the mona lisa biography

If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website.

If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked.

To log in and use all the features of Khan Academy, please enable JavaScript in your browser.

Europe 1300 - 1800

Course: europe 1300 - 1800   >   unit 4.

• About Leonardo
• Letter to the Duke of Milan
• Leonardo: Anatomist - by Nature Video
• Leonardo and his drawings
• Virgin of the Rocks
• Adoration of the Magi
• “Vitruvian Man”
• Virgin and Child with St Anne and St John the Baptist (Burlington House Cartoon)
• The Last Supper

Portraits were once rare

The most recognized painting in the world.

"We all know the face and hands of the figure, set in its marble chair, in that circle of fantastic rocks, as in some faint light under sea. Perhaps of all ancient pictures time has chilled it least. The presence that thus rose so strangely beside the waters, is expressive of what in the ways of a thousand years men had come to desire. Hers is the head upon which all 'the ends of the world are come,' and the eyelids are a little weary. It is a beauty wrought out from within upon the flesh, the deposit, little cell by cell, of strange thoughts and fantastic reveries and exquisite passions. Set it for a moment beside one of those white Greek goddesses or beautiful women of antiquity, and how would they be troubled by this beauty, into which the soul with all its maladies has passed!"

A new formula

A recent discovery, want to join the conversation.

• Upvote Button navigates to signup page
• Downvote Button navigates to signup page
• Flag Button navigates to signup page

* As an Amazon Associate, and partner with Google Adsense and Ezoic, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Leonardo da Vinci's portrait of Lisa Gherardini from the early 16th century would become better known as the Mona Lisa. It would become his most famous work, in any discipline, and many regard it as the finest painting ever made.

Introduction.

"...None of Leonardo's works would exert more influence upon the evolution of the genre than the Mona Lisa. It became the definitive example of the Renaissance portrait..." Frank Zöllner

This article examines each and every aspect of the Mona Lisa in the greatest of detail, from the original commission given to him by Lisa Gherardini's husband, Francesco del Giocondo, to the process which took many years to complete in order to produce the fine artwork that we consider to celebrate today.

There is an analysis of the piece itself, and a comparison between it and other secular portraits from the artist's career. We also discuss its progress after the life of the artist, with some restoration work helping to keep it in the best condition possible. Finally, we consider the Mona Lisa's legacy, both within the art world but also in wider society.

Table of Contents

The Giocondo family had earlier moved into a new home in early 1503 soon after the birth of Andrea. Francesco himself had lost two wives already due to childbirth and would have been anxious about the latest arrival.

Additionally, Leonardo was already working within the same chapel as used by the family for their own personal religious practices, and so may well have come into contact with them previously at the SS Annunziata in Florence.

The Mona Lisa Model

Francesco del Giocondo was wealthy Florentine silk merchant and the theory that he wanted a portrait to celebrate the health of his wife and newborn child seems entirely in keeping with the practices of the Florentine middle classes of the time, as well as the personal tragedies that he himself had experienced.

"...Leonardo undertook to paint, for Francesco del Giocondo, the portrait of Mona Lisa, his wife..." Giorgio Vasari

Lisa del Giocondo

Her husband treated his wife particularly well according to the accounts of the time, and he himself would slowly rise in status after their marriage, becoming involved in politics alongside his growing business interests.

Alternative Theory - Isabella d'Este

It must also be pointed out that the other famous portraits of Isabella d'Este, by Titian and later Rubens, do not accurately resemble what we see in the Mona Lisa, and so this theory seems unlikely.

Description

The landscape found within Mona Lisa is entirely typical of how he worked within this genre. There are rocky structures, areas of natural water, and also a softening of outlines as we push towards the back of the painting. Typically, his landscapes would slowly merge with the sky above and the artist often wrote about his technical reasons for doing this.

Leonardo would also incorporate elements of chiaroscuro, where light varies considerably from the foreground to the background and this helps to deliver a strong feeling of depth to the painting. He also takes his landscape work as far as had been seen within this painting, providing a complex myriad of elements which drift off into the distance.

Technical Information

Leonardo da Vinci worked on the Mona Lisa between the years of 1503–1506, at which point he would have been in his early fifties. There is considerable evidence to suggest, however, that he continued to re-visit the work from time to time, making minor adjustments until 1517 at the latest.

He also completed some secular portraits which were compositionally-similar to the Mona Lisa in previous decades, such as Lady with an Ermine and Ginevra de Benci, and many of the qualities found in these paintings would continue into his portrait of Lisa Gherardini.

Many visitors to the Louvre are surprised at how "small" the Mona Lisa is, but in fact it is correctly sized for a single portrait of the Renaissance era, and entirely consistent with the rest of the artist's career.

In some cases the requirements of the donor will also impact size, and many of the artist's secular portraits were intended to be hung within small, private rooms such as a bedroom, where anything larger would have been entirely inappropriate.

Italian artists had tended to prefer tempera for centuries, including Leonardo's own master, Verrocchio , but the influence of Flemish artists would open their eyes to this exciting alternative which would eventually become the dominant medium within Italian art.

Leonardo used many transparent layers to create almost unlimited variations in tone, and therefore move towards as lifelike an image as possible. A varnish was added over the top but over time various materials have changed, altering the colour balance within the painting.

It is joined within this room by The Wedding Feast at Cana, Supper at Emmaus, The Crucifixion, Portrait of a Venetian Woman and Jupiter Hurling Thunderbolts at the Vices by Paolo Veronese , The Pastoral Concert, Woman with a Mirror, Man with a Glove and The Virgin and Child with Saint Catherine and a Shepherd by Titian as well as The Coronation of the Virgin by Tintoretto .

Having remained in the French Royal family for many centuries, after initially been purchased by King Francis I, the piece is now owned by the French Republic. It is also considered a cultural asset of great significance and is therefore highly unlikely to be sold.

Restoration

Other works have previously been transferred to canvas to avoid other common issues such as woodworm, but the Mona Lisa remains one its original panel of popular wood.

Whilst hidden away in storage during WWII, the painting may have suffered somewhat from the alternative conditions but is today given the very best care possible - it is on display behind a bullet proof glass screen which protects against any unruly members of the public.

Da Vinci did produce multiple versions of the same painting several times, and so it is not impossible that he produced copies of the Mona Lisa, but the more likely scenario is that highly skilled members of his studio created these other versions.

Da Vinci's lifelike portraits had impressed many for several decades but the Mona Lisa represented his greatest achievement, at which point his evolution as a portrait painter was now complete. All of his innovations with oils were on display within this single piece.

The World's Most Famous Painting

Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa remains the world's most famous painting of all time. A number of studies over the past few decades have continually placed this oil painting from the early 16th century as the most well known piece across the world, in a list which is dominated by western art, underlining the spread of western culture across the planet.

Large, High Resolution Images of Mona Lisa

Article author.

Leonardo, Mona Lisa

Leonardo da Vinci, Portrait of Lisa Gherardini (known as the Mona Lisa), c. 1503–19, oil on poplar panel, 77 x 53 cm (Musée du Louvre, Paris)

Video transcript

[0:00] [music]

Dr. Steven Zucker: [0:04] We’re in the single most crowded room in the Louvre, but for good reason. This is the room that holds the “Mona Lisa” by Leonardo da Vinci. Without a doubt, the most famous painting in the world.

Dr. Beth Harris: [0:14] Of course, it’s her smile that’s so famous today. It certainly is a smile that doesn’t clearly tell us what she’s feeling. It’s ambiguous.

Dr. Zucker: [0:24] I think it allows people to read into it in any way that they prefer.

Dr. Harris: [0:28] Sigmund Freud, for example, saw a combination of a maternal gaze, but also a gaze that was flirtatious. I think I do see both of those aspects here.

[0:40] This is a portrait of the wife of a Florentine merchant, and as we look out at the sea of people taking selfies in front of the Mona Lisa, it’s good to remember that only the elite could have their portrait painted during the Renaissance. This was an expensive proposition. And of course, you’d have to go and sit for the artist many times so that he could capture your likeness.

Dr. Zucker: [1:01] Because they were expensive, they were reserved for kings and queens and the nobility.

[1:06] What we see during the Renaissance is the growth of the merchant class. The fact that a wealthy merchant would hire Leonardo to paint his wife’s portrait is a reminder of the fortunes that are being made by traders, by bankers, and others during the Renaissance.

Dr. Harris: [1:20] Well, especially in the city of Florence, which was such an economic hub during the Renaissance. We know, in fact, that the patron of this painting was a cloth merchant.

Dr. Zucker: [1:29] This painting has quite a number of innovations, but one of the most important is that it’s half-length. Generally, portraits were busts, that is, from the chest up.

Dr. Harris: [1:38] This was an incredibly influential new formula for the portrait. If you think about the standard form of the portrait before this with the figure in profile, bust length, it’s a very static pose, very formal, very stiff.

[1:52] But as soon as Leonardo turned the head toward us, positioned the shoulders three-quarter toward us also, and included the hands, suddenly we had an image of a figure that was much more natural, someone who you could imagine having a conversation with.

[2:08] Portraits that included a background and that also included the hands did exist in the Northern Renaissance. But this is a new formula for Italy, and will be tremendously influential with artists like Raphael and others.

Dr. Zucker: [2:23] Another very influential aspect of this painting is a technique that Leonardo employed which is known as “sfumato.” That simply means “smoke.”

[2:30] What it refers to is the slightly hazy quality that Leonardo introduces to remove the sometimes sharp quality that existed in early Renaissance paintings, where each object looks too isolated. It’s an atmospheric quality that creates a sense of unity throughout the painting.

Dr. Harris: [2:47] And makes the figure appear to almost emerge out of the darkness. So we see that she’s seated on a chair in a loggia, [an] open porchway.

[2:57] We see on either side of her what look like the base of two columns. We don’t know if the painting was cut down and there were originally full columns on either side of her, but we do know that early copies of this painting do show those columns on either side of the figure.

Dr. Zucker: [3:14] There’s a lot about this painting that we don’t fully understand. This was a commission, and yet Leonardo kept the painting. He never delivered it to the man who commissioned it. Later in Leonardo’s life, when he moved to France, he brought the painting with him, which is why it’s now in the Louvre.

[3:28] One question that I think we should address is why is this the most famous image in the world.

Dr. Harris: [3:33] It reminds me of another very famous image of a woman that’s very ambiguous and mysterious. That’s “The Woman with a Pearl Earring” by Vermeer from more than a century later. Perhaps our culture has some fascination with images of mysterious women.

Dr. Zucker: [3:50] I think that’s probably an important part of it, but then I think fame grows on itself. In 1911, the painting was stolen, and it was headlines around the world. That accelerated its fame. It has become the subject of numerous other paintings by artists as diverse as Marcel Duchamp or Andy Warhol. This raises an interesting issue.

[4:09] Here’s a painting that was made for a private home, to exist in a domestic interior to celebrate a man’s wife or to celebrate a specific occasion, perhaps the birth of a child or the purchasing of a new home. But here it is instead in a huge gallery with hundreds of people, a painting that exists in millions of multiples around the world.

[4:30] It’s such an unexpected fate for what Leonardo surely saw as a relatively minor commission.

[4:36] [music]

Portraits were once rare

We live in a culture that is so saturated with images, it may be difficult to imagine a time when only the wealthiest people had their likeness captured. The wealthy merchants of renaissance Florence could commission a portrait, but even they would likely only have a single portrait painted during their lifetime. A portrait was about more than likeness, it spoke to status and position. In addition, portraits generally took a long time to paint, and the subject would commonly have to sit for hours or days, while the artist captured their likeness.

View of crowd surrounding Leonardo da Vinci, Portrait of Lisa Gherardini (known as the Mona Lisa) , c. 1503–19, oil on poplar panel, 77 x 53 cm (Musée du Louvre, Paris; photo: -JvL- , CC BY 2.0)

The most recognized painting in the world

The Mona Lisa was originally this type of portrait, but over time its meaning has shifted and it has become an icon of the Renaissance—perhaps the most recognized painting in the world. The Mona Lisa is a likely a portrait of the wife of a Florentine merchant. For some reason however, the portrait was never delivered to its patron, and Leonardo kept it with him when he went to work for Francis I , the King of France.

Leonardo da Vinci, Portrait of Lisa Gherardini (known as the Mona Lisa) , c. 1503–19, oil on poplar panel, 77 x 53 cm (Musée du Louvre, Paris)

The Mona Lisa’s mysterious smile has inspired many writers, singers, and painters. Here’s a passage about the Mona Lisa , written by the Victorian-era (19th-century) writer Walter Pater:

We all know the face and hands of the figure, set in its marble chair, in that circle of fantastic rocks, as in some faint light under sea. Perhaps of all ancient pictures time has chilled it least. The presence that thus rose so strangely beside the waters, is expressive of what in the ways of a thousand years men had come to desire. Hers is the head upon which all “the ends of the world are come,” and the eyelids are a little weary. It is a beauty wrought out from within upon the flesh, the deposit, little cell by cell, of strange thoughts and fantastic reveries and exquisite passions. Set it for a moment beside one of those white Greek goddesses or beautiful women of antiquity, and how would they be troubled by this beauty, into which the soul with all its maladies has passed!

Left: Piero della Francesca, Portrait of Battista Sforza , c. 1465–66, tempera on panel (Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence); right: Leonardo da Vinci, Portrait of Lisa Gherardini (known as the Mona Lisa) , c. 1503–19, oil on poplar panel, 77 x 53 cm (Musée du Louvre, Paris)

Piero della Francesca’s Portrait of Battista Sforza  is typical of portraits during the Early Renaissance (before Leonardo ); figures were often painted in strict profile, and cut off at the bust. Often the figure was posed in front of a birds-eye view of a landscape.

A new formula

Hans Memling, Portrait of a Young Man at Prayer , c. 1485–94, oil on oak panel ( Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza , Madrid)

With Leonardo’s portrait, the face is nearly frontal, the shoulders are turned three-quarters toward the viewer, and the hands are included in the image.

Leonardo uses his characteristic sfumato —a smokey haziness—to soften outlines and create an atmospheric effect around the figure. When a figure is in profile, we have no real sense of who she is, and there is no sense of engagement. With the face turned toward us, however, we get a sense of the personality of the sitter.

Northern Renaissance artists such as Hans Memling (see the Portrait of a Young Man at Prayer ) had already created portraits of figures in positions similar to the Mona Lisa . Memling had even located them in believable spaces. Leonardo combined these Northern innovations with Italian painting’s understanding of the three dimensionality of the body and the perspectival treatment of the surrounding space.

Left: Unknown, Mona Lisa , c. 1503–05, oil on panel (Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid); right: Leonardo da Vinci, Portrait of Lisa Gherardini (known as the Mona Lisa) , c. 1503–19, oil on poplar panel, 77 x 53 cm (Musée du Louvre, Paris)

A recent discovery

An important copy of the Mona Lisa was recently discovered in the collection of the Prado in Madrid. The background had been painted over, but when the painting was cleaned, scientific analysis revealed that the copy was likely painted by another artist who sat beside Leonardo and copied his work, brush-stroke by brush-stroke. The copy gives us an idea of what the Mona Lisa might look like if layers of yellowed varnish were removed.

Bibliography

Read a Reframing Art History chapter that discusses Leonardo da Vinci—” Art in Sovereign States of the Italian Renaissance, c. 1400–1600 .”

Theresa Flanigan, “Mona Lisa’s Smile: Interpreting Emotion in Renaissance Female Portraits,” Studies in Iconography , vol. 40 (2019), pp. 183–230.

This painting at the Louvre .

Louvre Feature: A Closer Look at the Mona Lisa .

Not Just Another Fake Mona Lisa from The New York Times Interactive.

Mona Lisa at Universal Leonardo.

Important fundamentals

Cite this page.

Your donations help make art history free and accessible to everyone!

The History and Legacy of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mysterious ‘Mona Lisa’

For centuries, audiences have been captivated by the mysterious Mona Lisa . A key piece of Italian master Leonardo da Vinci ‘s oeuvre and a prime example of High Renaissance painting , the piece has become known as one of the most recognizable and skillfully rendered works of art.

Since 1804 the iconic oil painting has been housed at the Louvre in Paris. Each year millions crowd the painting is hung, waiting for their turn to snap a photograph of Leonardo's most famous artwork. Through her captivating gaze and mysterious smile, the  Mona Lisa  has been enchanting the public since it was first painted in the early 16th century.

Renowned for its curious iconography, unique history, and infamous theft, the Mona Lisa has become one of the most well-known paintings in art history. Here, we explore these aspects of the painting in order to answer the question: why is the Mona Lisa famous today?

About the Artwork

What is the Mona Lisa ?

The Mona Lisa is an oil painting by Italian artist, inventor, and writer Leonardo da Vinci. Likely completed in 1506, the piece features a portrait of a seated woman set against an imaginary landscape.

In addition to being one of the most famous paintings , it is also the most valuable. Permanently located in the Louvre Museum, it is estimated to be worth an impressive $800 million today.

Who is Mona Lisa?

Photo: Galerie de tableaux en très haute définition via Wikimedia Commons  (PD-1923)

Rendered similarly to Renaissance portrayals of the Virgin Mary, the piece features a female figure—believed by most to be Lisa Gherardini , the wife of cloth and silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo—from the waist up. She is shown seated in a loggia , or a room with at least one open side.

Behind her is a hazy and seemingly isolated landscape imagined by the artist and painted using  sfumato , a technique resulting in forms “without lines or borders, in the manner of smoke or beyond the focus plane.”

“Mona Lisa” detail

The figure sits with her arms folded as she gazes at the viewer and appears to softly smile —an aesthetic attribute that has proven particularly eye-catching over centuries. The halfhearted or even ambiguous nature of this smile makes the iconic painting all the more enigmatic, prompting viewers to try to understand both the mood of its muse and the intention of its artist.

Her gaze is another bewitching part of the composition. Many believe that her eyes follow you across the room, making her an active participant when being viewed, rather than remaining an object to look upon. But while her eyes may seemingly follow you, according to German researchers , this “Mona Lisa effect” actually does not occur in the painting. In fact, they claim that the woman is always look about 15 degrees to your right, so more likely at your ear than your eyes. Whatever the case—perceived or real—her ambiguous expression is one of the strongest reasons for the Mona Lisa ‘s enduring success.

In addition to its mysterious appearance, her expression has resonated most strongly with art historians for its possible symbolism , as many believe it to be a clever “visual representation of the idea of happiness suggested by the word ‘gioconda' in Italian.”

Why is the Mona Lisa so famous?

Photo: The Telegraph via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

After Leonardo's death in 1519, the Mona Lisa remained in France, where the artist had spent the remainder of his days. There, it stayed in the possession of the royal family for centuries, until it was finally put on permanent display in the Louvre in 1797.

At the beginning of the 2oth century, the Mona Lisa was still relatively unknown outside of the art world. Then, in 1911, a heist put the painting in the spotlight. Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia —an Italian native—stole the portrait from the museum with the intention of returning it to Italy, where he believed it belonged.

Newspaper detailing that the ‘Mona Lisa' had been found two years after its disappearance. (Photo: Le Petit Parisien via Wikimedia Commons , PD-1923)

After keeping the painting hidden in his apartment for two years, he presented it to a suspicious art dealer and the director of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, and it was exhibited in the museum for two weeks. Eventually, the Mona Lisa was returned to the Louvre, and Peruggia had to serve six months in prison.

This incident thrust the previously looked-over painting into the limelight, becoming an overnight sensation and inspiring people to appreciate it as an example of High Renaissance portraiture. Since then, the Mona Lisa has survived vandalism, like thrown rocks and red paint, which have only added to the lore of this masterpiece.

The Mona Lisa Today

Photo: Stock Photos from Resul Muslu/Shutterstock

Due to its tumultuous past and contemporary fame, today, the Mona Lisa is exhibited behind a layer of bulletproof glass . Even in such a unique and controversial display, the painting remains one of the most popular pieces in the Louvre and, unsurprisingly, one of the most viewed and visited paintings in the world.

For the 500th anniversary of Leonardo's death in Paris, the Louvre hosted a blockbuster exhibition that used innovative virtual reality to bring visitors closer to the  Mona Lisa . Using cutting-edge technology, this event enabled art lovers to go behind the bulletproof glass and examine the hidden details of the painting.

This article has been edited and updated.

Related articles:.

Dissecting Leonardo da Vinci’s Famous ‘The Last Supper’ Painting

The Significance of Leonardo da Vinci’s Famous “Vitruvian Man” Drawing

The Meaning Behind Michelangelo’s Iconic ‘David’ Statue

View Leonardo Da Vinci’s Notebooks Online and Go Inside the Mind of a Genius

What If People from Famous Paintings Were Modern-Day Instagrammers Taking Selfies

Get Our Weekly Newsletter

Learn from top artists.

Related Articles

Sponsored Content

More on my modern met.

My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.

• Photography
• Architecture
• Environment

Masterpiece Story: Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

Anna Ingram 26 May 2024 min Read

Leonardo da Vinci,  Portrait of Mona Lisa del Giocondo , 1503-1506, Louvre, Paris, France. Detail.

Recommended

European Art

Mona Lisa at the Battlefield: The History of Saving Art During World War II

Mona Lisa’s Illnesses

Who Are the Women in Leonardo da Vinci’s Paintings?

The Mona Lisa is an icon and masterpiece featured in numerous movies, television shows, and music videos. It is famous for being Leonardo da Vinci’s favorite painting that he carried until he died. However, this mysterious painting has taken 500 years and counting to decipher. Here is all you need to know about the Mona Lisa .

An Overnight Sensation

Although the 500-year-old portrait is known worldwide today, it wasn’t famous until stolen in 1911. In fact, the Louvre Museum did not notice its absence until an admirer discovered it missing on the walls 24 hours later. Because of the excessive media coverage, the Mona Lisa ‘s disappearance captivated the world. It was Vincenzo Peruggia, a Louvre Museum worker, who stole the Mona Lisa on August 21st, 1911. Thankfully, the authorities recovered it in 1914, when Peruggia tried to sell it to an Italian art dealer.

Leonardo da Vinci,  Portrait of Mona Lisa del Giocondo , 1503-1506, Louvre Museum , Paris, France.

Today, the Mona Lisa hangs in the largest room at the Louvre Museum in Paris, known as the Salle des États. That being said, the portrait is quite small, measuring 30 inches by 21 inches (76 x 53 cm). The renowned Renaissance painter Leonardo da Vinci created the portrait from 1503 to 1506 in Florence, Italy. It was made in Leonardo’s sfumato  technique which means “to tone down” or “to evaporate like smoke.”

But who is this mysterious woman known forever as Mona Lisa?

The current display of Leonardo da Vinci’s, Portrait of Mona Lisa del Giocondo , 1503-1506, Louvre Museum, Paris, France. Museum’s website.

Lisa Gherardini

While many may know her as Mona Lisa, her real name is either Lisa Maria Gherardini, Lisa del Giocondo or Monna Lisa. (Yes, you are reading that correctly.) Monna originates from the Italian word madonna,  meaning “my lady.” Yet, in English, Monna is spelled as Mona .   This spelling is not used in Italian since it carries a different impolite meaning. Therefore, due to the mystery of her name, the Mona Lisa is called  La Gioconda in Italian, and  La Joconde , in French.

What is known about Lisa Gherardini is that she was the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, a Florentine silk merchant. The couple married in 1495 when Lisa was 16 years old, and Francesco was nearly twice her age. According to historians, the Gherardinis were a prosperous family due to their estates in Chianti (the wine region in Tuscany). Because of her high status, Lisa likely knew the prominent painter Leonardo. Her presence in the portrait is confirmed through a written account by Leonardo in 1503. But, the reason for the portrait’s commission is still unknown today. It might have been commissioned to celebrate the birth of the couple’s third son.

Enigmatic Smile

Although the reason for the  Mona Lisa ‘s existence is a mystery, the enigmatic smile that Leonardo portrays has captivated viewers for centuries. Her daringly persuasive smirk and glowing eyes created an enticing woman that even King Francis I of France was eager to know. In 1516, Leonardo was invited by the King to work at the French court. He lived at court until he died in 1519, and as the legend goes, Francis I was by his side until the end.

According to the Louvre Museum, Francis I bought the painting from Leonardo in 1518. For the next 100 years, the Mona Lisa was exhibited at the Palace of Fontainebleau. Then, in the 1640s, King Louis XIV took it to the Palace of Versailles, where it stayed until after the French Revolution . Since the end of the French Revolution, the Mona Lisa has been in the Louvre Museum’s collection.

A True Masterpiece

Leonardo’s Mona Lisa was considered a masterpiece to art historians way before its disappearance in 1911. Typically, Renaissance oil paintings were painted on canvas for easy transport between residences. Yet, the Mona Lisa is painted on extremely temperamental wood called poplar. Due to the delicate material, the panel has warped and caused the oil paint to crack over time. As a result, in 2005, the Louvre encased the portrait in a protective glass covering. The glass shields the precious work ( even when a cake is thrown at it ) and helps conserve the portrait. The Louvre has taken extra measures to preserve the work by regulating the temperature and humidity within the glass case.

However, the Mona Lisa has not always been protected by glass. In 1804, the Mona Lisa debuted to the public in the Louvre’s Grand Gallery. Samuel Morse’s painting of the gallery in 1833 shows the  Mona Lisa hanging in a frame on the wall along with other known works of art.

Samuel F. B. Morse, Gallery of the Louvre , 1831-1833, Terra Foundation for American Art , Chicago, IL, USA.

Seeing Double-Twin Sisters?

You might not know that at the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain, another version of the Mona Lisa is on view. For years, the painting was presumed to be a copy of the original, known as Mona Lisa ‘s twin sister. However, in 2012, conservators at the Prado discovered the painting was made at the same time as Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa . Infrared technology (like an X-ray but for art) showed the preliminary changes for both works were identical. Not only that but the twin painting was made by a pupil working alongside Leonardo. The Prado Museum’s portrait is allegedly made by Leonardo’s main assistant Melzi or his rumored lover, Salai.

The figures are identical in shape, and both were transferred by tracing the same cartoon. It is crucial to understand that only someone working next to the master painter would have been able to witness these adjustments.

Left: Workshop of Leonardo da Vinci, The Mona Lisa , 1507-1516, Museo del Prado , Madrid, Spain; Right: Leonardo da Vinci,  Portrait of Mona Lisa del Giocondo , 1503-1506, Louvre, Paris, France.

Fascinating Facts

While the Mona Lisa ‘s history is extensive, here are some extra fascinating facts about the mysterious portrait:

• It might be unfinished- during the last few years of his life, Leonardo could not paint due to a hand tremor.
• Lisa Gherardini’s smile has also been studied by medical doctors as a sign of illness .
• From 1801 to 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte hung the Mona Lisa in his bedroom at Tuileries Palace.
• On August 29th, 1939, two days before the start of World War II, the Louvre Museum closed for repair . During its closure, the museum secretly relocated works of art, including the Mona Lisa , for safekeeping during the war.
• First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy requested for the Mona Lisa to be exhibited in the United States for the first time in history. It was on view at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. in 1963.
• The last time the Mona Lisa was loaned to a museum was in 1974.
• 150,000 people signed a petition in 2012 asking the Louvre for the Mona Lisa to be returned to its home city of Florence, Italy. Of course, the Louvre declined.
• In 2018, the Mona Lisa was featured in Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s music video .
• During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Louvre Museum created a virtual reality of the Mona Lisa.
• If the Mona Lisa was assessed today, it would be worth over $900 million, making it the most expensive painting in the world.

Bibliography

Giovanni Garcia-Fenech, “The Travels and Travails of the Mona Lisa,” Artstor , December 8, 2014.

Kemp, Martin, and Giuseppe Pallanti.  Mona Lisa: The people and the painting . Oxford University Press, 2017.

• italian renaissance
• leonardo da vinci

Get your daily dose of art

Click and follow us on Google News to stay updated all the time

We love art history and writing about it. Your support helps us to sustain DailyArt Magazine and keep it running.

DailyArt Magazine needs your support. Every contribution, however big or small, is very valuable for our future. Thanks to it, we will be able to sustain and grow the Magazine. Thank you for your help!

Anna Ingram

Art Historian with a Master of Arts degree. Specializes in tapestries and textiles from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. Also, period dramas, love them!

Proofreader Diane Won

Masterpiece Story: The Rainbow Portrait

Queen Elizabeth I is known throughout history as one of the most famous British Queens. Even without a husband, she successfully ruled England for 45...

Anna Ingram 8 July 2024

What’s Special About the Venetian Renaissance?

The Italian Renaissance was driven by two key players: the Florentine school and the Venetian school. In the 15th century, while each cluster was...

Guest Profile 6 June 2024

Did You Know That Michelangelo Was an Art Forger?

Michelangelo Buonarroti is undoubtedly one of the most acclaimed artists in history. Some of his creations, such as David or the ceiling of the...

Javier Abel Miguel 1 April 2024

Redemption of Sins: Frescoes in Florentine Family Chapels

Renowned for its artistic flourishing, Renaissance Florence saw prominent families investing their fortunes into the city’s artistic...

Nikolina Konjevod 30 November 2023

Never miss DailyArt Magazine's stories. Sign up and get your dose of art history delivered straight to your inbox!

Leonardo da Vinci

• Adoration of the Magi
• Anunciation

Lady with an Ermine

• Madonna of the carnation
• Portrait of Salai
• St John the Baptist
• St. Jerome in the Wilderness
• The Benois Madonna

The Last Supper

• The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne
• The Virgin of the Rocks
• The Virgin of the Rocks (The Virgin with the Infant Saint John adoring the Infant Christ accompanied by an Angel)
• Allegory with a Wolf and an Eagle

Crossbow Sketch

Portrait of Isabella d'Este

• The Adoration of the Magi
• The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist
• Vitruvian Man

• Date of Creation:
• Alternative Names:
• Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo, La Gioconda
• Height (cm):
• Length (cm):
• Art Movement:
• Renaissance
• Created by:
• Current Location:
• Paris, France
• Displayed at:

Musée du Louvre

• Mona Lisa Page's Content
• Story / Theme
• Critical Reception
• Related Paintings
• Bibliography

Mona Lisa Story / Theme

The Mona Lisa is also known as Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo, or La Gioconda and as well as being one of Leonardo da Vinci's favorite paintings, it remains the most famous artwork in the world. The artist carried the Mona Lisa with him until he died and was clearly aware of its significance. After the painting was produced there were questions raised about the identity of the sitter. While most people agreed that it was Mona Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, a Florentine silk merchant, a lot of people proposed it was, in fact, a self-portrait, and the facial features resemble a later self-portrait by Leonardo. However, despite the fact that little is known about the commissioning of the Mona Lisa, how long it took to complete or payment for the work, an early biography of Leonardo claims that it was indeed painted for Francesco del Giocondo and is a portrait of his wife. It's possible that this work was commissioned to mark one of two events - the purchase of a house in 1503 or the birth of the family's second son in 1502 after the death of their daughter three years earlier. The fine dark veil that covers Mona Lisa's hair is often believed to be a mourning veil, a piece of clothing worn to symbolize social status. Yet, the subject's clothing is rather simple and ordinary and neither her gown nor the scarf around her neck indicates her aristocratic standing. In 1911 the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris by a former employee who believed it belonged in Italy. The thief hid the painting underneath his painter's smock and left the museum. He had the painting for two years until he was seized by police and the work was safely returned to its original home.

Mona Lisa Analysis

Composition: The subject is viewed from a frontal position and is seated on a balcony. Her face stands out against two distinct areas in the background: a civilized landscape and an imaginary one. Although the observer has a bird's-eye view of this scenery, there is definite harmony between the figure and landscape. Mona Lisa is wearing very plain clothing which is markedly different from other costumes painted at the time. She wears a very dark, simple dress with a pleated bodice, with gold embroidery. The dress has a low neckline that exposes her chest. She is not wearing any jewelry and a scarf hangs from her left shoulder. There is a veil hanging over her slightly messy hair, believed to be a mourning veil. Color palette: Viewing the Mona Lisa today it appears rather drab, a mixture of dull yellow and brown tones. It seems that the work has been darkened by numerous coats of varnish that have yellowed with age. It is therefore likely that the painting was once more vibrant and colorful than it is now. Use of technique: In this work Leonardo uses sfumato - a technique where sharp edges are blurred by blended colors - which leaves the corners of the eyes and the mouth in shadow. This technique adds ambiguity to Mona Lisa's expression. Another technique employed by the artist is that of aerial perspective which means that the background of the image has been made to look hazier with fewer clear outlines than the foreground. Leonardo was one of the first painters to use this method to add greater depth to his artworks. Materials used: The Mona Lisa was painted on a poplar wood panel that was of extremely high quality and cut from a single piece of wood. On the back it appears that edging paper has been scraped off. An oak frame was used to strengthen the work in 1951 as it was slightly damaged. Use of light: Leonardo cleverly used light to define forms, model them and create a feeling of depth. His sfumato lines disappear into the shadows and into the light and he offers no contrasts or boundaries by faintly blending light and shade in a natural manner. The Mona Lisa is covered with a series of translucent glazes that add to the sense of depth and create a polished surface. Use of space: This painting is the earliest Italian portrait to concentrate on the sitter in a half-length depiction. Its vast dimensions mean that it includes the arms and hands without them touching the frame. Painted to a realistic scale, the portrait has the fullness of a sculpture. Mood, tone and emotion: The Mona Lisa is a visual representation of the ideal of happiness and the landscapes illustrated are very important. The middle distance, on level with the sitter's chest, is painted in warm colors. This is a humanized space complete with a winding road and bridge. This landscape represents the shift between the space of the sitter and the far distance, where the scenery becomes an uninhabited area of rocks and water which stretches to the horizon, which Leonardo has cleverly drawn at the level of the sitter's eyes.

Mona Lisa Critical Reception

Giorgio Vasari

The Mona Lisa earned its place in history thanks to Leonardo's innovative techniques in laying on the paint, his knowledge of anatomy, light, botany and geology, his interest human expression of emotion and his use of the subtle gradation of tone. Such techniques were also employed when he created other masterpieces such as The Last Supper and The Virgin of the Rocks . The Mona Lisa was highly influential in Florentine and Lombard art of the early 16th century. Some aspects of the work such as the three-quarter view of a figure against the countryside, the architectural setting and the hands joined in the foreground already existed in Flemish portraiture, particularly in the works of Hans Memling. However, in the Mona Lisa the spacial unity, the atmospheric illusionism, the grand scale and the sheer symmetry of the work were all original and were also new to Leonardo's work - none of his earlier portraits display such controlled splendor. The success of the Mona Lisa and its continuing popularity is all down to its mystery, more specifically, the elusive smile of the female. By subtly shadowing the corners of her mouth and eyes the viewer is left intrigued as to the exact nature her smile. Vasari, who is thought to have known the painting only by reputation, said that it "was so pleasing that it seemed divine rather than human; and those who saw it were amazed to find that it was as alive as the original" . He adds that the manner of painting would make even "the most confident master ... despair and lose heart. "

Mona Lisa Related Paintings

Portrait of Benedetto Portinari, Hans Memling

Francesco Sassetti and His Son Teodoro

Domenico Ghirlandaio

Portrait of a Lady known as Smeralda Bandinelli

Sandro Botticelli

Related works by the artist: Lady with an Ermine, 1490: Mona Lisa's famous smile represents the sitter in the same way that the ermine represents Cecilia Gallerani. With a more traditional pose and added sentimentality, Leonardo's Lady with an Ermine foreshadows the Mona Lisa in its inflection of light and the model's faint, subtle smile. Portrait of Isabella d'Este , 1500: None of Leonardo's rare portrait studies are linked to existing paintings. Some claim that this work is the only one truly comparable to the Mona Lisa. Related works by other artists: Hans Memling, Portrait of Benedetto Portinari, c. 1487: It was in the last quarter of the 15th century, in Italy and particularly in Florence, that artists aimed to convey the personality and physical traits of their subjects. The Mona Lisa combines several innovations, including the spatial solutions previously mastered by Flemish painters such as Hans Memling. Memling's portrait was hung in the Portinari Chapel in the hospital of Santa Maria Nuova in Florence in 1487 and Leonardo must surely have seen it. The Flemish principle, pioneered by Jan van Eyck in 1428, was developed to a larger scale by Florentine painters between 1485 and 1490. The Mona Lisa was inspired by such new developments and became a model for other artists. Domenico Ghirlandaio, Francesco Sassetti and His Son Teodoro, c. 1488: The Mona Lisa also drew on the formula that Domenico Ghirlandaio had experimented with twenty years earlier in this work which was the first large-format portrait. Sandro Botticelli , Portrait of a Lady Known as Smeralda Bandinelli, 1470s: Sandro Botticelli painted this life-size portrait just before the Mona Lisa was created. In Botticelli's work the model observes us from a space distinct from the observer's.

Mona Lisa Artist

Baptism of Christ

Andrea del Verrocchio

Although Leonardo da Vinci did not dedicate his entire career to painting, the medium he regarded so highly, it was the Mona Lisa that catapulted him to fame and established his reputation as an artistic genius. A landmark in his career, this work single-handedly combines his research into the landscape, the portrait and facial expressions. Da Vinci employed the technique of sfumato (often referred to as Leonardo's smoke) to produce the Mona Lisa. Other qualities of this work are the simple dress, the dramatic landscape background, the subdued color palette and the extremely smooth nature of the painterly technique, whereby the artist used oils but applied it much like tempera and blended it on the surface to hide any trace of the brush stroke. In the last decades of the 15th century the image of the winding river and path became a pictorial custom for spatial depth. Leonardo had already employed this motif when contributing to the work of his master, Verrocchio, in Baptism of Christ in 1472. With Mona Lisa, Leonardo reverted to the more archaic format of the profile probably due to the royal status of his model. Works such as Mona Lisa are among the most esteemed and reproduced works in the history of art, rivaled only by the masterpieces of Michelangelo. Despite the fact that Leonardo never completed many of his works, and even fewer have survived, he influenced generations of artists and is today regarded as a universal mastermind.

Mona Lisa Art Period

Michelangelo

Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints

In art history, the High Renaissance was a time denoting the pinnacle of the visual arts in the Italian Renaissance. Most agree that the High Renaissance began in the 1490s, with Leonardo's fresco of The Last Supper in Milan and ended in 1527 with the sacking of Rome by the troops of Charles V. The High Renaissance was a time of outstanding artistic production in Italy and the best-known examples of Italian Renaissance painting derive from artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and a young Raphael. The images in the Vatican by Michelangelo and Raphael are the epitome of High Renaissance art and their size, ambitious compositions, detailed figures and iconographic references to classical antiquity, are emblematic of this period. Although typically named as the three giants of the High Renaissance, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael were not of the same age. Leonardo was the eldest; he was twenty-three when Michelangelo was born and thirty-one when Raphael was born. Raphael died in 1520 at the age of 37, the year after Leonardo, but Michelangelo's career spanned a further 45 years.

Mona Lisa Bibliography

To explore further about the life and works of Leonardo da Vinci please select from the following recommended sources. • Brown, David Alan. Leonardo da Vinci: Origins of a Genius. Yale University Press, 1998 • Da Vinci, Leonardo. Drawings. Dover Publications Inc. , 1980 • Jones, Jonathan. The Lost Battles: Leonardo, Michelangelo and the Artistic Duel That Defined the Renaissance. Simon & Schuster Ltd. , 2010 • Kemp, Martin. Leonardo da Vinci: The Marvellous Works of Nature and Man. OUP Oxford, 2007 • Marani, Pietro C. Leonardo Da Vinci: The Complete Paintings. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. , 2003 • Syson, Luke. Leonardo Da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan. National Gallery Company Ltd. , 2011 • Vezzosi, Alessandro. Leonardo da Vinci: Renaissance Man. Thames & Hudson, 1997 • Zollner, Frank & Nathan, Johannes. Leonardo Da Vinci: The Complete Paintings and Drawings. Taschen GmbH, 2007

• Art History
• U.S. History

The Mona Lisa is quite possibly the most well-known piece of painted artwork in the entire world. It was painted by the Leonardo Da Vinci, the famous Italian artist, between 1504 and 1519, and is a half body commission for a woman named Lisa Gherardini. Her husband, Francesco Del Giocondo requested the work by Da Vinci just after the turn of the century. It is perhaps the most studied piece of artwork ever known. The subject’s facial expression has brought about a source of debate for centuries, as her face remains largely enigmatic in the portrait. Originally commissioned in Italy, it is now at home in the French Republic, and hangs on display in the Louvre in Paris.

The work was requested by subject’s husband, Francesco Del Giocondo. Lisa was from a well-known family known through Tuscany and Florence and married to Francesco Del Giocondo who was a very wealthy silk merchant. The work was to celebrate their home’s completion, as well as a celebration of the birth of their second son. Not until 2005 was the identity of Mona Lisa ‘s subject fully understood, though years of speculation have suggested the true identity of the painting’s subject.

Leonardo da Vinci

The Mona Lisa is famous for a variety of reasons. One of the reasons, of course, for the popularity of the painting is the artist himself. Leonardo da Vinci is perhaps the most recognized artist in the world. Not only was Da Vinci an artist, but he was also a scientist, inventor, and a doctor. His study of the human form came from the study of actual human cadavers.

Because of his ability to study from the actual form of the human, he was able to draw and paint it more accurately than any other artist of his time. While the Mona Lisa may be revered as the greatest piece of artwork of all time, Da Vinci was known more for his ability to draw than to paint. Currently there are only a handful of paintings of Da Vinci’s, mostly because of his largely experimental style of art, and his habit of procrastination. Among his most famous sketches is the Vitruvian Man, which anybody who has ever studied anatomy, human biology, or art knows very well.

But most prominently Da Vinci has been known throughout the centuries as a scientist and inventor. Amongst his ideas were a rudimentary helicopter and a tank. Some of his more notable paintings include the Mona Lisa , of course, as well as The Last Supper. He used a variety of different surfaces to paint on, attributing to a lot of his failures (and a lot of his successes) as a painter. Many of his paintings are biblical in nature, but as his talent and notoriety grew, he was commissioned more regularly for portraits.

Techniques Applied

The Mona Lisa is an oil painting, with a cottonwood panel as the surface. It is unusual in that most paintings are commissioned as oil on canvas, but the cottonwood panel is part of what has attributed to the fame of the painting. Because of the medium used for the image, the Mona Lisa has survived for six centuries without ever having been restored–a trait very unusual when considering the time period of the piece.

While most of the artwork of the Renaissance period depicts biblical scenes, it was the style and technique of the paintings of this period which make them distinguished from other eras of artwork. Anatomically correct features are one of the identifiable marks of this period of history in art, and the Mona Lisa stands out amongst the great paintings for the detail in her hands, eyes, and lips. Da Vinci used a shadowing technique at the corners of her lips as well as the corners of her eyes which give her an extremely lifelike appearance and look of amusement. Her portrait is such that to an observer, they are standing right before Lisa Del Giocondo, with the arms of her chair as the barrier between the observer and the subject of the painting.

Da Vinci also created a background with aerial views and a beautiful landscape, but muted from the vibrant lightness of the subject’s face and hands. The technique Da Vinci used in executing the painting left behind no visible brush marks, something that was said to make any master painter lose heart. It is truly a masterpiece.

The Mona Lisa disappeared from the Louvre in France in 1911. Pablo Picasso was on the original list of suspects questioned and jailed for the theft, but he was later exonerated. For two years, the masterpiece was thought to be forever lost. However in 1913, Italian patriot Vincenzo Perugia was arrested for the crime of stealing the famous painting, and the original artwork returned to its home at the Louvre in Paris. Perugia was an employee of the Louvre at the time, and he believed the painting belonged to Italy. For two years he kept the famous piece of art housed in his apartment, but was discovered when he tried selling to a gallery in Florence, Italy.

Over the centuries, the famous painting has withstood attempts at vandalism as well. The first occurrence of vandalism was in 1956 when somebody threw acid at the bottom half, severely damaging the timeless masterpiece. That same year, another vandal threw a rock at the work, removing a chip of paint from near her elbow. It was later painted over. Afterwards, the piece was put under bulletproof glass as a means of protection has kept the painting from further attempts at vandalism and destruction.

This painting has long been caricaturized in cartoons, has been replicated all over the world, and has been studied by scholars and art enthusiasts alike. The painting is the most widely recognized work of art in the entire world. The oil on cottonwood panel commission of Francesco del Giocondo’s used such precise detail to give an unbelievably lifelike appearance to the painting’s subject. This piece of Renaissance artwork completely changed the techniques and style of painting, and is revered around the world as the greatest masterpiece of all time.

Newest Additions

• Malala Yousafzai
• Greta Thunberg
• Frederick Douglass
• Wangari Maathai

Copyright © 2020 · Totallyhistory.com · All Rights Reserved. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contact Us

• Corrections

Who Was the Real Mona Lisa?

The real subject for Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa has been a source of speculation for centuries, and the debate still persists today.

Speculation amongst scholars and historians about the identity of the sitter for Leonardo da Vinci’s mysterious and enigmatic Mona Lisa (1503) has been ongoing for decades, particularly since the artwork shot to fame during the early 20 th century. Is she a real woman, a figment of the artist’s imagination, a subconscious memory of his mother, or even a self-portrait by Da Vinci ? While recent evidence was uncovered in 2005 that suggests her true identity is now cut and dried, other plausible theories continue to be circulated amongst academics.

Lisa del Giocondo (née Gherardini)

Thanks to recent evidence found in 2005, the most likely theory is that the Mona Lisa depicts Lisa Gherardini, or Lisa del Giocondo, the wife of Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo. German historian Dr Armin Schlechter found a handwritten comment dated to 1503 within a manuscript archived at the University of Heidelberg. The note stated that Da Vinci was working on a portrait of Lisa Del Giocondo at the time that the Mona Lisa was most likely to have been painted. 

This evidence chimed with a 16 th century biography of Da Vinci written by Giorgio Vasari , in which he refers to the painting as ‘La Gioconda’ in Italian (which many presumed was derived from her husband’s surname ‘Giocondo’), ‘La Jaconde’ in French, and the Mona Lisa in English. (The ‘Mona’ in the English title is thought to be shortened from the Italian ‘Ma Donna’, meaning ‘My Lady.’) However, Vasari is now known for having invented any gaps in his historical research, making him a somewhat unreliable source.

However, the fact that Da Vinci worked on the painting on and off for 4 years, and carried it with him whenever he was travelling until the end of his life rather than delivering it to a client, makes the notion of the painting as a simple commissioned portrait seem less likely.

Get the latest articles delivered to your inbox

Please check your inbox to activate your subscription, a portrait of the artist as a young man.

Prior to 2005, the theories surrounding Mona Lisa’s true identity or inspiration ranged from the plausible to the far-fetched. One widespread notion was that the Mona Lisa was in fact a veiled self-portrait by none other than Da Vinci himself, with comparisons being made by numerous scholars on the nose alignment and eye shape of the artist as seen in his numerous self-portraits. If this were true, the painting would have had to be based on Da Vinci’s youthful face, rather than his appearance at the time the painting was made, given he was most likely in his 50s by now, therefore bearing little similarity to the radiant young Mona Lisa. 

Gian Giacomo Caprotti

More plausible, perhaps, was the possibility that the Mona Lisa depicted Da Vinci’s young and most favored pupil, Gian Giacomo Caprotti dressed as a woman. Having entered Da Vinci’s studio from the age of 10, the fiery and unpredictable Caprotti had been playfully nicknamed Salai, or ‘little devil’ by Da Vinci, and would most likely have been in his twenties when the Mona Lisa was painted. Rumors suggest he was by now also Da Vinci’s lover, making him a likely candidate for portraying the youthful, yet seductive qualities of the Mona Lisa. Caprotti appeared in many of Da Vinci’s paintings, including his famed depiction of Saint John the Baptist , (1513), and it is clear that there are facial similarities between his striking facial features and those of the somewhat androgynous Mona Lisa. 

A Figment of the Artist’s Imagination

Another widely accepted theory is the possibility that Da Vinci had, in fact, entirely invented the Mona Lisa. Perhaps, some theorists posited, he composed her face from fragments of other women, picking out the most visually appealing facial elements of all his past models in order to create the most idealized beauty. In his 20 th century analysis of Da Vinci, psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud even argued that the Mona Lisa conveyed a repressed memory of the artist’s mother Catherina, and her knowing, comforting smile, chiming with the mother-child theme that had so dominated Da Vinci’s practice. But perhaps the most compelling theory still in circulation today is that the Mona Lisa is in fact a ‘finzione’, or a complete figment of Da Vinci’s imagination, demonstrating the artist’s remarkable, inimitable spirit of invention.

Did Guillaume Apollinaire Steal the Mona Lisa?

By Rosie Lesso MA Contemporary Art Theory, BA Fine Art Rosie is a contributing writer and artist based in Scotland. She has produced writing for a wide range of arts organizations including Tate Modern, The National Galleries of Scotland, Art Monthly, and Scottish Art News, with a focus on modern and contemporary art. She holds an MA in Contemporary Art Theory from the University of Edinburgh and a BA in Fine Art from Edinburgh College of Art. Previously she has worked in both curatorial and educational roles, discovering how stories and history can really enrich our experience of art.

Frequently Read Together

How Did Vincenzo Peruggia Steal the Mona Lisa?

Leonardo da Vinci: Bio, Works, and Trivia

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Giorgio Vasari

“Mona Lisa” by Leonardo da Vinci – Facts About the “Mona Lisa”

The Mona Lisa (c. 1503-1506) by Leonardo da Vinci seemingly needs no introduction as almost all the world is well acquainted with this mysterious beauty and Renaissance masterpiece. This is the painting we will explore in the article below.

Table of Contents

• 1 Artist Abstract: Who Was Leonardo da Vinci?
• 2.1.1 A New Take on Portrait Paintings
• 2.1.2 Interesting Facts About the Mona Lisa
• 2.1.3 The Mona Lisa in Pop Culture
• 3.1 Visual Description: Subject Matter
• 3.3 Texture
• 3.5 Shape and Form
• 4 The Mona Lisa as an Objectified Icon
• 5.1 Why Is the Mona Lisa So Famous?
• 5.2 How Much Is the Mona Lisa Worth?
• 5.3 Who Was Mona Lisa?
• 5.4 Where Is the Mona Lisa Painting?
• 5.5 When Was the Mona Lisa Painted?

Artist Abstract: Who Was Leonardo da Vinci?

Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian painter from the High Renaissance , he was believed to be born in the town called Vinci, or possibly near it. His date of birth was April 15, 1452, and he was believed to have died of a stroke on May 2, 1519 at the Château du Clos-Lucé in Amboise in France.

Da Vinci was known as a genius and polymath; he was an artist, scientist, engineer, draughtsman, architect, and sculptor, among many other skills and talents.

He trained under the Italian Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence. He was commissioned by notable figures like Matthias Corvinus the King of Hungary and Francis I the King of France. He also worked as a military engineer for Cesare Borgia, who was Pope Alexander VI’s son. Some of his famous paintings include The Virgin of the Rocks (c. 1483-1486), The Last Supper (c. 1498), and, of course, the famous Mona Lisa (c. 1503-1506).  

Mona Lisa (c. 1503 – 1517) by Leonardo da Vinci in Context

We will start with a contextual analysis, uncovering interesting facts about the Mona Lisa and answering the often-asked questions like: “Who was Mona Lisa?”, “ Why is the Mona Lisa so famous? ”, “Where is the Mona Lisa painting?”, “When was the Mona Lisa painted?”, and “How much is the Mona Lisa worth?” We will then discuss a formal analysis, providing a visual description of the Mona Lisa painting as well as the artistic techniques Leonardo da Vinci utilized that made this painting so enchanting to look at.   

Contextual Analysis: A Brief Socio-Historical Overview

The widely held consensus on who commissioned the painting Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is Francesco del Giocondo; he was reportedly a silk merchant, and his wife was Lisa del Giocondo (her maiden name was Gherardini), who was the subject for the Mona Lisa . The term “mona” originates from the Italian word Monna , which is utilized as a manner of address.

The famous portrait painting is also titled the Italian “La Gioconda” and the French “La Joconde”, which translates to “jocund” or “jovial”.

Significant information about the Mona Lisa painting, and regarding the question, “Where is the Mona Lisa ?” as well as the woman’s identity originates from the Italian writer and historian Giorgio Vasari and his seminal text The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors and Architects (1550).

Vasari is often quoted as writing, “Leonardo undertook to execute, for Francesco del Giocondo, the portrait of Mona Lisa for his wife, and after he had lingered over it for four years, he left it unfinished; and the work is today in the possession of King Francis of France, at Fontainebleau”.

However, many scholars who have researched Leonardo da Vinci’s life and the “Mona Lisa” painting have disputed the accuracy of Vasari’s account due to his potential lack of information and prior knowledge of Da Vinci’s circumstances at the time he wrote about it.

Furthermore, because the version of the Mona Lisa in the Louvre Museum is reportedly “finished” questions arise about why Vasari mentioned that it was unfinished and whether he was referring to a possible other copy of the Mona Lisa .

Other discovered sources have verified that Leonardo da Vinci worked on a painting of Lisa del Giocondo. Evidence was found in what is known as the “Heidelberg Document”, found by Dr. Armin Schlechter while he was cataloging the documents. He saw a note, which was dated October 1503 and written by Agostino Vespucci, who was a Florentine clerk and chancellor, on a 1477 copy from one of the letters of the Roman philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero.

On that note, Vespucci wrote about Leonardo da Vinci’s project of painting Lisa del Giocondo. He also compared Da Vinci’s work to Apelles of Kos, who was an ancient Greek painter.  

However, apparently, the Mona Lisa painting was never given to the commissioner, Francesco del Giocondo, and Da Vinci kept it with him until he died, possibly also adding the finishing touches to it. Reportedly, when he moved to France in 1516 to live and work at the Château du Clos-Lucé in Amboise, he also worked on the painting and left it to his apprentice known as Salaì. There is wide scholarly debate around the notion that there was more than one copy of the Mona Lisa , which makes the question we raised earlier, “Where is the Mona Lisa ?”, more complex.

Notably, the copy at the Prado Museum is thought to have been painted by Da Vinci’s apprentice Salaì, and possibly copied while Leonardo da Vinci was working on his original copy.

Furthermore, when the Prado copy was cleaned it also provided more visual information in terms of the colors utilized as it did not have the yellow layer that the Louvre’s Mona Lisa has. Additionally, the composition also depicts two columns on either side of the Mona Lisa, which are not in full view in the Louvre’s painting.

A New Take on Portrait Paintings

Leonardo da Vinci, who painted the Mona Lisa , depicted the half-length portrait in a new way compared to the common profile (side) formats of portrait paintings. Here we see the sitter almost completely facing us, the viewers.

This more frontal format was also believed to influence numerous other artists after the “Mona Lisa” painting.

It was also believed that Leonardo da Vinci took inspiration from the Northern Renaissance painters who painted portraits in a similar manner to that of the Mona Lisa . A notable example that has been pointed out includes Portrait of a Young Man at Prayer (c. 1485-1494) by Hans Hemling.

Interesting Facts About the Mona Lisa

It is also interesting to note that the Mona Lisa has been stolen and vandalized on several occasions. In 1911, she was stolen by the Italian Vincenzo Peruggia, who worked at the Louvre and wanted to return it to its rightful place in Italy.

He had the painting for around two years until it was discovered after he wanted to sell it to the Uffizi Gallery director who alerted the police.

In 1956, Hugo Unjaga Villegas, who was from Bolivia, threw a rock/stone at the Mona Lisa painting. Reportedly he was quoted as stating that he had a stone in his pocket and had the idea to throw it at the painting. 

The “Mona Lisa” painting was again the victim of a woman, Tomoko Yonezu, at the Tokyo National Museum, who sprayed red paint protesting the museum’s policies regarding access for disabled people.

On another occasion in 2009 at the Louvre Museum, a Russian woman broke a teacup against the Mona Lisa painting out of anger for not being granted French citizenship. Recently, in May of this year (2022), a man dressed in a wig, a woman’s outfit, and in a wheelchair, threw a piece of cake at the beloved painting of Lisa del Giocondo, the Mona Lisa .

His actions were reportedly motivated to bring attention to climate change, exclaiming to everyone there, “Think of the Earth! There are people who are destroying the Earth! Think about it. Artists tell you: think of the Earth. That’s why I did this.”

On all the occasions the “Mona Lisa” was vandalized, the painting itself was not badly damaged, and it was mostly protected by the glass casing that surrounded it.

The Mona Lisa in Pop Culture

The Mona Lisa has become more than a painting, it has become a centerpiece in the art world. From starting as an icon of portraiture during the Renaissance era to the burgeoning overstimulation of imagery and information in the 21st century, the Mona Lisa become an icon of pop culture, oftentimes as parody and satire. 

Dada artists like Marcel Duchamp produced L .H.O.O.Q (1919), which is a postcard depicting the Mona Lisa with a mustache and goatee drawn on her face. The letters “L.H.O.O.Q” are written underneath with various scribbles on the postcard. Reportedly, Duchamp was playing on the ideas of gender reversal.

This was also known as one of his “ready-mades”, which were ordinary and everyday objects that were referred to as art.   

Then, before 1919, the French artist Arthur Sapeck (his original name was Eugène Bataille) created Le Rire (The Laugh) (1883), which featured the Mona Lisa with a pipe in her mouth. The Pop artist Andy Warhol also re-created his own depiction of the Mona Lisa in his painting titled Colored Mona Lisa (1963), which depicts several iterations or duplications of the portrait on one canvas in different colors, namely, pink, yellow, black, and blue in his characteristic silk-screen prints.

This was not Warhol’s only rendition of the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. He also created the Mona Lisa (1963), which depicts four images of her in two different formats, made from acrylic and silkscreen on one canvas.

From oil paint to ink, the “Mona Lisa” has also been reproduced by the contemporary artist Lennie Mace, who drew her with a ballpoint pen, titled “Mona a’la Mace” (1993). This has been referred to as a “PENting”.

Beyond modern and contemporary art , the Mona Lisa has also been featured in films and on book covers. References to the Mona Lisa include films like Horton Hears a Who (2008), Elf (2003), Mona Lisa Smile (2003), and The Mona Lisa Identity (2019), and we will find her on the book cover of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code (2003). 

Formal Analysis: A Brief Compositional Overview

In the formal analysis below, we will take a closer look at the Mona Lisa painting, providing a visual description, and the notable techniques utilized by Leonardo da Vinci. We will outline these in terms of the primary art elements like color , texture, line, shape, form, and space.

Visual Description: Subject Matter

The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci depicts a portrait of a woman sitting in an armchair (the armchair is known as a “pozzetto” chair); her body is mostly turned facing us, the viewers. Her left arm (on our right) rests on the left side of the armchair while her right hand is gently placed over her left hand.

This gives her the appearance of slightly leaning to her left as she sits comfortably, yet upright. 

The Mona Lisa is dressed in soft silky garments gathered around her body and there appears to be a garment over her left shoulder, which is possibly a scarf. Her bodice is pleated with a golden embroidered trimming, which also reveals her upper neck and chest area.

The Mona Lisa ’s hair is loose and hangs to just below her shoulders, slightly visible on both sides of her revealed upper chest area. There is a fine dark veil over her head that appears to hang down the length of her hair. She is also not wearing any jewelry.

Behind the seated figure of the “Mona Lisa” is an extensive landscape, the closest appears to be a dry area of land with a winding road to the left that leads to a large body of water further into the distance.

To the right, in the distance below, is a bridge with what appears to be another winding way that leads to the body of water in the distance that seems to lead to an ocean further ahead. Surrounding this landscape are jagged mountainous protrusions.

The landscape behind the Mona Lisa has been a topic of wide debate.

Some believe it is an imaginary setting by Leonardo da Vinci or a backdrop that the artist utilized for the sitting, while others have estimated that it is in fact based on a real scene from the Italian countryside. Furthermore, Lisa del Giocondo, who was Mona Lisa , appears to be sitting on a balcony or porch, otherwise referred to as a loggia in Italian.

This is evident by the long vertical structure behind her as well as indications of pillars on either side of her.

The Mona Lisa painting has faded in color over the years due to natural discoloration of the oil paint, which has left it in yellowed and brown hues. Conservation efforts like varnishing have also stripped some of its layers of colors.

However, some of the colors in the “Mona Lisa” painting would have included greens, blues, reds, and skin-tone, or flesh, colors. 

If we look at the tactile texture of the Mona Lisa painting, the oil paint creates a smooth texture over the composition. There are also implied textures, for example, the fabrics from the Mona Lisa’s clothing like the soft and translucent texture in her veil over her hair and the silky folds from her dress sleeves, the soft curls from her hair, and the smooth and fairness of her skin.

The landscape behind her creates a contrasting effect due to the implied roughness of the rocky mountain terrain.

Leonardo da Vinci applied the sfumato technique , which we will notice in many of his artworks. The word sfumato originates from Italian, which means “vague” or “soft”, and it consists of the subtle “blending” of tones or shades so that they naturally transition. We see this subtle “gradation” or transition of light and dark, as some sources describe it, in Mona Lisa’s mouth and its corners as well as the corners of her eyes.

This gives a more naturalistic effect to the composition and the subject matter, which also eliminates obvious outlines.

Because the Mona Lisa painting is a portrait, the orientation is vertical, which gives it implied vertical linearity. However, the landscape behind her emphasizes horizontal lines created by the waterscape. Additionally, there is also a horizontal line created behind the Mona Lisa from the balcony.

Furthermore, there are curved lines created by the winding pathway in the distance, which creates a subtle contrasting effect with the main subject sitting in the foreground, who also has various curved lines created by the fabric folds as well as her overall voluptuousness.

Shape and Form

The Mona Lisa painting appears mostly organic in its shape and form, which further heightens the naturalism. This is evident in the figure of Mona Lisa herself as well as the landscape behind her, which is a representation of nature portraying the natural curvatures created by the pathway and the water flow, as well as the sharp edges from the craggy terrain.

Leonardo da Vinci utilized aerial or atmospheric perspective to give the illusion of depth and three-dimensional space. This was done by creating a hazy or blurred background, as we see in the distant mountains, compared to the foreground, which we see in the figure of the Mona Lisa, who appears clearer and in focus.

Furthermore, depth is created through scale. For example, the bridge to the right in the landscape, as well as the natural terrain in the background appear smaller in scale compared to the subject matter in the foreground.

The Mona Lisa as an Objectified Icon

It is important to note that there is extensive research and conjecture around the Mona Lisa painting, from there being several copies, if the landscape is in fact real or fictional, to the identity of the sitter herself, some believe it was Salaì and others believe it could have been Leonardo da Vinci’s mother.

The Mona Lisa has become a “celebrity” among paintings, the object of many affections and outrages. While we have not covered all the facts, theories, and conspiracies about the Mona Lisa in this article, we have outlined a few of its important aspects and we encourage you to conduct deeper research about this famous portrait painting.

Leonardo da Vinci, who painted the “Mona Lisa”, created a timeless masterpiece that will undoubtedly raise eyebrows for even more centuries to come. In the words of Giorgio Vasari when he described this sitting beauty: “And in this work of Leonardo there was a smile so pleasing, that it was a thing more divine than human to behold, and it was held to be something marvelous, in that it was not other than alive.”

Take a look at our  Mona Lisa  painting webstory here!

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the mona lisa so famous.

The Mona Lisa (c. 1503-1517) by Leonardo da Vinci has achieved a high level of fame for the mystery surrounding its inception, the subject matter, as well as its provenance. There are numerous theories surrounding it and many unanswered questions. One of the most mysterious qualities that make this painting so famous is the Mona Lisa’s smile. 

How Much Is the Mona Lisa Worth?

The Mona Lisa (c. 1503-1517) is believed to be over $800 to $900 million in insurance value, which was estimated from 2021. In 1962, its insurance value was estimated at $100 million.

Who Was Mona Lisa?

The subject of the Mona Lisa (c. 1503-1517) was the Italian Lisa Gherardini, who later became Lisa del Giocondo. She was married to Francesco del Giocondo, who was a wealthy tradesman. Some believe the subject of the Mona Lisa could have been Isabella d’Este, but evidence suggests against the proposition.  

Where Is the Mona Lisa Painting?

The Mona Lisa (c. 1503-1517) by Leonardo da Vinci is housed at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. It was reportedly installed in the Louvre after the French Revolution; some sources suggest it during 1797 and others during 1804. Before then, it was reportedly first at the Palace of Fontainebleau and then at the Palace of Versailles.

When Was the Mona Lisa Painted?

Leonardo da Vinci, who painted the Mona Lisa , was believed to have started the oil painting from 1503 to around 1517. It was believed that he worked on the painting until before his death and that there was more than one copy of the painting, which he left for his assistant, whose name was Salaì. 

Alicia du Plessis is a multidisciplinary writer. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Art History and Classical Civilization, as well as two Honors, namely, in Art History and Education and Development, at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. For her main Honors project in Art History, she explored perceptions of the San Bushmen’s identity and the concept of the “Other”. She has also looked at the use of photography in art and how it has been used to portray people’s lives.

Alicia’s other areas of interest in Art History include the process of writing about Art History and how to analyze paintings. Some of her favorite art movements include Impressionism and German Expressionism. She is yet to complete her Masters in Art History (she would like to do this abroad in Europe) having given it some time to first develop more professional experience with the interest to one day lecture it too.

Alicia has been working for artincontext.com since 2021 as an author and art history expert. She has specialized in painting analysis and is covering most of our painting analysis.

Learn more about Alicia du Plessis and the Art in Context Team .

Cite this Article

Alicia, du Plessis, ““Mona Lisa” by Leonardo da Vinci – Facts About the “Mona Lisa”.” Art in Context. August 31, 2022. URL: https://artincontext.org/mona-lisa-by-leonardo-da-vinci/

du Plessis, A. (2022, 31 August). “Mona Lisa” by Leonardo da Vinci – Facts About the “Mona Lisa”. Art in Context. https://artincontext.org/mona-lisa-by-leonardo-da-vinci/

du Plessis, Alicia. ““Mona Lisa” by Leonardo da Vinci – Facts About the “Mona Lisa”.” Art in Context , August 31, 2022. https://artincontext.org/mona-lisa-by-leonardo-da-vinci/ .

Similar Posts

“Nymphs and Satyr” by William-Adolphe Bouguereau – Ethereal Art

“Lady With an Ermine” by Leonardo da Vinci – An In-Depth Analysis

“The Creation of Adam” by Michelangelo – An In-Depth Analysis

“The Last Judgement” Michelangelo – The Sistine Chapel Masterpiece

Impressionist Paintings – A Look at the Best Impressionism Artworks

“The Gulf Stream” by Winslow Homer – The Perils of the Sea

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

The Most Famous Artists and Artworks

Discover the most famous artists, paintings, sculptors…in all of history! 

MOST FAMOUS ARTISTS AND ARTWORKS

Discover the most famous artists, paintings, sculptors!

Mona Lisa - The Story Behind The Fame

Art journey stories - 27 april 2021.

Millions come from afar hoping to glimpse at Mona Lisa. Yet of five Leonardo da Vinci paintings in the Louvre, only one has admirers lining up. Why?

Is it her smile? Why is the Mona Lisa famous? Photo © Musée du Louvre / Michel Urtado.

There are two sides to Mona Lisa's story. First, that it's the most famous artwork in the world. Second, hidden behind the fame, lays a rare masterpiece by one of history's most influential artists, Leonardo da Vinci. To understand Mona Lisa, one must first discover the accident of fate that made her a global icon. Only then can we marvel at the painting underneath.

A Thief Alone In The Louvre Museum

Reconstitution of the theft of Mona Lisa.

It was a quiet morning in August 1911. The Louvre was nearly empty, as it was the weekly closure day during the summer holidays. A man succeeded in entering the museum and navigate its corridors without being noticed. There was an embarrassment of riches to tempt him, starting with a 140-carat diamond . Or he could have taken gold objects to melt them and would have never been caught. Yet the man walked past immense gilded frames, seeking a painting that would fit under his coat. Vincenzo Peruggia had previously worked in the Louvre, fixing glass into frames to protect pictures, how he knew his way around. Peruggia was after an Italian masterpiece; the problem was they were way too big. Except one, Mona Lisa, the right size for his jacket. He seized it, quickly opening the frame he had helped to make. Then hid the painting under his white worker smock. He still had to get out, and the first hurdle was a locked service door. Taking apart the doorknob was useless; he was stuck. A plumber, thinking he was an employee, kindly unlocked the door for him. The last obstacle was a heavy door leading to the street. It was open. The following day, a painter was about to do a copy of la Joconde , as she is known in France. Where was she? Who's in charge? The director, on holiday, had boasted "steal the Mona Lisa? That would be like thinking that someone could steal the towers of Notre Dame cathedral." And the Arts Minister was away, having ordered, "don't call me unless the Louvre burns down or the Joconde is stolen." Mona Lisa was gone.

Keystone Cops Seek The Mona Lisa

A crowd looking at the four nails that held Mona Lisa, or leaving roses. The police guarding the entrance of the Louvre.

No less than 60 policemen scoured the Louvre in search of clues. The top officer in charge sounded confident. "The theft took place on closing day, we know who came in and out, this investigation will only take two to three days." Two Germans, the poet Guillaume Apollinaire and Pablo Picasso were arrested. All passengers of an ocean liner about to set sail were searched. In New York, police searched another ship for the painting. Yet Peruggia had left a thumbprint on the glass securing the painting. His fingerprints and photo were already in police files, as he had been arrested before. The police knew he had helped make the protective glass and that he wasn't at work at the time of the robbery. Twice, Peruggia was asked to come to the police station and never came. The police turned up at his flat and believed his explanations. A detective searched the small room, failing to see the painting. While all the museum employees had their fingerprints taken, the police didn't ask Peruggia for his. They also forgot to add his name to the list of fingerprints to check against police records. Several Louvre curators pointed towards glaziers as prime suspects. They argued that someone involved in Mona Lisa's box frame construction would have known how to open it in minutes. A curator investigated, listing all the names involved, including Peruggia's. The examining judge ordered the police to look into this. The police, treating curators with contempt, chose to ignore the correct lead. Mona Lisa was only two miles from the Louvre, in Peruggia's cupboard.

Competition For Mona Lisa Crackpot Theories

A caricature of the public admiring the nail used to hold Mona Lisa. Actor Raimu as la Joconde, for his successful play 'she's got the smile', only one month after the theft. The American press joining in the fun.

Days after the theft, a contest for excentric stories started. A newspaper interviewed Mona Lisa; others speculated that it must be a 'crime of passion.' Or that Arsène Lupin was involved. Movies and popular songs poked fun at the whole thing. Newspapers offered financial rewards for information. For over two years, hundreds of false leads were sent to the police and the press. Any story about the painting would help sell millions of copies. The hunger for headlines about Mona Lisa keeps on to this day. It went as far as opening tombs, trying to find Mona Lisa's skeleton . Then hope to do a facial reconstruction and reveal if she is or not the woman painted by Leonardo. While it might look like harmless fun, this ever-growing need for outlandish revelations directly endangers the Mona Lisa. In 1956, it started with an acid attack, then a man casting a rock at it. In 1974 it was red paint. And in 2009, a coffee cup .

Mona Lisa after having been attacked with a rock in 1956. Glass shards did damage the painting. Photo archives de la DMF / Musée du Louvre.

Theft Made Mona Lisa Famous For Being Famous

As soon as Mona Lisa returned to the Louvre, a fence kept the public at bay, and a policeman kept watch. Before the theft, there was no line in front of Mona Lisa.

Being stolen turned a painting into an overnight sensation. A witness described being "in the company of numerous other curious visitors, to stare at the empty space on the wall of the Louvre where the famous lady had hung." Had Peruggia stolen any other artwork -provided it could fit under his coat-, it would be the subject of books and movies. The same painting that no one looks at today would be mobbed. Before the theft, Mona Lisa did get attention from art lovers and artists who wanted to learn from masters. Exactly like for the Venus de Milo , they praised it as an artistic wonder. And it's not like admiring the painting was a pleasure restricted to an elite. An 1867 guidebook explained the Mona Lisa to the non-specialist public.

"One of the Louvre's most precious jewels. The very famous portrait of Monna Lisa, also known as la Joconde. Few masterpieces inspire such enthusiastic admiration as this painting. Not everyone will understand its merit at first glance, but after a few moments of attention, the beauty of this work will shine through."

Entry to the Louvre was free, so the only requirement to appreciate the Mona Lisa was "a few moments of attention." The robbery gave Mona Lisa two identities. The old one was a masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci. The new, overbearing one, the myth. Why bulletproof glass is needed to protect Mona Lisa.

Stole Mona Lisa, All He Got Was A Lousy Jail Term

Peruggia's modest Parisian room.

After having kept Mona Lisa for two years, Peruggia saw in Italian newspaper adverts by antique dealers offering good prices. With the Mona Lisa hidden in the bottom of a trunk, he took the train to Florence. There, the merchant he negotiated with contacted the Italian authorities. The painting was under his bed, and Peruggia was arrested. He claimed he only was trying to return it to Italy, believing Napoléon stole it. But money was in his mind. Before the theft, his notebook contained names like Rockefeller and Carnegie, the billionaires of the time. He traveled to London to try to sell Mona Lisa. Peruggia wrote to his family that "this fortune that I've been seeking and dreaming about for a long time is about to become reality." Peruggia's claims of patriotic duty got him a lenient sentence, seven months in prison. During the trial, the expert psychiatrist described him as simple-minded. He called himself a "poor devil." Yet a man who stole the Mona Lisa without being noticed and escaped the French police. Who crossed the Italian border without being caught. On the other hand, what profit did he make? Peruggia couldn't even pay his hotel bill. The man who had committed the most notorious art theft in history didn't make any money from it. While the thief earned short-lasting fame, the Mona Lisa became world-famous. Everywhere she went, Florence, Rome, and Milan, crowds gathered. A newspaper described "Florentines in riot over 'Mona Lisa'. Crowd of 30,000 sweeps police aside in mad rush to see stolen painting."

A Superstar Travels To America, Japan And Russia

Presidential welcome, Washington, 1963. In the Met, with up to 63,675 visitors per day, a few seconds per person. Mona Lisa in Moscow, 1974. - Photos R. Knudsen / JFK Presidential Library ; Metropolitan ; A. Konkov, V. Cheredintsev/TASS .

Two world wars forced the Louvre to send its treasures away for safety. In 1939, the number one artwork to care for was Mona Lisa. In 1944, with the Allied bombings, it was essential to prevent accidentally destroying the Louvre masterpieces hidden across the French countryside. The message read by BBC radio confirming that the Allies had received the location of the art treasures was "la Joconde a le sourire." The Mona Lisa is smiling. In 1963, Mona Lisa traveled to the US, greeted by President John F. Kennedy .

"This painting is the second lady that the people of France have sent to the United States, and though she will not stay with us as long as the Statue of Liberty, our appreciation is equally great" .

JFK also added that in 1913, when "Mona Lisa was carried through the streets to the Uffizi Gallery, people bared their heads as a homage to royalty." Nearly 1.6 million people queued to see her at the National Gallery and the Metropolitan Museum. Surrounded by police and security, no wonder one might think royalty has arrived. Her last travel was in 1974, to Tokyo and then Moscow. By that time, she hid behind bulletproof glass. The most famous artwork in the world is also probably the most viewed, if only for a few seconds. That might be why, after a long wait, many viewers are sorely disappointed.

What Is So Special About The Mona Lisa?

Mona Lisa, 1503-1518. Acquired in 1518 by King Francis I, kept in the French Royal collection, then the Louvre museum since 1797. Photo © Musée du Louvre.

– Why is it so small? — It is not small, on the contrary, it is the biggest portrait that Leonardo has ever painted. Like all portraits, it is roughly lifesize. – She looks at you! — Yes, like plenty of great artworks. If a painter can turn a few drops of color into living eyes, an opening into someone's soul, then the painting is most likely a masterpiece. – Her smile is enigmatic . — More on the smile below. – We don't know who she is! — The painting has been brought to France by Leonardo da Vinci himself in 1516 and has been there ever since.

Why Is It A Masterpiece?

A simple answer would be that it is a Leonardo da Vinci. There are only around fifteen paintings by the Renaissance genius, and five are in the Louvre. Yet, none of his paintings are signed. Leonardo was born at a time when an artist was considered little better than a craftsman. An artist made a living thanks to a patron , a powerful person commissioning artworks. When Leonardo searched for work, he wrote the Duke of Milan a CV-like letter . In it, he made a ten-point list of the things he could do. Nine were about war machines. The last point was that he also was an architect. And almost as an afterthought, that he could also paint anything, as well as anyone. Today we see art as something artists make out of their own free will and science entirely separate from art. But this strange mix between engineering, anatomy, science, and art is one of the reasons why Leonardo's art is extraordinary. With Mona Lisa, at least three aspects explain why the painting is a masterpiece. — The eyes. Leonardo's scientific, anatomical and artistic pursuits allowed him to paint the "mental movements" of a figure. — Leonardo's technique, the sfumato . — That enigmatic smile.

Meaning Of A Smile, Lisa del Giocondo's Story

To understand the rarity of Lisa's smile, one must remember the Bonfire of Vanities took place only half a dozen years before Leonardo painted a smiling woman. Instruments of joy, music, poetry, playing cards, painting, and sculpture masterpieces were all thrown into the fire. One must also realize that few people had the privilege to have their portraits done by a master. Religious figures, Dukes, and Kings needed to be seen as solemn and powerful. An artist had to do whatever the client requested. That is how masterpieces show someone charging to victory when the person depicted had never been near a battlefield. Leonardo was pestered by a noble lady begging him to do her portrait. Instead of taking this prestigious work, he took a commission from a silk merchant, Francesco del Giocondo. His bride, Lisa Gherardini, became Madonna -Madam- Lisa del Giocondo . The Giocondo family, Francesco, Lisa and the four children just moved into a new home. The portrait was meant to hang into the Giocondo's household. It was to be proudly looked at by a husband, lovingly by the children—the first reason to have Lisa smile, an expression of family bliss . The other is the meaning of her name, Giocondo. It comes from the Latin jocundus , agreeable, pleasant. Still used today as jocund, meaning in a happy mood, merry, cheerful. Leonardo added symbols revealing names in portraits. For Ginevra Benci , the gineper tree behind her means 'Ginevra'. For Cecilia Gallerani , the ermine was a play of words for her name and the Duke of Milan. For Madonna Lisa del Giocondo, shortened into Monna Lisa , the smile is her name . La Gioconda, la Joconde, the happy one.

Leonardo Da Vinci, The Painter Of Smiles

Leonardo da Vinci; John the Baptist , the Virgin of the Rocks , Saint Anne and the Virgin Mary . Photos © Musée du Louvre.

One should first walk the length of a museum or browse an art book and count how many figures smile. Then look at Leonardo's work. The Virgin Mary lovingly smiles at her son. John the Baptist grins widely. One could almost see Lisa's smile as Leonardo's signature. Leonardo never delivered the painting to Francesco and Lisa. He kept it, free to express his ideal vision. He gave an unassuming woman the nobility of a lady of high rank, and the majesty of a Virgin Mary. He took the painting to France, selling it to King Francis I. Then the artist Vasari wrote about Leonardo's life , with particular praise for the Mona Lisa.

"There is a smile so pleasing that it seems more divine than human, and it was considered a wondrous thing that it was as lively as the smile of the living original. It can be said that portrait was painted in a way that would cause every brave artist to tremble and fear, whoever he might be" .

Vasari noted the artist's figures' grace, tenderness, smiles, and joy resulted from "Leonardo's intellect and genius." Speculation about Mona Lisa's identity continues. Vasari described that Leonardo did "for Francesco del Giocondo, the portrait of Monna Lisa, his wife" . That the painting was "at Fontainebleau today in the possession of King Francis." A document from 1503 specifically mentions Leonardo painting "the head of Lisa del Giocondo." One could argue that the painting is not signed, and no inscription gives the name of the woman. This is correct, but the only reason why this is not a subject for scholars is her fame.

Mona Lisa, An Elusive Ghost

Painted on a wood panel, it is a fragile masterpiece needing constant attention and regular study. Usually, an X-ray resembles a black and white version of the painting. Mona Lisa disappears on X-rays; something to do with the sfumato . Renaissance painters had two ways to create the illusion of three dimensions for faces. Painting black outlines, almost like a colored sketch. Or the new technique of oil to paint transparent layers of color. A nose is either delineated with a line or built up with varying hues of skin color. Leonardo studied clouds, muscles, waterfalls, always experimenting. He used another painting method, the sfumato. Sfumato means 'smoky', like a 'transparent smokiness.' Others employed translucent colors to paint flesh, Leonardo painted with transparent shading. He added thin layers of shade to end up with a vaporous transition between light and shadow. He wrote that shadows build up volume and bring grace to faces. "The gracefulness of shadows, smoothly deprived of every sharp contour". All the layers of shadows put together are thinner than human hair, why Mona Lisa vanishes from X-rays. Another way to explain its quality is to consider the situation of the Italian experts in 1913. They had to decide if the painting stolen by Peruggia was the real thing or not. A mistake meant losing their reputation and creating a diplomatic incident. One needs all sorts of studies before giving a verdict about a painting's authenticity. For Mona Lisa, the experts looked at the sfumato, eyes, and smile. Within a few seconds, they just knew. No wonder, Leonardo painted Mona Lisa at the height of his powers. He spent years working on it, not to please a Pope or King, but himself. Mona Lisa represents the culmination of Leonardo's genius.

To discover five Leonardo da Vinci paintings in person, please inquire about a private tour of the Louvre .

How To Enjoy The Mona Lisa

How can one appreciate Mona Lisa? Forget the myth, the crackpot theories, the fame. Lower expectations, this is not an immense painting, it only is the lifesize portrait of a lady. Start with a fresh eye. Follow the old guidebook recommendation, "after a few moments of attention, the beauty of this work will shine through." Look at it for what it is, the portrait of a woman, no more, no less. There is no hidden meaning, no mystery. Looking calmly and intently is all that's needed. Wander between the detailed face and atmospheric background. Then concentrate on the eyes, nose, and mouth. It should be when one realizes what Leonardo could do with barely visible layers of shade. Between the crowds, the distance from the bulletproof glass encasing the painting, it's not feasible anymore, but there is a solution. View a high-definition photograph and look up close, for as long as you wish, the Mona Lisa. A photo will never replace the real thing, but this is the most relaxing way to get up close. And with the dedicated Louvre webpage , view in detail Mona Lisa under normal light, infrared light, radiography, and more.

— The Louvre curators who informed the police that the glaziers were prime suspects of the theft of the Mona Lisa were Paul Leprieur, Jean Guiffrey, Pierre Marcel, and Louis Pujalet. — The Italian experts in Florence were Giovanni Poggi, director of the Uffizi, and Corrado Ricci, director of the Fine Arts for the Italian ministry, as well as Luigi Cavenaghi, who restored Leonardo's Last Supper. — The visitor of the Louvre in 1911 wondering at the empty space was Franz Kafka. And to get an idea of how the Mona Lisa might look like without its varnish, one can look at the "Prado Mona Lisa" workshop copy. — Jérôme Coignard. Une femme disparaît – Le vol de La Joconde au Louvre en 1911. — Noah Charney. The Thefts of the Mona Lisa: On Stealing the World's Most Famous Painting. — Cécile Scailliérez. Léonard de Vinci, La Joconde. — La piste du miroitier avait été signalée au juge instructeur mais la sureté ne daigna pas se déranger. — M. Leprieur et M. Jean Guiffrey, qui dès le premier jour ont indiqué la bonne piste en signalant à la justice les ouvriers employés à la mise sous verre des tableaux et en fournissant une liste sur laquelle se trouvait le nom de Peruggia. — Giorgio Vasari. Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects. Vasari had never seen the Mona Lisa, but was compiling, thirty years after Leonardo's death, information from people who worked for him and knew him. The fact a man who never saw the Mona Lisa could write in such detail about its quality shows how much impact it must have had on others. — Carlo Pedretti. Leonardo da Vinci, or, The glory of painting. — Dr. Laurence de Viguerie; Dr. Philippe Walter; Eric Laval; Bruno Mottin; Dr. V. Armando Solé. Revealing the sfumato Technique of Leonardo da Vinci by X‐Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy. — Arnaud Bizot. La Joconde kidnappée. Le vol qui déchaina les passions. — Bertrand Jestaz. François Ier, SalaÌ et les tableaux de Léonard. Revue de l'Art Année 1999.

Facts About Leonardo’s Mona Lisa, The World’s Most Famous Painting

For centuries, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa has fascinated people worldwide. It’s arguably the most famous painting in art history.

Leonardo worked on it paintstakingly between 1503 and 1519 while living in Florence and Milan.

Today, the Mona Lisa , measuring just 30 x 21 inches, is displayed in Paris’ Louvre. It’s placed under shatterproof glass on a standalone blue wall. The painting even has its own room, drawing millions of visitors every year.

In fact, 80% of Louvre visitors come for the sole purpose of seeing the Mona Lisa . It’s a 21st century object of pilgrimage. Taking a selfie with her is a rite of passage.

>>> Click here to pre-book a timed entry Louvre ticket

Facts About Leonardo’s Mona Lisa

Here’s everything you need to know about the  Mona Lisa , including facts about the painting’s history, secret theories, innovations, and knockoffs. 

1. Description Of The Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa is reputedly a depiction of Lisa Gherardini, an Italian noblewoman and wife of the cloth and silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo.

It’s painted on poplar wood, not canvas. Lisa is shown as a seemingly ordinary young woman.

She’s wearing a simple house dress and delicately veiled. She sits in a loggia in front of either an imaginary or Tuscan landscape.

Lisa sits with her arms folded with her hands on a chair, as she gazes out at the viewer. Her irises are at the sides of her eyes. This creates the effect of her eyes following the viewer.

She’s an active participant in the viewing. Not just an object to be admired.

The convention at the time was to paint all portraits of women as symbolic representations of the Virgin Mary.

Leonardo adopted this trope, but in his own unique way. He portrayed Lisa as herself, without the usual distracting trappings of wealth, gaudy jewelry etc. There were no physical symbols to identify her.

The Mona Lisa seems like a vision of peace and harmony. But there’s that famously enigmatic smile. It’s a perplexing smile, slightly seductive. Is it maternal? Is it flirtatious? Only the viewer can decide.

And what about the missing eyebrows? Some historians say that was how high class ladies rolled in the Renaissance. But scans have showed that the Mona Lisa once had eyebrows and eyelashes, which simply vanished over time or through poor restorations.

2. History of the Mona Lisa

Leonardo received the commission in 1503. At the time, portraits were rare. Only the wealthiest citizens or royalty could commission a portrait. The portraits would then convey a status on the family.

Leonardo never relinquished the Mona Lisa , carrying it with him at all times. The painting was in perpetual process. Year after year, Leonardo added small subtle and perfecting strokes and glazes. The painting has been heavily reworked over time.

At the time, the portrait was known as La Giaconda . It was art historian and artist Giorgio Vasari that first gave it the name of Mona Lisa in his Lives of the Artists . Mona comes from the word madonna.

Leonardo never delivered the portrait to its probable patron. Instead, Leonardo took it with him when he went to work as a court artist for King Francis I in the Loire Valley .

Why? One theory is that Lisa was having an affair with Giuliano de Medici, the brother of Lorenzo the Magnificent.

He had moved to France. Perhaps Leonardo was bringing him the portrait? An affair would explain why Mona Lisa is wearing only an intimate house dress that would never be seen in public. And it would also explain why she’s not wearing a wedding ring in the portrait.

Or, perhaps the Mona Lisa was just Leonardo’s muse, his favorite painting. One he couldn’t bear to be parted from it. This is the theory you’ll find in the fictional book about Leonardo and Michelangelo, Oil and Marble.

After Leonardo’s death, his heirs sold the Mona Lisa to Francis I. The king kept it at the Chateau de Fontainebleau. King Louis XIV later moved the painting to Versailles . Following the French Revolution, it was moved to the Louvre .

3. Leonardo’s Artistic Innovations in the Mona Lisa

The Mona Lisa represents several artistic innovations. The first thing is that it’s half length in 3/4 profile. Previously, portraits were just busts, usually shown sideways with the figure in stark profile. It was a static stiff pose.

Leonardo turned the head to the viewer, twisted the position, and added hands. This had the effect of making the portrait look much more natural and full of movement. Leonardo first did that in his Portrait of Genevra de’Benci (now in the National Gallery in Washington D.C .)

The Mona Lisa is also among the world’s first portraits to depict the sitter before an imaginary landscape using an aerial perspective. Behind Lisa is a hazy and rocky landscape. The sensuous curves of the sitter’s hair and clothing are echoed in the shape of the landscape behind her.

Third, it’s unusual for a Renaissance portrait to depict a person smiling. The smile may be the result of watching entertainment. According to art historian Giorgio Vasari, Leonardo brought musicians to portrait sitting to elevate the tedium of posing for so long.

Fourth, the painting has Leonardo’s signature sfumato technique. Sfumato means smoke. It results in forms “without lines or borders, in the manner of smoke or beyond the focus plane.”

Leonardo loved oil paint and its translucency. He loved that it dried slowly, giving him time to rework lines and shading.

Leonardo used both brushes and his own fingertips and palms to blend the paint and create an atmospheric quality. He didn’t want a single brush stroke to be perceptible.

4. Who Is the Mona Lisa ?

It’s generally accepted that the sitter is Lisa del Giocondo. But, it’s not definitively proven and theories abound.

Some theorists have been proposed that the model is Leonardo’s mother or his young lover and pupil Salai. (Mona Lisa is an anagram for Mon Salai.)

Others posit that Mona Lisa is an androgynous composite portrait of a male and female. Our a self portrait of Leonardo in drag. Leonardo experts and the Louvre dispute these fanciful claims.

In 2008, the University of Heidelberg says it has the answer. The Mona Lisa is Lisa. In a cache of notes written in 1503, a Florentine official, Agostino Vespucci, writes that the artist was working on a portrait of Lisa Gioconda.

5. Why Is The Mona Lisa So Famous?

What makes this small portrait of a Florentine woman so famous? Despite her renown, most people don’t know how she got famous in the first place.

Well, the Mona Lisa didn’t always have fame of supernatural dimensions. The painting only vaulted to superstar status when it was stolen by an Italian handyman named Vincenzo Peruggia, who worked at the Louvre.

Peruggia wanted to bring Mona Lisa back to its “real home” in Italy. He detached the Mona Lisa from the wall in the night between August 20-21 in 1911. With knowledge of the Louvre, he quietly left the museum hiding the painting under his overcoat.

News of the theft made headlines around the world. The painting became grafted onto the world’s collective consciousness. Even Picasso was a suspect for a time. Though he was released after questioning.

Initially, the Louvre left the empty frame exposed on the gallery wall. Then, the Louvre put the Portrait of Baldassar Castiglione by Raphael in its place.

READ : Guide to Raphael’s Most Famous Paintings

The Mona Lisa was missing for over two years. It was only recovered when Peruggia tried to sell it in Florence.

The painting went on a tour in Italy and was then returned to its rightful place at the Louvre. But its recovery, like its theft, caused a media circus.

6. Secret Messages In The Mona Lisa

From the moment the Mona Lisa was created, writers and researchers have ruminated on the processes Leonardo used when creating the ambiguous and suggestive Mona Lisa . Some theorists speculate that he left secret coded messages for the viewer.

People, critics, and even doctors have engaged in wild sleuthing. They’ve speculated about everything — her smile, her eyes (letters in them), her physical condition (pregnancy, cholesterol problem, thyroid disease, missing teeth, paralyzed facial nerve), and animals shapes drawn in the painting.

Leonardo scholar Martin Kemp calls them “wild theories and untrammeled fantasy.” The need to find secret symbols in a painting seems inspired by novelist Dan Brown, whose book The Da Vinci Code brought slews of visitors to the Louvre.

The most popular theory is that the Mona Lisa is a portrait of a man. Either Leonardo himself or his pupil and possible lover, Salai, dressed as a woman.

7. Oldest Leonardo Workshop Copy Of The Mona Lisa

There is an almost exact copy of the Mona Lisa in the Prado Museum in Madrid Spain. It was discovered in 2012, when the painting was cleaned and the black background removed.

The painting is recognized as the earliest replica of Leonardo’s Mona Lisa . Prior to its restoration, the painting was categorized as an anonymous copy. But when the Prado restored the painting, the striking background was unveiled. It was then reattributed to Leonardo’s workshop.

Scientific analysis led art historians to conclude that it was painted by an artist in Leonardo’s workshop, possibly his pupil Salai or Melzi. The artist likely sat beside Leonardo and copied his work stroke for stroke.

Each and every adjustment that Leonardo made on his Mona Lisa was repeated in the copy. Since it’s been cleaned, the copycat work is much brighter than the Mona Lisa .

8. Did Leonardo Paint Another Mona Lisa ?

Did you know that some historians suspect the Louvre’s Mona Lisa is a copy of an earlier version? There’s another painting of the same woman, Lisa del Giocondo, allegedly painted a decade or so before the Louvre’s version.

Was this Leonardo’s prequel?

The lookalike painting was initially dubbed the Isleworth Mona Lisa. Isleworth was the studio of maverick English connoisseur Hugh Blaker, who spotted the painting in an old manor house. It’s now been rebranded as the “Earlier Mona Lisa.”

The painting is owned by a consortium of Swiss businessmen. Though there’s a dispute in an Italian court over ownership, with a London family making a partial claim.

The two paintings bear a startling resemblance, though the Earlier Mona Lisa has been cleaned and restored. Leonardo often made two versions of many masterpieces.

Renaissance art historian Vasari referred to the Mona Lisa as “unfinished” while the Louvre’s Mona Lisa at least seems finished. The Isleworth version has columns. These same columns are found in a Raphael sketch of Mona Lisa , made after visiting Leonardo’s studio where he may have seen the painting.

But most da Vinci experts think the Isleworth Mona Lisa is just another in a long series of Mona Lisa variants and imitations. It’s a tedious and stilted copy with a subpar background and no telltale underdrawings. Kemp gave it a critical smack down . Skepticism remains the order of the day.

9. Influence of Mona Lisa

The Mona Lisa had a tremendous influence on other Renaissance artists like Raphael, Michelangelo, Filipino Lippi, and Andrea del Sarto.

The Mona Lisa isn’t “just a portrait.” Leonardo’s innovation kicked off new trends in portrait painting that would continue into the 1800s.

10. Attacks on the Mona Lisa

Not everyone write fan mail letters to the Mona Lisa. She’s been attacked several times.

In 1956, a vandal threw acid at the painting. Another hurled a rock, chipping a pigments on Mona Lisa’s left elbow. There’s every so slight evidence of damage.

In 1974, someone squirted spray paint. In 2009, a deranged woman tossed a coffee mug at the painting. The glass fended off these latter two attempts.

11. Where To See The Mona Lisa ?

The Mona Lisa is displayed in the Denon Wing of the Louvre, specifically in the Salle des États (Room 711). This room is dedicated to Italian Renaissance art.

The painting is protected in a climate-controlled, bulletproof glass case to ensure its preservation. Due to its popularity, the Mona Lisa often attracts large crowds.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my facts about Leonardo’s Mona Lisa . You may enjoy these guides to other famous Renaissance artists:

• Michelangelo Trail in Florence
• Leonardo da Vinci Trail in Milan
• Piero della Francesco Trail in Italy
• Andrea del Verrocchio’s Art in Florence
• Caravaggio Trail in Rome
• Bernini Trail in Rome
• Botticelli Trail in Florence
• Artemisia Gentileschi Paintings
• Raphael’s Most Famous Paintings
• Art Works of Giorgio Vasari
• Art Works of Donatello

If you’d like to see the Mona Lisa, pin it for later.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Last Updated on January 18, 2024 by Leslie Livingston

• Games & Quizzes
• History & Society
• Science & Tech
• Biographies
• Animals & Nature
• Geography & Travel
• Arts & Culture
• On This Day
• One Good Fact
• New Articles
• Lifestyles & Social Issues
• Philosophy & Religion
• Politics, Law & Government
• World History
• Health & Medicine
• Browse Biographies
• Birds, Reptiles & Other Vertebrates
• Bugs, Mollusks & Other Invertebrates
• Environment
• Fossils & Geologic Time
• Entertainment & Pop Culture
• Sports & Recreation
• Visual Arts
• Demystified
• Image Galleries
• Infographics
• Top Questions
• Britannica Kids
• Saving Earth
• Space Next 50
• Student Center

Why Is the Mona Lisa So Famous?

Five centuries after Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa (1503–19), the portrait hangs behind bulletproof glass within the Louvre Museum and draws thousands of jostling spectators each day. It is the most famous painting in the world, and yet, when viewers manage to see the artwork up close, they are likely to be baffled by the small subdued portrait of an ordinary woman. She’s dressed modestly in a translucent veil, dark robes, and no jewelry. Much has been said about her smile and gaze, but viewers still might wonder what all the fuss is about. Along with the mysteries of the sitter’s identity and her enigmatic look, the reason for the work’s popularity is one of its many conundrums. Although many theories have attempted to pinpoint one reason for the art piece’s celebrity, the most compelling arguments insist that there is no one explanation. The Mona Lisa ’s fame is the result of many chance circumstances combined with the painting’s inherent appeal.

There is no doubt that the Mona Lisa is a very good painting. It was highly regarded even as Leonardo worked on it, and his contemporaries copied the then novel three-quarter pose. The writer Giorgio Vasari later extolled Leonardo’s ability to closely imitate nature. Indeed, the Mona Lisa is a very realistic portrait. The subject’s softly sculptural face shows Leonardo’s skillful handling of sfumato , an artistic technique that uses subtle gradations of light and shadow to model form, and shows his understanding of the skull beneath the skin. The delicately painted veil, the finely wrought tresses, and the careful rendering of folded fabric reveal Leonardo’s studied observations and inexhaustible patience. And, although the sitter’s steady gaze and restrained smile were not regarded as mysterious until the 19th century, viewers today can appreciate her equivocal expression. Leonardo painted a complex figure that is very much like a complicated human.

Many scholars, however, point out that the excellent quality of the Mona Lisa was not enough by itself to make the painting a celebrity. There are, after all, many good paintings. External events also contributed to the artwork’s fame. That the painting’s home is the Louvre, one of the world’s most-visited museums, is a fortuitous circumstance that has added to the work’s stature. It arrived at the Louvre via a circuitous path beginning with Francis I , king of France, in whose court Leonardo spent the last years of his life. The painting became part of the royal collection, and, for centuries after, the portrait was secluded in French palaces until the Revolution claimed the royal collection as the property of the people. Following a stint in Napoleon ’s bedroom, the Mona Lisa was installed in the Louvre Museum at the turn of the 19th century. As patronage of the Louvre grew, so too did recognition of the painting.

The identity of the portrait’s sitter soon became more intriguing. Although many scholars believe that the painting depicts Lisa Gherardini, wife of the Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocondo, no records of such a commission from Francesco exist, and the sitter has never been conclusively identified. The unknown identity has thus lent the figure to whatever characterization people wanted to make of her. During the Romantic era of the 19th century, the simple Florentine housewife who may have been portrayed was transformed into a mysterious seductress. The French writer Théophile Gautier described her as a “strange being…her gaze promising unknown pleasures,” while others went on about her perfidious lips and enchanting smile. The English author Walter Pater went so far as to call her a vampire who “has been dead many times, and learned the secrets of the grave.” The air of mystery that came to surround the Mona Lisa in the 19th century continues to define the painting and draw speculation.

Meanwhile, the 19th century also mythologized Leonardo as a genius. Throughout the centuries after his death, he was well regarded—but no more so than his esteemed contemporaries Michelangelo and Raphael . Some scholars have noted, however, that, as interest in the Renaissance grew in the 19th century, Leonardo became more popularly seen not only as a very good painter but also as a great scientist and inventor whose designs prefigured contemporary inventions. Many of his so-called inventions were later debunked, and his contributions to science and architecture came to be seen as small, but the myth of Leonardo as a genius has continued well into the 21st century, contributing to the Mona Lisa ’s popularity.

The writers of the 19th century aroused interest in the Mona Lisa , but the theft of the painting in 1911 and the ensuing media frenzy brought it worldwide attention. When news of the crime broke on August 22 of that year, it caused an immediate sensation. People flocked to the Louvre to gape at the empty space where the painting had once hung, the museum’s director of paintings resigned, accusations of a hoax splashed across newspapers, and Pablo Picasso was even arrested as a suspect! Two years later the painting was found in Italy after an art dealer in Florence alerted the local authorities that a man had contacted him about selling it. The man was Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian immigrant to France, who had briefly worked at the Louvre fitting glass on a selection of paintings, including the Mona Lisa . He and two other workers took the portrait from the wall, hid with it in a closet overnight, and ran off with it in the morning. Unable to sell the painting because of the media attention, Peruggia hid it in the false bottom of a trunk until his capture. He was tried, convicted, and imprisoned for the theft while the painting toured Italy before it made its triumphant return to the Louvre. By then, many French people had come to regard the work as a national treasure that they had lost and recovered.

The Mona Lisa was certainly more famous after the heist, but World War I soon consumed much of the world's attention. Some scholars argue that Marcel Duchamp ’s playful defacement of a postcard reproduction in 1919 brought attention back to the Mona Lisa and started a trend that would make the painting one of the most-recognized in the world. He played against the worship of art when he drew a beard and mustache on the lady’s face and added the acronym L.H.O.O.Q. (meant to evoke a vulgar phrase in French) at the bottom. That act of irreverence caused a small scandal, and other cunning artists recognized that such a gag would bring them attention. For decades after, other artists, notably Andy Warhol , followed suit. As artists distorted, disfigured, and played with reproductions of the Mona Lisa , cartoonists and admen exaggerated her further still. Over the decades, as technology improved, the painting was endlessly reproduced, sometimes manipulated and sometimes not, so that the sitter’s face became one of the most well known in the world, even to those who had little interest in art.

A tour of the painting to the United States in 1963 and to Japan in 1974 elevated it to celebrity status. The Mona Lisa traveled to the United States in no less than a first-class cabin on an ocean liner and drew about 40,000 people a day to the Metropolitan Museum in New York City and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., during the portrait’s six-week stay. Large crowds greeted the portrait in Japan about ten years later. What’s more, as travel has become increasingly affordable since the late 20th century, more and more individuals have been able to visit Paris and pay their respects in person, contributing to the unyielding crowds of today.

Although the Mona Lisa is undoubtedly good art, there is no single reason for its celebrity. Rather, it is hundreds of circumstances—from its fortuitous arrival at the Louvre to the mythmaking of the 19th century to the endless reproductions of the 20th and 21st centuries—that have all worked together with the painting’s inherent appeal to make the Mona Lisa the world’s most famous painting ever.

Subscribe to our free e-letter!

The Mona Lisa: A Brief History of da Vinci's Famous Painting

Leonardo da Vinci,  Mona Lisa, oil on panel, circa 1503. Detail.

Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic Mona Lisa , the world’s most famous, recognizable, and copied artwork, has a storied history. Painted between 1503 and 1519, it was owned by French royalty for centuries. Liberated by Revolutionary forces, the painting briefly adorned Napoleon’s bedroom, then was installed in the Louvre. Over 80% of Louvre visitors come specifically to see Mona Lisa . Due to new queuing practices, visitors have only 30 seconds to admire the painting’s legendary mystique.

Thought by most scholars to be a portrait of Italian noble Lisa del Giocondo , this beautiful, dark-haired woman with an enigmatic gaze has fascinated people for ages. Unlike most 16th-century portraits of nobility, which showed off their social status and wealth with flamboyant clothing, hairstyles and accessories, Mona Lisa is dressed in elegant simplicity, which draws attention to her face.

Painted in a revolutionary ¾ length pose—contrary to typical Italian portraiture, which used full figure poses—Mona Lisa is not stoic or demure. Deviating from traditional female portraiture, she meets our eyes directly, as a man typically would, turning slightly towards the viewer, smiling at some secret amusement. Da Vinci’s expert portrayal of a subtle smile illustrates exhaustive understanding of human anatomy, while his deliberately irregular brushstrokes over her face give the skin a realistic texture.

The empty iron brackets at the Louvre that once held the Mona Lisa.

Mona Lisa showcases many painterly techniques da Vinci employed, including sfumato and aerial perspective. DaVinci used sfumato, which means “vanished or evaporated,” to create imperceptible transitions between light and dark, while the background fades into the distance. This is another deviation from traditional Italian portraiture, which painted the background in the same sharp focus as the central figure.

Relatively unknown to the general public, but lauded as a masterwork by artists and intelligentsia, Mona Lisa ’s 1911 theft brought notoriety. Picasso, French poet Apollinaire and American tycoon JP Morgan were all suspects during the investigation, but the actual culprit was Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia, with two accomplices. One of the accomplices claimed to have made six indistinguishable forgeries , leading to a rumor that the Mona Lisa currently in the Louvre is a fake.

The Mona Lisa in the Louvre's Salle des États and protected by a purpose-built, climate-controlled enclosure topped with bulletproof glass. Photo by Joe Parks .  

Now exhibited in a climate controlled case made of bulletproof glass, Mona Lisa has survived vandalism and attempted theft. Moved into a glass case sometime in the 1950’s, because an obsessive fan tried to cut it out with a razor blade and take it home, the painting was slightly damaged in 1956, when a thrown rock shattered the glass case, dislodging a speck of pigment near her left elbow. The newer bulletproof case has continued to protect it. In 1974, while on loan for an exhibition at theTokyo Museum, the painting was sprayed with red paint by an activist protesting lack of disability access. Back at the Louvre, in 2009, a woman threw a teacup at it because she'd been denied French citizenship.

Also one of the most expensive paintings in the world, Mona Lisa became a Guinness World Records holder in 1962 for the highest known painting insurance valuation, $100 million, which is at least $870 million today. Given that it’s deemed irreplaceable, it’s probably worth more.

Megan D Robinson

Megan D Robinson writes for Art & Object and the Iowa Source.

Latest News

Celebrating the cultural liveliness of Upstate New York since 2020, when it…

Envisioning the ancient world as it truly was has always been …

Mick Namarari Tjapaltjarri (b.1926-d.1998), Bill Whiskey…

Whether the outsourcing of an analog lifestyle came swiftly…

Photography

Women Artists

Indigenous Art

Contemporary Art

Latin American Art

Ancient Art

Black Artists

Renaissance

LGBTQ Artists

Why Is the Mona Lisa So Famous?

• Art History
• Architecture

Unique Art Techniques

The most famous face in the world.

• B.A., History, Ohio University

The Mona Lisa is perhaps the most recognizable piece of art in the world, but have you ever wondered just why the Mona Lisa is so famous? There are a number of reasons behind this work's enduring fame, and combined, they create a fascinating story that has survived through the ages. To understand why the Mona Lisa remains one of the art world's most iconic images, we have to look at her mysterious history, famous theft attempts, and innovative art techniques .

Interesting Facts: The Mona Lisa

• The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci and is believed to be a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco Giocondo.
• For such a famous painting, it is surprisingly small; it measures just 30 inches by 21 inches (77 cm by 53 cm).
• The painting uses a number of unique art techniques to draw the viewer in; Leonardo's skill is sometimes referred to as the Mona Lisa Effect .
• The Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre in 1911, and wasn't recovered for over two years; she is now housed behind bulletproof glass to protect her from vandals.

The Mona Lisa's Origins

The Mona Lisa was painted over the course of several years by Leonardo da Vinci, the Florentine polymath and artist who created some of the Renaissance's most iconic works. Born Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci in 1452, he was the illegitimate son of a nobleman, and although there is little information about his childhood, scholars do know that as a young man he was apprenticed to an artist and sculptor named Andrea di Cione del Verrocchio. He created many sophisticated pieces of art over the course of his career, and in the early 1500s, began work on what would come to be known as the Mona Lisa.

Unlike many artworks of the time, the Mona Lisa is not painted on canvas. Instead, she is painted on a poplar wood panel. While this may seem odd, keep in mind that Leonardo was a sculptor and artist who had painted on large walls of plaster throughout much of his career, so a wooden panel probably wasn't much of a stretch for him.

It is generally believed that the painting is of Lisa Gherardini , the wife of a wealthy silk merchant named Francesco del Giocondo. The word mona is a colloquial version of the Italian word for madam or ma'am, hence the title Mona Lisa. The work's alternate title is La Giaconda. It is believed that the painting was commissioned by Giocondo to commemorate the birth of the couple's second child.

Over the years, there have been theories that Lisa Gherardini was not in fact the model in this painting. Speculation abounds that the mysterious woman in the image could be any one of a dozen Italian noblewomen of the time; there is even a popular theory that the Mona Lisa is a feminized version of Leonardo himself. However, a note written in 1503 by Agostino Vespucci, an Italian clerk who was assistant to  Niccolò Machiavelli , indicates that Leonardo told Vespucci he was indeed working on a painting of del Giocondo's wife. In general, art historians agree that the Mona Lisa really is Lisa Gherardini.

Scholars also agree that Leonardo created more than one version of the Mona Lisa; in addition to the del Giocondo commission, there was likely a second commissioned by Giuliano de Medici in 1513. The Medici version is believed to be the one that hangs in the Louvre today.

Unlike some artwork of the sixteenth century, the Mona Lisa is a very realistic portrait of a very real human being. Alicja Zelazko of Encyclopedia Britannica attributes this to Leonardo's skill with a brush, and his use of art techniques that were new and exciting during the Renaissance. She says,

The subject’s softly sculptural face shows Leonardo’s skillful handling of  sfumato , an artistic technique that uses subtle gradations of light and shadow to model form, and shows his understanding of the skull beneath the skin. The delicately painted veil, the finely wrought tresses, and the careful rendering of folded fabric reveal Leonardo’s studied observations and inexhaustible patience. 

In addition to the use of sfumato , which was rarely done at the time, the woman in the portrait has an enigmatic expression on her face. At once both aloof and alluring, her soft smile actually changes, depending on the angle from which the viewer is looking. Thanks to differences in spatial frequency perception within the human eye, from one viewpoint she looks cheerful... and from another, the viewer can't quite tell if she's happy or not.

The Mona Lisa is also the earliest Italian portrait in which the subject is framed in a half-length portrait; the woman's arms and hands are displayed without touching the frame. She is shown only from head to waist, sitting in a chair; her left arm rests on the arm of the chair. Two fragmentary columns frame her, creating a window effect that looks out over the landscape behind her. 

Finally, thanks to Leonardo’s mastery of lighting and shadows, the woman's eyes appear to follow the viewer wherever they may be standing. Leonardo wasn't the first to create the appearance that a subject's eyes are following people around the room, but the effect is so closely associated with his skill that it has become known—somewhat incorrectly—as the " Mona Lisa Effect. "

Grand Theft Painting

For centuries, the Mona Lisa hung quietly in the Louvre, generally unnoticed, but on August 21, 1911, it was stolen right off the museum's wall in a heist that rocked the art world. Author Seymour Reit says , "Someone walked into the Salon Carré, lifted it off the wall and went out with it! The painting was stolen Monday morning, but the interesting thing about it was that it wasn't 'til Tuesday at noon that they first realized it was gone."

Once the theft was discovered, the Louvre closed for a week so investigators could piece together the puzzle. Initially, conspiracy theories were everywhere: the Louvre had staged the heist as a publicity stunt, Pablo Picasso was behind it, or perhaps French poet Guillaume Apollinaire had taken the painting. The French police blamed the Louvre for lax security, while the Louvre publicly ridiculed law enforcement officials for failing to turn up any leads.

After more than two years, in late 1913, a Florentine art dealer named Alfredo Geri received a letter from a man who claimed to have the painting. Geri immediately contacted the police, who soon arrested Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian carpenter who had been working at the Louvre at the time of the theft. Peruggia admitted that he had simply lifted the masterpiece from the four hooks upon which it hung, stuck it under his workman's tunic, and just walked out the door of the Louvre. The Mona Lisa was found tucked safely away in Peruggia's apartments, just a few blocks from the museum. Peruggia said he stole the painting because it belonged in an Italian museum rather than a French one. There were also rumors he had taken it so that a forger could make copies of it to sell on the black market.

Once the Mona Lisa was returned to the Louvre, the French turned out in droves to see her, and soon, so did people from all over the globe. The small, simple painting of a maybe-smiling woman had become an overnight sensation, and was the most famous work of art in the world.

Since the 1913 theft, the Mona Lisa has been the target of other activities. In 1956, someone threw acid on the painting, and in another attack the same year, a rock was thrown at it, causing a small bit of damage at the subject's left elbow. In 2009, a Russian tourist flung a terra cotta mug at the painting; no damage was done, because Mona Lisa has been behind bulletproof glass for several decades.

The Mona Lisa has influenced countless painters, from Leonardo's contemporaries to today's modern artists. In the centuries since her creation, the Mona Lisa has been copied thousands of times over by artists around the world. Marcel Duchamp took a postcard of Mona Lisa and added a mustache and a goatee. Other modern masters like Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali painted their own versions of her, and artists have painted her in every conceivable manner, including as a dinosaur, a unicorn, one of Saturday Night Live 's Coneheads, and wearing sunglasses and Mickey Mouse ears.

Although it is impossible to put a dollar amount on a 500-year-old painting, it is estimated that the Mona Lisa is worth nearly $1 billion.

• Hales, Dianne. “The 10 Worst Things That Happened to Mona Lisa.”  The Huffington Post , TheHuffingtonPost.com, 5 Aug. 2014, www.huffingtonpost.com/dianne-hales/the-10-worst-things-mona-lisa_b_5628937.html.
• “How To Steal A Masterpiece and Other Art Crimes.”  The Washington Post , WP Company, 11 Oct. 1981, www.washingtonpost.com/archive/entertainment/books/1981/10/11/how-to-steal-a-masterpiece-and-other-art-crimes/ef25171f-88a4-44ea-8872-d78247b324e7/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.27db2b025fd5.
• “Theft of the Mona Lisa.”  PBS , Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/treasuresoftheworld/a_nav/mona_nav/main_monafrm.html.
• “Work Mona Lisa – Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, Wife of Francesco Del Giocondo.”  The Seated Scribe | Louvre Museum | Paris , www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/mona-lisa-portrait-lisa-gherardini-wife-francesco-del-giocondo.
• 7 Major Painting Styles—From Realism to Abstract
• Biography of Leonardo da Vinci, Inventor and Artist of the Renaissance
• The Day the Mona Lisa Was Stolen
• The 7 Principles of Art and Design
• Biography of Francesco Clemente, Italian Neo-Expressionist Painter
• Biography of Sandro Botticelli, Birth of Venus Painter
• Definition of Sfumato: Art History Glossary
• Rembrandt's Self-Portraits
• Understanding Proportion in Art
• The Definition of 'Form' in Art
• Proofreading for Errors in Verb Tense
• Louvre Museum: History and Most Important Masterpieces
• Biography of Artemisia Gentileschi
• 54 Famous Paintings Made by Famous Artists
• Biography of Edgar Degas, Influential French Impressionist
• The Life and Art of Edward Hopper, American Realist Painter

World History Edu

Lisa Gherardini: The woman in Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, the Mona Lisa

by World History Edu · February 17, 2023

Biography of Lisa Gherardini (1479-1542), the woman depicted in the Mona Lisa.

The Mona Lisa is widely considered as the most famous artwork in history. While we continue to celebrate Leonardo da Vinci, the artist of this masterpiece, it would be appropriate to highlight the contributions of some individuals who made this work possible.

One of such people is Lisa Gherardini. The Italian noblewoman has been recognized as the model used for the famous 16th-century painting. It is for this reason that the art is sometimes referred to as the “Portrait of Lisa Gherardini”.

Wondering who she was and why she was used in the painting? This article has all the information to satisfy your curiosity.

Read More: Leonardo da Vinci’s Most Famous Masterpieces

Who was Lisa Gherardini?

Lisa was born in 1479 and was a native of Via Maggio in the Republic of Florence. She was a descendant of the House of Gherardini. The family has been described as a founder of the Republic of Florence. Her parents were Lucrezia del Caccia (mother) and Antonmaria di Noldo Gherardini (father).

She was named after her grandfather’s wife and was raised together with six other siblings – three brothers and three sisters. It has been said that Lisa got to know Leonardo when she and her family settled around Santa Croce. At that place, they stayed near the house of the artist’s father Ser Piero da Vinci.

In 1495, at the age of 15 years, Lisa became the wife of a wealthy silk and cloth merchant called Francesco del Giocondo. Francesco had already married two wives, making Lisa his third spouse. The couple had five children namely Piero, Andrea, Camilla, Piera, and Marietta. Two of their children (Marietta and Camilla) became nuns in the Catholic Church.

In 1499, her husband, Francesco, became a government official and was named to the Dodici Buonomini position. His love for his third wife was unmatched. In his 1537 will, Francesco decided to reward Lisa with jewelry and expensive clothes. He also made arrangements for his wife’s future.

How she became the face of the Mona Lisa

In her teens, Lisa del Giocondo tied the knot with a very wealthy merchant called Francesco del Giocondo. The couple had five children. Image: Lisa Gherardini depicted in da Vinci’s masterpiece “Mona Lisa”

Francesco and his family were lovers of art. They were connected to many Renaissance artists including Domenico Puligo and Leonardo da Vinci. The latter was contracted by Francesco to work on a portrait of his third wife. It was also believed that the artwork was to celebrate the acquisition of their home, as well as the birth of their son, Andrea.

Da Vinci started the work around 1506 and completed in 1517. The art’s original name was “La Gioconda” which was in reference to the married name of Lisa. Its current name was revealed in da Vinci’s biography by Giorgio Vasari, a renowned art historian. In his book, Vasari confirmed that the image in the painting was indeed Lisa.

The painting portrayed how calm and virtuous Lisa was. The word “Monna” is a contraction of the word “madonna” which translates into English as “my lady” or “madam”. With this, we can say that the English name for the “Mona Lisa” is “My Lady Lisa”.

Who owns the Mona Lisa?

Leonardo did not hand over the artwork to the commissioners, the del Giocondo family. However, it is believed that the painting was left in the care of Salaì, one of the apprentices of da Vinci. After the death of the Italian artist in 1519, the work was acquired by the King of France, Francis I. Since then, it has become one of the country’s most cherished properties. It has spent most of its time at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.

Read More: Who are the 10 Greatest Renaissance Artists?

Though Lisa’s works have not been documented, it is very possible that the Italian noblewoman played a huge part in the development of his husband’s business. As virtuous as she was, Lisa had a hand in the training of her kids.

The Via Maggio-born socialite fell ill after her husband died in 1538. After battling with the sickness for some time, Lisa joined passed away in 1542. There are some accounts that state that the noblewoman passed away in 1551.

Tags: Francesco del Giocondo Italy Leonardo da Vinci Lisa Gherardini Mona Lisa Women’s History

You may also like...

Vincenzo Peruggia: The Louvre Employee Who Stole the Mona Lisa

February 10, 2023

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Next story  Emmeline Pankhurst, the most prominent suffragette in British history
• Previous story  Hattie McDaniel: The First African American to win an Oscar
• Popular Posts
• Recent Posts

Who were the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party?

William Wilberforce: Biography and Major Accomplishments

The Thirty Years’ War: Origin Story, Key Battles & Events

10 Most Infamous Abductions in Greek mythology

Leif Erikson

Greatest African Leaders of all Time

Queen Elizabeth II: 10 Major Achievements

Donald Trump’s Educational Background

Donald Trump: 10 Most Significant Achievements

8 Most Important Achievements of John F. Kennedy

Odin in Norse Mythology: Origin Story, Meaning and Symbols

Ragnar Lothbrok – History, Facts & Legendary Achievements

9 Great Achievements of Queen Victoria

Most Ruthless African Dictators of All Time

12 Most Influential Presidents of the United States

Greek God Hermes: Myths, Powers and Early Portrayals

Kwame Nkrumah: History, Major Facts & 10 Memorable Achievements

5 Great Accomplishments of Ancient Greece

Trail of Tears: Story, Death Count & Facts

How did Captain James Cook die?

10 Most Famous Pharaohs of Egypt

8 Major Achievements of Rosa Parks

Kamala Harris: 10 Major Achievements

How and when was Morse Code Invented?

The Exact Relationship between Elizabeth II and Elizabeth I

• Adolf Hitler Alexander the Great American Civil War Ancient Egyptian gods Ancient Egyptian religion Apollo Athena Athens Black history Carthage China Civil Rights Movement Cold War Constantine the Great Constantinople Egypt England France Germany Hera Horus India Isis Julius Caesar Loki Medieval History Military Generals Military History Napoleon Bonaparte Nobel Peace Prize Odin Osiris Ottoman Empire Pan-Africanism Queen Elizabeth I Religion Set (Seth) Soviet Union Thor Timeline Turkey Women’s History World War I World War II Zeus

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes
• Real Estate

The Real Mona Lisa’s Family Home in Italy Is For Sale — See Inside!

The Florentine countryside estate is a 30,138-square-foot property on over 66 acres of land

Italy Sotheby’s International Realty; Universal History Archive/Getty

The grand estate of the real Mona Lisa, known as Via della Prata, is up for sale.

The Florentine countryside estate, which lies a couple miles outside of Florence, Italy, has been listed for €18 million (EUR) or $19.6 million (USD).

The expansive 30,138-square-foot property boasts 14 bedrooms and 15 bathrooms on nearly 67 acres. The sixteenth-century structure belonged to the family of Francesco del Giocondo, husband of the Mona Lisa, per Sotheby’s International.

This remarkable estate consists of the main villa and numerous additional structures, including a caretaker's house, buildings for agricultural use, the private chapel, the swimming pool and a tennis court. The property is divided up by gardens, tree-lined avenues and a large forest.

Italy Sotheby’s International Realty

Due to the site’s centuries-long history, there are two entrances, including the main entrance and the original entryway. The former takes people through an iron gate and leads them down the cypress tree-lined avenue to the garden, which includes two staircases to the original entrance.

The garden was designed by the English architect Cecil Pinsent. The outdoor space features roses, tall trees, and symmetrical flowerbeds. 

From the garden, double opposing staircases lead to the villa's entrance. The main structure has three floors above ground and a basement. If entering the ground floor from the loggia at the entrance, people will see the large entrance hall, as well as five lounges, a dining room, a corridor-hallway, a kitchen, a service entrance, two bathrooms, a storage room and a technical room.

The basement includes three large halls, a kitchen, a dining room, two storage rooms, two bathrooms, three technical rooms, a cellar and a large gallery opening onto the park.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The first floor houses the residents’ sleeping quarters, which include five bedrooms, three wardrobe areas, five bathrooms, a library, a storage room, and a balcony on the main front. Additionally, one of the bedrooms has a panoramic veranda in antique iron. 

The second floor holds the remaining two bedrooms in the main house, as well as a fitness room, a study, two bathrooms and the large terrace called "dell'clock.”

Then on the mezzanine floor, there are rooms for the staff, pantries, laundries, ironing rooms and additional service rooms. Additionally, there is another unit for residential use and agricultural premises. Each of the floors are connected by both stairs and an elevator. 

The property also houses a private chapel with a polygonal plan, which, according to Sotheby’s International, is typical of the prestigious residences of the time and an example of 17th-century religious architecture. 

Additionally, there are three more structures used as an orangery, greenhouse, garage or technical rooms. There is also the caretaker's house and various buildings for agricultural use.

The villa’s front includes a clock that was commissioned by Marchesa Nathalie Antinori at the beginning of the 20th century.

Related Articles