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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.
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 Giocondo—from the waist up. She is shown seated in a loggia, or a room with at least one open side.
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.
