Painting Title: Mona Lisa, 1503 / 1506 Leonardo da Vinci Famous Italian Artist - Renaissance

Possibly one of the most famous paintings in the world, the portrait of the Mona Lisa is referred to as simply the Mona Lisa, La Joconde, or La Gioconda. It is an oil on board painting that is 77cm high and 53cm wide. It is thought that the portrait is the wife of the wealthy socialite Francesco del Giocondo, Lisa Gherardini. The portrait has been written about and discussed in countless books and publications. Artists and more recently film makers have also produced derivative works from the Mona Lisa. Artists like Andy Warhol and Marcel Duchamp produced works inspired by the painting. The film starring Julia Robert called the "Mona Lisa Smile" and the popular novel by Dan Brown titled "The da Vinci Code" were also influenced by the Mona Lisa. The Mona Lisa hangs in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France and is visited by thousands of tourists every year. According to the Louvre, the Mona Lisa "may have been painted to mark one of two events.. either when Francesco del Giocondo and his wife bought their own house in 1503, or when their second son, Andrea, was born in December 1502 after the death of a daughter in 1499. The delicate dark veil that covers Mona Lisa's hair is sometimes considered a mourning veil. In fact, such veils were commonly worn as a mark of virtue. Her clothing is unremarkable. Neither the yellow sleeves of her gown, nor her pleated gown, nor the scarf delicately draped round her shoulders are signs of aristocratic status."

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