Monalisa ◎

Lisa’s gaze directly confronts the viewer, a rarity in portraits of that period, creating an intimate connection. The Theft that Made Her Famous

Leonardo da Vinci began the Mona Lisa around 1503, during the Italian Renaissance. He worked on it intermittently for years, taking it with him when he moved to France in 1516, where he continued refining it until his death in 1519. It is painted in oils on a poplar wood panel, a fragile support that has since developed a visible crack. Monalisa

For two years, the Monalisa sat in a false-bottomed trunk in Peruggia's Parisian apartment. He believed he was a patriot. He argued that Napoleon had stolen the painting, and he was returning it to Italy. When he finally tried to sell it to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence in 1913, he was arrested. Lisa’s gaze directly confronts the viewer, a rarity

The , painted by Leonardo da Vinci between 1503 and 1506 (and potentially continued until 1517), is arguably the most famous artwork in the world. It currently hangs in the Musée du Louvre in Paris, where it is protected behind bulletproof glass. Key Aspects of the Mona Lisa It is painted in oils on a poplar