, perhaps the person named verso, to paint high-quality replicas of the masterpiece throughout 1963 and 1964. Like Leonardo’s original, this one bears no signature nor a date, yet on the back is the neatly hand-printed name Cehaku Okamoto, possibly an owner, but most likely the painter.
Then, after carefully crafting this tribute in a studio, the artist or collector took the canvas to J.V. Gordon's workshop in San Francisco to give it the final touch it deserved. The result is a work featuring a decorative black and gold ebonized border with classical Renaissance-style gold scrollwork flourishing around the corners. Gordon’s ornate, hand-crafted frames were highly favored by early-to-mid 20th-century California regional painters—including notable artists working in the San Francisco Bay Area and Carmel art colonies.
By housing the replica in an expensive, hand-carved, museum-grade giltwood frame, the canvas' owner elevated this work into a prestigious, formal showpiece intended for a fine home or a regional gallery exhibition. As such, it stands today as a beautiful artifact of the 1960s American fascination with Renaissance masterpieces.
Signature/Maker’s mark: Signed verso Cehaku Okamoto (photo #11). Framer’s stamp: Bottom center (photo #12). Unframed dimensions: 20.25”w x 29.75”h. See less