Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, is one of the most famous paintings in the world.
It took da Vinci four years to complete the painting, which was begun in 1503 and completed in 1519. The Mona Lisa is famous for its enigmatic smile and has been the subject of much speculation about what it means. It measures 77 x 53 cm and is housed at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
The painting was stolen from the Louvre in 1911 by an Italian thief named Vincenzo Peruggia, who hid it in his apartment for two years before selling it to a art dealer. It was returned to the Louvre in 1913 and has been on display there ever since.
In 1962, the Mona Lisa was attacked by a man who threw acid at it causing damage to the lower part of the painting. In 1974, a woman attempted to steal it by spraying it with tear gas. The Mona Lisa has been featured in numerous books and TV shows over the years as well as being used as inspiration for many other artists’ work including Salvador Dali’s “Portrait d’une Femme” (1932) which features a woman wearing an identical.
