THE MONA LISA (Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1503–1506)
The "world's most famous painting" is more properly called La Gioconda, the model's name. The enigmatic smile has been celebrated in story and song, and da Vinci loved the work so much that he never let it go: it was in his rooms when he died. France’s King Francis I acquired it and it has been on display at the Louvre since 1797.
- The work was stolen by an Italian patriot in 1911 and returned 2-1/2 years later. The theft made the previously "minor" painting famous overnight.
(Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons; CTTO)
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