Arguably the most famous painting the modern world has ever known, yet it’s not how it’s always been. Let alone the possible price of the painting itself, its valued so much that the room in the Louvre that houses and protects this painting cost over $7.5 million. The Mona Lisa is a portrait of an Italian woman painted by the famous artist and engineer Leonardo da Vinci. The thing that makes this painting so famous is the mystery that comes with it. Who is the woman? Where is the painting set? What is the figure trying to convey? How long did this take Leonardo da Vinci to complete? Why did he decide to paint this mysterious lady?
The Mona Lisa is exhibited in the largest room of the Lourve
The world’s most famous painting, the Mona Lisa, needs a space big enough to welcome its many admirers. It is therefore housed in the Louvre’s largest room, the Salle des États, which is also home to other remarkable Venetian paintings such as The Wedding Feast at Cana by Veronese
A home for an icon
A superstar deserves an appropriate setting! That is why, in 1966, the Louvre chose to show Leonardo’s masterpiece in the Salle des États, the largest room in the palace.
Mona Lisa’s famously enigmatic smile has fascinated viewers for centuries. Among her first admirers was King François I, who invited Leonardo da Vinci to France and bought the painting from him in 1518. This is how the world’s most famous painting entered the royal collections that have been shown at the Louvre since the French Revolution.
Since 2005, the Mona Lisa has been exhibited in a protective glass case, in solitary splendour in the centre of the room. This special treatment stems partly from the need to ensure the safety of such a famous work, but is also due to conservation requirements: the work was not painted on canvas, but on a panel of poplar wood which has warped over the years, causing a crack to appear. To prevent further damage, the Mona Lisa has to be kept in a temperature and humidity-controlled glass case (Text: louvre.fr)