The Mona Lisa is a portrait by Leonardo da Vinci, painted in oils on a poplar panel, which he began around 1503 in Florence. The sitter is generally thought to be Lisa Gherardini, the wife of the silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo, which is why the work is also called La Gioconda. Leonardo kept the painting for years and took it with him to France, where it passed into the collection of King Francis I and then into the Louvre. Its soft modelling, known as sfumato, and the sitter's ambiguous smile have fascinated viewers for centuries. The painting became even more famous after it was stolen by an Italian worker, Vincenzo Peruggia, in 1911 and recovered two years later.
Before and after
- from 1501 to 1736Safavid dynasty
- from 1501 to 1736Safavid Iran
- 1501Birth of Ana Bolena
- 1 January 1502Birth of Gregory XIII
- c. 1500sMona Lisa
- 14 December 1503Birth of Nostradamus
- 17 January 1504Birth of Pius V
- 8 September 1504Michelangelo's David is unveiled
- from 16 March 1505 to 26 January 1517Mamluk–Portuguese conflicts
More in Art, literature & culture
- 18 April 1506Construction of St. Peter's Basilica
- from 31 October 1517 to 1 January 1648Protestant Reformation
- 1 January 1519Origins of Reformed Christianity
- 1605Publication of Don Quixote
- from 1660 to 1725Rise of Classicism
- from 17th century to 19th centuryAge of Enlightenment
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 16th century.