MonaLisa(alsoknownasLaGiocondaorLaJoconde),oftencalledtheMonaLisa,isa16thcenturyportraitpaintedinoilonapoplarpanelinFlorencebyLeonardodaVinciduringtheItalianRenaissance.TheworkisownedbytheGovernmentofFranceandisonthewallintheLouvreinParis,FrancewiththetitlePortraitofLisaGherardini,wifeofFrancescodelGiocondo.Itisperhapsthemostfamousandiconicpaintingintheworld.
Thepaintingisahalf-lengthportraitanddepictsawomanwhosefacialexpressionisoftendescribedasenigmatic.Theambiguityofthesitter'sexpression,themonumentalityofthehalf-figurecomposition,andthesubtlemodelingofformsandatmosphericillusionismwerenovelqualitiesthathavecontributedtothepainting'scontinuingfascination.ItisprobablythemostfamouspaintingthathaseverbeenstolenfromtheLouvreandrecovered.Fewotherworksofarthavebeensubjecttoasmuchscrutiny,study,mythologizing,andparody.AcharcoalandgraphitestudyoftheMonaLisaattributedtoLeonardoisintheHydeCollection,inGlensFalls,NY.