Well-Protected Mona
1505 AD
1505 1505
02.19E48.52N
ART

PARIS, FRANCE
	The most famous painting in the world is undoubtedly Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, also known as "La Gioconda."
	The picture was purchased by French King Francis I and was placed in the Louvre in Paris. Now it is behind thick glass to protect it from vandalism.
	Applying paint in thin layers that almost make the painting glow, Leonardo somehow captured the character of his subject, Lisa del Giocondo, the wife of a Florentine businessman.
	Her smile is the most intriguing part of the painting. It is one of the only smiles in the history of art to be described as "mysterious." Is it a fleeting smile captured by the artist, or a knowing, timeless, symbolic smile?
	And the haunting, subtle smile is not something that Da Vinci accidentally captured on his canvas. He wanted it there. And to make sure it wouldn't fade, he had beautiful music played during the sittings.