Mona Lisa

The most well-known image in the history of art

It is the most mysterious, unsettling, and above all the most well-known image in the history of art. Considered the world's most famous representation of the female face, the most visited painting of the 21st century, the Mona Lisa has yet to reveal all her secrets. Nevertheless, many historians claim that the portrait is that of Lisa Gherardini, wife of the Florentine silk trader Francesco Del Giocondo.

Painted on a thin board of poplar wood, the Mona Lisa defies the codes of painting in force at the time: seen in three quarters, depicted from the waist up (including her arms and hands), she looks directly at the spectator, who cannot detach his eyes from this enigmatic face.

A face that almost distracts from the fact that this Italian noblewoman is dressed in a dark green pleated silk dress with yellow sleeves, while a translucent black veil covers her hair, barely discernible on her pale forehead.

Although Leonardo da Vinci considered his painting finished, two areas seem to have been neglected: a portion of the landscape and the outline of the index finger of the right hand.

Did you know?

The Mona Lisa was stolen in 1911 and was missing for more than two years before being found. The work was stolen by Vicenzo Peruggia, an Italian employee of the Louvre who believed it belonged to Italy and sought to "repatriate" it. He had kept the painting hidden in a safe in his bedroom the whole time. He tried to sell it to an antique dealer in Florence, who immediately alerted the authorities.
The painting was finally recovered and returned to the Louvre in 1914.