Da Vinci's Lady with a Smile: Mona Lisa

On April 15, 1452, Leonardo was born illegitimate in Vinci, a small village in Tuscany, to a public notary and a peasant girl. He became known as a polymath with various expertise including aviation, geometry, architecture, human anatomy, weaponry and more. He began painting his most famous work in 1503. Da Vinci's knowledge and skills were well respected throughout Italy and his reputation gained him a job under the Duke of Milan, for whom he painted the Last Supper, from 1495-1497.

The Mona Lisa

The true identity of the Mona Lisa has always been the subject of debate. The general belief, or at least from biographers and historians through the centuries, is that the painting came from the request of a Florentine silk merchant, Francesco del Giocondo.

Da Vinci Works on His Masterpiece

In working on this painting, da Vinci returned to his hometown Florence to paint Lisa Gherandini, the businessman's 24-year-old wife. She was not considered beautiful by the standards of those times, but it was believed that da Vinci sensed a kind of mystique in her, that provided the background in reproducing her. The portrait became known simply as "A Certain Florentine lady."

The Mona Lisa Remains with Da Vinci

Da Vinci worked on the portrait for four years. Apparently for unknown reasons, he refused to sell it to del Giocondo, neither did he want to part with it. Da Vinci took it with him and travelled with the portrait until 1514, when he accepted the patronage of Francois I of France, where he lived in his castle at Amboise.

Da Vinci Sells The Mona Lisa to the French King

Eventually, da Vinci sold his Mona Lisa to the king for 4000 gold crowns, after which the Mona Lisa resided at the French palaces of Fontainebleau and Versailles. Following the French Revolution, Mona Lisa was transferred to the Louvre in Paris. In the early 1800s she over looked the bed of Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife Josephine.

The Mona Lisa in the 20th Century

Even during the 20th century, the Mona Lisa portrait continuously attracts visitors to the Louvre. In 1911, the Mona Lisa is stolen from the Louvre by an employee named Vincenzo Peruggia who attempted to sell the portrait to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. In 1974, the Mona Lisa left the Louvre for the last time when it visited Japan. An international agreement is reached stating that the Mona Lisa will no longer be displayed in other countries.

The Mona Lisa in 21st Century

In 2005, a custom-built, bulletproof and climate-controlled enclosure has been created to protect the Mona Lisa painting.