Leonardo da Vinci and the Enigmatic Smile of the Mona Lisa
Background
When one thinks of great art oftentimes one of the first paintings mentioned is the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. On its surface it is simply a archetypal half-length portrait painting of a woman from the Italian Renaissance. In reality it is so much more. Over the centuries, the Mona Lisa has become one of the best recognized works of art. It is also the most valuable, since it was insured at $100,000,000 in 1962, which converts to more than $852,000,000 in 2019 dollars.
The painting itself was likely painted between 1503 and 1506, and is believed to represent the likeness of an Italian noblewoman by the name of Lisa Gherardini. Not long after its completion the painting was acquired by King Francis I of France, where it would eventually become the property of the state and go on permanent display in the Louvre Museum from 1797 onwards.
Following its establishment in the Louvre it would only be moved a few times. It would briefly adorn the bedroom of Napoleon, and later spend some time in the Brest Arsenal during the Franco-Prussian War. Its longest time away from the Louvre would be during World War II, when it was moved to Château d’Amboise, then to Loc-Dieu Abbey, Château de Chambord, and finally the Ingres Museum before it would return.
