Monalisa Painting Facts: Beyond the Smile and Eye

Monalisa Painting Facts– Monalisa painting is something that we have all seen or at least heard of. Many movies and books have been made about this Monalisa Painting but one thing remains constant, her beauty. Did you know that Leonardo da Vinci began painting the Mona Lisa in Florence around 1503-1504 and worked on it intermittently until he died in 1519? Well! There is more to the Monalisa painting than you might have known before. This article will cover everything you need to know about her painting. 

Facts about Monalisa Painting

The Monalisa painting depicts Lisa del Giocondo, an Italian noblewoman and the wife of a wealthy Florentine silk merchant. Many facts about Monalisa’s painting go beyond the smile and eye. 

• It is painted in oil on a poplar wood panel and measures 30 x 21 inches (77 x 53 cm).
• The Mona Lisa is known for its smile and Leonardo da Vinci’s masterful use of sfumato, a painting technique that creates soft edges and an atmospheric haze.
• The painting was among the first portraits to depict the sitter before an imaginary landscape and use aerial perspective.
• It has been displayed in the Louvre Museum in Paris since 1804, except for a brief period during World War II.
• The Mona Lisa is considered the most famous painting in the world, with about 80% of the Louvre’s visitors coming to see it.
• It has been the subject of numerous theories and speculation, including the idea that it may be a self-portrait of da Vinci himself.
• An amazing Monalisa painting fact is that Lisa’s eyebrows were likely visible in da Vinci’s original painting, but they have since faded or been removed during restoration attempts. A 2006 high-resolution scan revealed that she did have eyebrows that were painted over the years.
• The Mona Lisa is painted on a thin, white Lombardy poplar panel, not canvas. The wood panel has expanded and contracted over the centuries due to changes in humidity, causing cracks and warping in the painting.

Lesser Known Facts about Monalisa

• Leonardo da Vinci likely continued working on the Mona Lisa until his death in 1519, even though the basic composition was finished by 1506. His assistant Salai may have completed the painting after da Vinci passed away.
• The Mona Lisa was not always famous or highly valued. For centuries it was kept in the private chambers of French kings. It only became a global sensation after being stolen from the Louvre in 1911 by Vincenzo Peruggia.

• The Mona Lisa has been damaged and vandalised multiple times over the centuries. In 1956, a vandal threw acid at the painting, burning the lower half. In 2009, a Russian woman threw a terra cotta mug at the painting, cracking the glass protecting it.
• There are many theories about the identity of the Mona Lisa model, but most scholars agree it was Lisa del Giocondo, a member of a wealthy Florentine family. 
• Monalisa’s painting is much smaller than most famous Renaissance paintings.
• Leonardo da Vinci never gave the Mona Lisa to the Giocondo family, even though it was a commissioned portrait. He kept it with him until his death.
• The Mona Lisa was not always called the Mona Lisa. It was known as La Gioconda in Italian and La Joconde in French for centuries before the modern name became popular.
• The Mona Lisa has been moved and protected many times throughout history. During World War II, it was moved to the Château d’Amboise and later to the Ingres Museum in Montauban for safekeeping

Did You Know These Facts about Monalisa Painting?

Monalisa’s painting is known for the details of the beauty and enigmatic smile of the woman covered. 

Category	Details
Title	Mona Lisa
Type	Portrait painting
Artist	Leonardo da Vinci
Period	c. 1503–1506, possibly until c. 1517
Subject	Lisa del Giocondo

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