Mona Lisa
The Mona Lisa, or La Gioconda, is the most famous painting by the Italian master Leonardo da Vinci, one of the world's most famous and expensive paintings. The full title of the painting is Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo.
The painting was done between 1503 and 1506, although it is thought that Leonardo continued to work on it until as late as 1517.
It is commonly believed that the subject of the portrait was Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo. There have been other theories as to the identity of the subject, such as it being a self-portrait by Leonardo or an idealized portrait of a woman.
It was stolen in 1911 by an Italian museum worker, Vincenzo Peruggia, who did it because he desired to return the painting to Italy. The painting was returned just three years after its theft and was taken back to the museum. It was this that made the Mona Lisa world famous.
Even though the painting was done by an Italian artist, it is located in the Louvre Museum in Paris. Leonardo took it with him to France when he traveled to work at the court of King Francis I. Upon Leonardo's death, the painting stayed in France.
Due to multiple attempts to damage the painting, the Mona Lisa is now shielded with bulletproof glass and is strictly guarded. It is now considered one of the most priceless paintings in the world, estimated to be over 800 million dollars.
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