Light - dependent reactions - wikipedia Light - dependent reactions Jump to : navigation , search Light - dependent reactions of photosynthesis at the thylakoid membrane In photosynthesis , the light - dependent reaction takes place on the thylakoid membranes . The inside of the thylakoid membrane is called the lumen , and outside the thylakoid membrane is the stroma , where the light - independent reactions take place . The thylakoid membrane contains some integral membrane protein complexes that catalyze the light reactions . There are four major protein complexes in the thylakoid membrane : Photosystem II ( PSII ) , Cytochrome b6f complex , Photosystem I ( PSI ) , and ATP synthase . These four complexes work together to ultimately create the products ATP and NADPH . The four photosystems absorb light energy through pigments -- primarily the chlorophylls , which are responsible for the green color of leaves . The light - dependent reactions begin in photosystem II . When a chlorophyll a molecule within the reaction center of PSII absorbs a photon , an electron in this molecule attains a higher energy level . Because this state of an electron is very unstable , the electron is transferred from one to another molecule creating a chain of redox reactions , called an electron transport chain ( ETC ) . The electron flow goes from PSII to cytochrome b6f to PSI . In PSI , the electron gets the energy from another photon . The final electron acceptor is NADP . In oxygenic photosynthesis , the first electron donor is water , creating oxygen as a waste product . In anoxygenic photosynthesis various electron donors are used . Cytochrome b6f and ATP synthase work together to create ATP . This process is called photophosphorylation , which occurs in two different ways . In non-cyclic photophosphorylation , cytochrome b6f uses the energy of electrons from PSII to pump protons from the stroma to the lumen . The proton gradient across the thylakoid membrane creates a proton - motive force , used by ATP synthase to form ATP . In cyclic photophosphorylation , cytochrome b6f uses the energy of electrons from not only PSII but also PSI to create more ATP and to stop the production of NADPH . Cyclic phosphorylation is important to create ATP and maintain NADPH in the right proportion for the light - independent reactions . The net - reaction of all light - dependent reactions in oxygenic photosynthesis is : 2H 2O + 2NADP + + 3ADP + 3P → O 2 + 2NADPH + 3ATP The two photosystems are protein complexes that absorb photons and are able to use this energy to create an electron transport chain . Photosystem I and II are very similar in structure and function . They use special proteins , called light - harvesting complexes , to absorb the photons with very high effectiveness . If a special pigment molecule in a photosynthetic reaction center absorbs a photon , an electron in this pigment attains the excited state and then is transferred to another molecule in the reaction center . This reaction , called photoinduced charge separation , is the start of the electron flow and is unique because it transforms light energy into chemical forms . Contents ( hide ) 1 The reaction center 2 Photosynthetic electron transport chains in chloroplasts 2.1 Photosystem II 2.1. 1 The water - splitting complex 2.1. 2 The reaction center 2.1. 3 Link of water - splitting complex and chlorophyll excitation 2.1. 4 Summary 2.2 Cytochrome b6 2.3 Photosystem I 3 Photosynthetic electron transport chains in bacteria 3.1 Cyanobacteria 3.2 Purple bacteria 3.3 Green sulfur bacteria 4 History 5 See also 6 References The reaction center ( edit ) Main article : Photosynthetic reaction center The reaction center is in the thylakoid membrane . It transfers light energy to a dimer of chlorophyll pigment molecules near the periplasmic ( or thylakoid lumen ) side of the membrane . This dimer is called a special pair because of its fundamental role in photosynthesis . This special pair is slightly different in PSI and PSII reaction center . In PSII , it absorbs photons with a wavelength of 680 nm , and it is therefore called P680 . In PSI , it absorbs photons at 700 nm , and it is called P700 . In bacteria , the special pair is called P760 , P840 , P870 , or P960 . Where `` P '' means pigment , and the number following it is the wavelength of light absorbed . If an electron of the special pair in the reaction center becomes excited , it can not transfer this energy to another pigment using resonance energy transfer . In normal circumstances , the electron should return to the ground state , but , because the reaction center is arranged so that a suitable electron acceptor is nearby , the excited electron can move from the initial molecule to the acceptor . This process results in the formation of a positive charge on the special pair ( due to the loss of an electron ) and a negative charge on the acceptor and is , hence , referred to as photoinduced charge separation . In other words , electrons in pigment molecules can exist at specific energy levels . Under normal circumstances , they exist at the lowest possible energy level they can . However , if there is enough energy to move them into the next energy level , they can absorb that energy and occupy that higher energy level . The light they absorb contains the necessary amount of energy needed to push them into the next level . Any light that does not have enough or has too much energy can not be absorbed and is reflected . The electron in the higher energy level , however , does not want to be there ; the electron is unstable and must return to its normal lower energy level . To do this , it must release the energy that has put it into the higher energy state to begin with . This can happen various ways . The extra energy can be converted into molecular motion and lost as heat . Some of the extra energy can be lost as heat energy , while the rest is lost as light . ( This re-emission of light energy is called fluorescence . ) The energy , but not the e - itself , can be passed onto another molecule . ( This is called resonance . ) The energy and the e - can be transferred to another molecule . Plant pigments usually utilize the last two of these reactions to convert the sun 's energy into their own . This initial charge separation occurs in less than 10 picoseconds ( 10 seconds ) . In their high - energy states , the special pigment and the acceptor could undergo charge recombination ; that is , the electron on the acceptor could move back to neutralize the positive charge on the special pair . Its return to the special pair would waste a valuable high - energy electron and simply convert the absorbed light energy into heat . In the case of PSII , this backflow of electrons can produce reactive oxygen species leading to photoinhibition . Three factors in the structure of the reaction center work together to suppress charge recombination nearly completely . Another electron acceptor is less than 10 Å away from the first acceptor , and so the electron is rapidly transferred farther away from the special pair . An electron donor is less than 10 Å away from the special pair , and so the positive charge is neutralized by the transfer of another electron The electron transfer back from the electron acceptor to the positively charged special pair is especially slow . The rate of an of electron transfer reaction increases with its thermodynamic favorability up to a point and then decreases . The back transfer is so favourable that it takes place in the inverted region where electron - transfer rates become slower . Thus , electron transfer proceeds efficiently from the first electron acceptor to the next , creating an electron transport chain that ends if it has reached NADPH . Photosynthetic electron transport chains in chloroplasts ( edit ) The photosynthesis process in chloroplasts begins when an electron of P680 of PSII attains a higher - energy level . This energy is used to reduce a chain of electron acceptors that have subsequently lowered redox - potentials . This chain of electron acceptors is known as an electron transport chain . When this chain reaches PS I , an electron is again excited , creating a high redox - potential . The electron transport chain of photosynthesis is often put in a diagram called the z - scheme , because the redox diagram from P680 to P700 resembles the letter z . The final product of PSII is plastoquinol , a mobile electron carrier in the membrane . Plastoquinol transfers the electron from PSII to the proton pump , cytochrome b6f . The ultimate electron donor of PSII is water . Cytochrome b6f proceeds the electron chain to PSI through plastocyanin molecules . PSI is able to continue the electron transfer in two different ways . It can transfer the electrons either to plastoquinol again , creating a cyclic electron flow , or to an enzyme called FNR ( Ferredoxin -- NADP ( + ) reductase ) , creating a non-cyclic electron flow . PSI releases FNR into the stroma , where it reduces NADP + to NADPH . Activities of the electron transport chain , especially from cytochrome b6f , lead to pumping of protons from the stroma to the lumen . The resulting transmembrane proton gradient is used to make ATP via ATP synthase . The overall process of the photosynthetic electron transport chain in chloroplasts is : H 2O → PS II → plastoquinone → cyt b 6 → plastocyanin → PS I → NADPH Photosystem II ( edit ) Main article : Photosystem II PS II is an extremely complex , highly organized transmembrane structure that contains a water - splitting complex , chlorophylls and carotenoid pigments , a reaction center ( P680 ) , pheophytin ( a pigment similar to chlorophyll ) , and two quinones . It uses the energy of sunlight to transfer electrons from water to a mobile electron carrier in the membrane called plastoquinone : H 2O → P680 → P680 → plastoquinone Plastoquinone , in turn , transfers electrons to cyt b 6 , which feeds them into PS I . The water - splitting complex ( edit ) The step H 2O → P680 is performed by a poorly understood structure embedded within PS II called the water - splitting complex or the oxygen - evolving complex . It catalyzes a reaction that splits water into electrons , protons and oxygen : 2H 2O → 4H + 4e + O The actual steps of the above reaction are running in the following way ( Dolai 's diagram of S - states ) : ( I ) 2H2O ( monoxide ) ( II ) OH . H2O ( hydroxide ) ( III ) H2O2 ( peroxide ) ( IV ) HO2 ( super oxide ) ( V ) O2 ( di - oxygen ) . The electrons are transferred to special chlorophyll molecules ( embedded in PS II ) that are promoted to a higher - energy state by the energy of photons . The reaction center ( edit ) The excitation P680 → P680 of the reaction center pigment P680 occurs here . These special chlorophyll molecules embedded in PS II absorb the energy of photons , with maximal absorption at 680 nm . Electrons within these molecules are promoted to a higher - energy state . This is one of two core processes in photosynthesis , and it occurs with astonishing efficiency ( greater than 90 % ) because , in addition to direct excitation by light at 680 nm , the energy of light first harvested by antenna proteins at other wavelengths in the light - harvesting system is also transferred to these special chlorophyll molecules . This is followed by the step P680 → pheophytin , and then on to plastoquinone , which occurs within the reaction center of PS II . High - energy electrons are transferred to plastoquinone before it subsequently picks up two protons to become plastoquinol . Plastoquinol is then released into the membrane as a mobile electron carrier . This is the second core process in photosynthesis . The initial stages occur within picoseconds , with an efficiency of 100 % . The seemingly impossible efficiency is due to the precise positioning of molecules within the reaction center . This is a solid - state process , not a chemical reaction . It occurs within an essentially crystalline environment created by the macromolecular structure of PS II . The usual rules of chemistry ( which involve random collisions and random energy distributions ) do not apply in solid - state environments . Link of water - splitting complex and chlorophyll excitation ( edit ) When the chlorophyll passes the electron to pheophytin , it obtains an electron from P. In turn , P can oxidize the Z ( or Y ) molecule . Once oxidized , the Z molecule can derive electrons from the oxygen - evolving complex ( OEC ) . Dolai 's S - state diagrams show the reactions of water splitting in the oxygen - evolving complex . Summary ( edit ) PS II is a transmembrane structure found in all chloroplasts . It splits water into electrons , protons and molecular oxygen . The electrons are transferred to plastoquinone , which carries them to a proton pump . Molecular oxygen is released into the atmosphere . The emergence of such an incredibly complex structure , a macromolecule that converts the energy of sunlight into potentially useful work with efficiencies that are impossible in ordinary experience , seems almost magical at first glance . Thus , it is of considerable interest that , in essence , the same structure is found in purple bacteria . Cytochrome b 6 ( edit ) PS II and PS I are connected by a transmembrane proton pump , cytochrome b 6 complex ( plastoquinol -- plastocyanin reductase ; EC 1.10. 99.1 ) . Electrons from PS II are carried by plastoquinol to cyt b 6 , where they are removed in a stepwise fashion ( reforming plastoquinone ) and transferred to a water - soluble electron carrier called plastocyanin . This redox process is coupled to the pumping of four protons across the membrane . The resulting proton gradient ( together with the proton gradient produced by the water - splitting complex in PS II ) is used to make ATP via ATP synthase . The similarity in structure and function between cytochrome b 6 ( in chloroplasts ) and cytochrome bc 1 ( Complex III in mitochondria ) is striking . Both are transmembrane structures that remove electrons from a mobile , lipid - soluble electron carrier ( plastoquinone in chloroplasts ; ubiquinone in mitochondria ) and transfer them to a mobile , water - soluble electron carrier ( plastocyanin in chloroplasts ; cytochrome c in mitochondria ) . Both are proton pumps that produce a transmembrane proton gradient . Photosystem I ( edit ) The cyclic light - dependent reactions occur only when the sole photosystem being used is photosystem I. Photosystem I excites electrons which then cycle from the transport protein , ferredoxin ( Fd ) , to the cytochrome complex , b6f , to another transport protein , plastocyanin ( Pc ) , and back to photosystem I. A proton gradient is created across the thylakoid membrane ( 6 ) as protons ( 3 ) are transported from the chloroplast stroma ( 4 ) to the thylakoid lumen ( 5 ) . Through chemiosmosis , ATP ( 9 ) is produced where ATP synthase ( 1 ) binds an inorganic phosphate group ( 8 ) to an ADP molecule ( 7 ) . Main article : Photosystem I PS I accepts electrons from plastocyanin and transfers them either to NADPH ( noncyclic electron transport ) or back to cytochrome b 6 ( cyclic electron transport ) : plastocyanin → P700 → P700 → FNR → NADPH ↑ ↓ b 6 ← plastoquinone PS I , like PS II , is a complex , highly organized transmembrane structure that contains antenna chlorophylls , a reaction center ( P700 ) , phylloquinine , and a number of iron - sulfur proteins that serve as intermediate redox carriers . The light - harvesting system of PS I uses multiple copies of the same transmembrane proteins used by PS II . The energy of absorbed light ( in the form of delocalized , high - energy electrons ) is funneled into the reaction center , where it excites special chlorophyll molecules ( P700 , maximum light absorption at 700 nm ) to a higher energy level . The process occurs with astonishingly high efficiency . Electrons are removed from excited chlorophyll molecules and transferred through a series of intermediate carriers to ferredoxin , a water - soluble electron carrier . As in PS II , this is a solid - state process that operates with 100 % efficiency . There are two different pathways of electron transport in PS I. In noncyclic electron transport , ferredoxin carries the electron to the enzyme ferredoxin NADP + reductase ( FNR ) that reduces NADP + to NADPH . In cyclic electron transport , electrons from ferredoxin are transferred ( via plastoquinone ) to a proton pump , cytochrome b 6 . They are then returned ( via plastocyanin ) to P700 . NADPH and ATP are used to synthesize organic molecules from CO 2 . The ratio of NADPH to ATP production can be adjusted by adjusting the balance between cyclic and noncyclic electron transport . It is noteworthy that PS I closely resembles photosynthetic structures found in green sulfur bacteria , just as PS II resembles structures found in purple bacteria . Photosynthetic electron transport chains in bacteria ( edit ) PS II , PS I , and cytochrome b 6 are found in chloroplasts . All plants and all photosynthetic algae contain chloroplasts , which produce NADPH and ATP by the mechanisms described above . In essence , the same transmembrane structures are also found in cyanobacteria . Unlike plants and algae , cyanobacteria are prokaryotes . They do not contain chloroplasts . Rather , they bear a striking resemblance to chloroplasts themselves . This suggests that organisms resembling cyanobacteria were the evolutionary precursors of chloroplasts . One imagines primitive eukaryotic cells taking up cyanobacteria as intracellular symbionts in a process known as endosymbiosis . Cyanobacteria ( edit ) Cyanobacteria contain structures similar to PS II and PS I in chloroplasts . Their light - harvesting system is different from that found in plants ( they use phycobilins , rather than chlorophylls , as antenna pigments ) , but their electron transport chain 2O → PS II → plastoquinone → b 6 → cytochrome c 6 → PS I → ferredoxin → NADPH ↑ ↓ b 6 ← plastoquinone is , in essence , the same as the electron transport chain in chloroplasts . The mobile water - soluble electron carrier is cytochrome c 6 in cyanobacteria , plastocyanin in plants . Cyanobacteria can also synthesize ATP by oxidative phosphorylation , in the manner of other bacteria . The electron transport chain is NADH dehydrogenase → plastoquinone → b 6 → cytochrome c 6 → cytochrome aa 3 → O where the mobile electron carriers are plastoquinone and cytochrome c 6 , while the proton pumps are NADH dehydrogenase , b 6 and cytochrome aa 3 . Cyanobacteria are the only bacteria that produce oxygen during photosynthesis . Earth 's primordial atmosphere was anoxic . Organisms like cyanobacteria produced our present - day oxygen - containing atmosphere . The other two major groups of photosynthetic bacteria , purple bacteria and green sulfur bacteria , contain only a single photosystem and do not produce oxygen . Purple bacteria ( edit ) Purple bacteria contain a single photosystem that is structurally related to PS II in cyanobacteria and chloroplasts : P870 → P870 → ubiquinone → bc 1 → cytochrome c 2 → P870 This is a cyclic process in which electrons are removed from an excited chlorophyll molecule ( bacteriochlorophyll ; P870 ) , passed through an electron transport chain to a proton pump ( cytochrome bc 1 complex , similar but not identical to cytochrome bc 1 in chloroplasts ) , and then returned to the chlorophyll molecule . The result is a proton gradient , which is used to make ATP via ATP synthase . As in cyanobacteria and chloroplasts , this is a solid - state process that depends on the precise orientation of various functional groups within a complex transmembrane macromolecular structure . To make NADPH , purple bacteria use an external electron donor ( hydrogen , hydrogen sulfide , sulfur , sulfite , or organic molecules such as succinate and lactate ) to feed electrons into a reverse electron transport chain . Green sulfur bacteria ( edit ) Green sulfur bacteria contain a photosystem that is analogous to PS I in chloroplasts : P840 → P840 → ferredoxin → NADH ↑ ↓ cyt c ← bc 1 ← menaquinone There are two pathways of electron transfer . In cyclic electron transfer , electrons are removed from an excited chlorophyll molecule , passed through an electron transport chain to a proton pump , and then returned to the chlorophyll . The mobile electron carriers are , as usual , a lipid - soluble quinone and a water - soluble cytochrome . The resulting proton gradient is used to make ATP . In noncyclic electron transfer , electrons are removed from an excited chlorophyll molecule and used to reduce NAD to NADH . The electrons removed from P840 must be replaced . This is accomplished by removing electrons from H 2S , which is oxidized to sulfur ( hence the name `` green sulfur bacteria '' ) . Purple bacteria and green sulfur bacteria occupy relatively minor ecological niches in the present day biosphere . They are of interest because of their importance in precambrian ecologies , and because their methods of photosynthesis were the likely evolutionary precursors of those in modern plants . History ( edit ) The first ideas about light being used in photosynthesis were proposed by Colin Flannery in 1779 who recognized it was sunlight falling on plants that was required , although Joseph Priestley had noted the production of oxygen without the association with light in 1772 . Cornelius Van Niel proposed in 1931 that photosynthesis is a case of general mechanism where a photon of light is used to photo decompose a hydrogen donor and the hydrogen being used to reduce CO 2 . Then in 1939 , Robin Hill showed that isolated chloroplasts would make oxygen , but not fix CO 2 showing the light and dark reactions occurred in different places . Although they are referred to as light and dark reactions , both of them take place only in the presence of light . This led later to the discovery of photosystems I and II . See also ( edit ) Light - independent reaction Photosynthetic reaction centre Photosystem II Compensation point References ( edit ) ^ Jump up to : Vass , Imre ; Cser , Krisztian ( April 2009 ) . `` Janus - faced charge recombinations in photosystem II photoinhibition '' . Trends in Plant Science . 14 ( 4 ) : 200 -- 205 . doi : 10.1016 / j. tplants. 2009.01. 009 . ISSN 1360 - 1385 . PMID 19303349 . Retrieved 2012 - 10 - 30 . Jump up ^ Keren , Nir ; Berg , Alexander ; van Kan , Paul J.M. ; Levanon , Haim ; Ohad , Itzhak ( 1997 - 02 - 18 ) . `` Mechanism of photosystem II photoinactivation and D1 protein degradation at low light : The role of back electron flow '' . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . 94 ( 4 ) : 1579 -- 1584 . doi : 10.1073 / pnas. 94.4. 1579 . ISSN 0027 - 8424 . PMC 19834 . PMID 11038602 . Retrieved 2012 - 10 - 30 . Jump up ^ Rajni Govindjee . `` The Z - Scheme Diagram of Photosynthesis '' . Retrieved March 2 , 2006 . Jump up ^ Dolai , U. ( 2017 ) . `` Chemical Scheme of Water - Splitting Process during Photosynthesis by the way of Experimental Analysis `` . IOSR Journal of Pharmacy and Biological Sciences . 12 ( 6 ) : 65 - 67 . doi : 10.9790 / 3008 - 1206026567 . ISSN 2319 - 7676 . Jump up ^ `` Photosynthesis '' . McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology . 2007 . p. 472 . Jump up ^ Ingenhousz , J ( 1779 ) . Experiments Upon Vegetables . London : Elmsly and Payne . Jump up ^ Priestley , J ( 1772 ) . `` Observations on Different Kinds of Air '' . 62 . London : Phil . Trans . Roy . Soc. : 147 -- 264 . doi : 10.1098 / rstl. 1772.0021 . Jump up ^ van Niel , C.B. ( 1931 ) . `` On the morphology and physiology of the purple and green sulfur bacteria '' . Arch . Microbiol. 3 : 1 -- 114 . doi : 10.1007 / BF00454965 . Jump up ^ Hill , R. ( May 1939 ) . `` Oxygen Produced by Isolated Chloroplasts '' . Proceedings of the Royal Society of London . Series B , Biological Sciences . 127 ( 847 ) : 192 -- 210 . doi : 10.1098 / rspb. 1939.0017 . Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Light-dependent_reactions&oldid=816952857 '' Categories : Light reactions Photosynthesis Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Dansk Deutsch Eesti Español Esperanto Galego 한국어 Italiano Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Português Русский සිංහල Simple English Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Svenska Tagalog Türkçe Edit links This page was last edited on 24 December 2017 , at 23 : 22 . Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply . By using this site , you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation , Inc. , a non-profit organization . About Wikipedia

Question: which is the site of the light dependent reactions of photosynthesis


Mona Lisa - wikipedia Mona Lisa Jump to : navigation , search This article is about the painting . For other uses , see Mona Lisa ( disambiguation ) . Mona Lisa Italian : La Gioconda , French : La Joconde Artist Leonardo da Vinci Year c. 1503 -- 06 , perhaps continuing until c. 1517 Medium Oil on poplar panel Subject Lisa Gherardini 77 cm × 53 cm ( 30 in × 21 in ) Location Musée du Louvre , Paris The Mona Lisa ( / ˌmoʊnə ˈliːsə / ; Italian : Monna Lisa ( ˈmɔnna ˈliːza ) or La Gioconda ( la dʒoˈkonda ) , French : La Joconde ( la ʒɔkɔ̃d ) ) is a half - length portrait painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci that has been described as `` the best known , the most visited , the most written about , the most sung about , the most parodied work of art in the world '' . The Mona Lisa is also one of the most valuable paintings in the world . It holds the Guinness World Record for the highest known insurance valuation in history at $100 million in 1962 , which is worth nearly $800 million in 2017 . The painting is thought to be a portrait of Lisa Gherardini , the wife of Francesco del Giocondo , and is in oil on a white Lombardy poplar panel . It had been believed to have been painted between 1503 and 1506 ; however , Leonardo may have continued working on it as late as 1517 . Recent academic work suggests that it would not have been started before 1513 . It was acquired by King Francis I of France and is now the property of the French Republic , on permanent display at the Louvre Museum in Paris since 1797 . The subject 's expression , which is frequently described as enigmatic , the monumentality of the composition , the subtle modelling of forms , and the atmospheric illusionism were novel qualities that have contributed to the continuing fascination and study of the work . Contents ( hide ) 1 Title and subject 2 History 2.1 Theft and vandalism 3 Aesthetics 4 Conservation 4.1 Poplar panel 4.2 Frame 4.3 Cleaning and touch - up 4.4 Display 5 Fame 5.1 Financial worth 6 Legacy 7 Early versions and copies 7.1 Prado Museum La Gioconda 7.2 Isleworth Mona Lisa 8 See also 9 References 10 External links Title and subject Main article : Lisa del Giocondo The title of the painting , which is known in English as Mona Lisa , comes from a description by Renaissance art historian Giorgio Vasari , who wrote `` Leonardo undertook to paint , for Francesco del Giocondo , the portrait of Mona Lisa , his wife . '' Mona in Italian is a polite form of address originating as `` ma donna '' -- similar to `` Ma'am '' , `` Madam '' , or `` my lady '' in English . This became `` madonna '' , and its contraction `` mona '' . The title of the painting , though traditionally spelled `` Mona '' ( as used by Vasari ) , is also commonly spelled in modern Italian as Monna Lisa ( `` mona '' being a vulgarity in some Italian dialects ) but this is rare in English . Vasari 's account of the Mona Lisa comes from his biography of Leonardo published in 1550 , 31 years after the artist 's death . It has long been the best - known source of information on the provenance of the work and identity of the sitter . Leonardo 's assistant Salaì , at his death in 1524 , owned a portrait which in his personal papers was named la Gioconda , a painting bequeathed to him by Leonardo . That Leonardo painted such a work , and its date , were confirmed in 2005 when a scholar at Heidelberg University discovered a marginal note in a 1477 printing of a volume written by the ancient Roman philosopher Cicero . Dated October 1503 , the note was written by Leonardo 's contemporary Agostino Vespucci . This note likens Leonardo to renowned Greek painter Apelles , who is mentioned in the text , and states that Leonardo was at that time working on a painting of Lisa del Giocondo . In response to the announcement of the discovery of this document , Vincent Delieuvin , the Louvre representative , stated `` Leonardo da Vinci was painting , in 1503 , the portrait of a Florentine lady by the name of Lisa del Giocondo . About this we are now certain . Unfortunately , we can not be absolutely certain that this portrait of Lisa del Giocondo is the painting of the Louvre . '' A margin note by Agostino Vespucci ( visible at right ) discovered in a book at Heidelberg University . Dated 1503 , it states that Leonardo was working on a portrait of Lisa del Giocondo . The model , Lisa del Giocondo , was a member of the Gherardini family of Florence and Tuscany , and the wife of wealthy Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo . The painting is thought to have been commissioned for their new home , and to celebrate the birth of their second son , Andrea . The Italian name for the painting , La Gioconda , means `` jocund '' ( `` happy '' or `` jovial '' ) or , literally , `` the jocund one '' , a pun on the feminine form of Lisa 's married name , `` Giocondo '' . In French , the title La Joconde has the same meaning . Before that discovery , scholars had developed several alternative views as to the subject of the painting . Some argued that Lisa del Giocondo was the subject of a different portrait , identifying at least four other paintings as the Mona Lisa referred to by Vasari . Several other women have been proposed as the subject of the painting . Isabella of Aragon , Cecilia Gallerani , Costanza d'Avalos , Duchess of Francavilla , Isabella d'Este , Pacifica Brandano or Brandino , Isabela Gualanda , Caterina Sforza -- even Salaì and Leonardo himself -- are all among the list of posited models portrayed in the painting . The consensus of art historians in the 21st century maintains the long - held traditional opinion , that the painting depicts Lisa del Giocondo . History Main article : Leonardo da Vinci Presumed self - portrait by Leonardo da Vinci , executed in red chalk sometime between 1512 and 1515 Leonardo da Vinci is thought by some to have begun painting the Mona Lisa in 1503 or 1504 in Florence , Italy . Although the Louvre states that it was `` doubtless painted between 1503 and 1506 '' , the art historian Martin Kemp says there are some difficulties in confirming the actual dates with certainty . In addition , many Leonardo experts , such as Carlo Pedretti and Alessandro Vezzosi , are of the opinion that the painting is characteristic of Leonardo 's style in the final years of his life , post-1513 . Other academics argue that , given the historical documentation , Leonardo would have painted the work from 1513 . According to Leonardo 's contemporary , Giorgio Vasari , `` after he had lingered over it four years , ( he ) left it unfinished '' . Leonardo , later in his life , is said to have regretted `` never having completed a single work '' . Raphael 's drawing , based on the portrait of Mona Lisa Circa 1504 , Raphael executed a pen and ink sketch , today in the Louvre museum , in which the subject is flanked by large columns , . Experts universally agree it is based on Leonardo 's portrait of Mona Lisa . Other later copies of the Mona Lisa , such as those in the National Museum of Art , Architecture and Design in Oslo and The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore , also display large flanking columns . As a result , it was originally thought that the Mona Lisa in the Louvre had side columns and had been cut . However , as early as 1993 , Zöllner observed that the painting surface had never been trimmed . This was confirmed through a series of tests conducted in 2004 . In view of this , Vincent Delieuvin , curator of 16th - century Italian painting at the Louvre museum states that the sketch and these other copies must have been inspired by another version , while Frank Zöllner states that the sketch brings up the possibility that Leonardo executed another work on the subject of Mona Lisa . It is unclear as to who commissioned the painting . Vasari states that the work was painted for Francesco del Giocondo , the husband of Lisa del Giocondo . However , Antonio de Beatis , following a visit with Leonardo in 1517 , records that the painting was executed at the instance of Giuliano di Lorenzo de ' Medici . In 1516 , Leonardo was invited by King François I to work at the Clos Lucé near the king 's castle in Amboise . It is believed that he took the Mona Lisa with him and continued to work after he moved to France . Art historian Carmen C. Bambach has concluded that Leonardo probably continued refining the work until 1516 or 1517 . The fate of the painting around Leonardo 's death and just after it has divided academic opinion . Some , such as Kemp , believe that upon Leonardo 's death , the painting was inherited with other works by his pupil and assistant Salaì and was still in the latter 's possession in 1525 . Others believe that the painting was sold to Francis I by Salaì , together with The Virgin and Child with St. Anne and the St. John the Baptist in 1518 . The Louvre Museum lists the painting as having entered the Royal collection in 1518 . Given the issue surrounding the dating of the painting , the presence of the flanking columns in the Raphael sketch , the uncertainty concerning the person who commissioned it and its fate around the time of Leonardo 's death , a number of experts have argued that Leonardo painted two versions of the Mona Lisa . The first would have been commissioned by Francesco del Giocondo circa 1503 , had flanking columns , have been left unfinished and have been in Salai 's possession in 1525 . The second , commissioned by Giuliano de Medici circa 1513 , without the flanking columns , would have been sold by Salai to Francis I in 1518 and be the one in the Louvre today . The painting was kept at the Palace of Fontainebleau , where it remained until Louis XIV moved the painting to the Palace of Versailles . After the French Revolution , it was moved to the Louvre , but spent a brief period in the bedroom of Napoleon in the Tuileries Palace . During the Franco - Prussian War ( 1870 -- 71 ) it was moved from the Louvre to the Brest Arsenal . During World War II , Mona Lisa was again removed from the Louvre and taken safely , first to Château d'Amboise , then to the Loc - Dieu Abbey and Château de Chambord , then finally to the Ingres Museum in Montauban . In December 2015 , it was reported that French scientist Pascal Cotte had found a hidden portrait underneath the surface of the painting using reflective light technology . The portrait is an underlying image of a model looking off to the side . Having been given access to the painting by Louvre in 2004 , Cotte spent ten years using layer amplification methods to study the painting . According to Cotte , the underlying image is Leonardo 's original Mona Lisa . However , this portrait does not fit with the description of the painting in the historical records : Both Vasari and Gian Paolo Lomazzo describe the subject as smiling ; the subject in Cotte 's portrait displays no smile . In addition , the portrait lacks the flanking columns drawn by Raphael in his c. 1504 sketch of Mona Lisa . Moreover , Cotte admits that his reconstitution had been carried out only in support of his hypotheses and should not be considered a real painting ; he stresses that the images never existed . Kemp is also adamant that Cotte 's images in no way establish the existence of a separate underlying portrait . Theft and vandalism `` La Joconde est Retrouvée '' ( `` Mona Lisa is Found '' ) , Le Petit Parisien , 13 December 1913 Vacant wall in the Salon Carré , Louvre after the painting was stolen in 1911 On 21 August 1911 , the painting was stolen from the Louvre . The theft was not discovered until the next day , when painter Louis Béroud walked into the museum and went to the Salon Carré where the Mona Lisa had been on display for five years , only to find four iron pegs on the wall . Béroud contacted the head of the guards , who thought the painting was being photographed for promotional purposes . A few hours later , Béroud checked back with the Section Chief of the Louvre who confirmed that the Mona Lisa was not with the photographers . The Louvre was closed for an entire week during the investigation . The Mona Lisa on display in the Uffizi Gallery , in Florence , 1913 . Museum director Giovanni Poggi ( right ) inspects the painting . French poet Guillaume Apollinaire , who had once called for the Louvre to be `` burnt down '' , came under suspicion and was arrested and imprisoned . Apollinaire implicated his friend Pablo Picasso , who was brought in for questioning . Both were later exonerated . Two years later the thief revealed himself . Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia had stolen the Mona Lisa by entering the building during regular hours , hiding in a broom closet , and walking out with it hidden under his coat after the museum had closed . Peruggia was an Italian patriot who believed Leonardo 's painting should have been returned for display in an Italian museum . Peruggia may have been motivated by an associate whose copies of the original would significantly rise in value after the painting 's theft . A later account suggested Eduardo de Valfierno had been the mastermind of the theft and had commissioned forger Yves Chaudron to create six copies of the painting to sell in the U.S. while the location of the original was unclear . However , the original painting remained in Europe . After having kept the Mona Lisa in his apartment for two years , Peruggia grew impatient and was caught when he attempted to sell it to directors of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence . It was exhibited in the Uffizi Gallery for over two weeks and returned to the Louvre on 4 January 1914 . Peruggia served six months in prison for the crime and was hailed for his patriotism in Italy . Before its theft , the Mona Lisa was not widely known outside the art world . It was not until the 1860s that some critics , a thin slice of the French intelligentsia , began to hail it as a masterwork of Renaissance painting . In 1956 , part of the painting was damaged when a vandal threw acid at it . On 30 December of that year , a rock was thrown at the painting , dislodging a speck of pigment near the left elbow , later restored . The use of bulletproof glass has shielded the Mona Lisa from subsequent attacks . In April 1974 , while the painting was on display at the Tokyo National Museum , a woman sprayed it with red paint as a protest against that museum 's failure to provide access for disabled people . On 2 August 2009 , a Russian woman , distraught over being denied French citizenship , threw a ceramic teacup purchased at the Louvre ; the vessel shattered against the glass enclosure . In both cases , the painting was undamaged . Aesthetics Detail of the background ( right side ) The Mona Lisa bears a strong resemblance to many Renaissance depictions of the Virgin Mary , who was at that time seen as an ideal for womanhood . The depiction of the sitter in three - quarter profile is similar to late 15th - century works by Lorenzo di Credi and Agnolo di Domenico del Mazziere . Zöllner notes that the sitter 's general position can be traced back to Flemish models and that `` in particular the vertical slices of columns at both sides of the panel had precedents in Flemish portraiture . '' Woods - Marsden cites Hans Memling 's portrait of Benededetto Portinari ( 1487 ) or Italian imitations such as Sebastiano Mainardi 's pendant portraits for the use of a loggia , which has the effect of mediating between the sitter and the distant landscape , a feature missing from Leonardo 's earlier portrait of Ginevra de ' Benci . The woman sits markedly upright in a `` pozzetto '' armchair with her arms folded , a sign of her reserved posture . Her gaze is fixed on the observer . The woman appears alive to an unusual extent , which Leonardo achieved by his method of not drawing outlines ( sfumato ) . The soft blending creates an ambiguous mood `` mainly in two features : the corners of the mouth , and the corners of the eyes '' . Detail of Lisa 's hands , her right hand resting on her left . Leonardo chose this gesture rather than a wedding ring to depict Lisa as a virtuous woman and faithful wife . The painting was one of the first portraits to depict the sitter in front of an imaginary landscape , and Leonardo was one of the first painters to use aerial perspective . The enigmatic woman is portrayed seated in what appears to be an open loggia with dark pillar bases on either side . Behind her , a vast landscape recedes to icy mountains . Winding paths and a distant bridge give only the slightest indications of human presence . Leonardo has chosen to place the horizon line not at the neck , as he did with Ginevra de ' Benci , but on a level with the eyes , thus linking the figure with the landscape and emphasizing the mysterious nature of the painting . Mona Lisa has no clearly visible eyebrows or eyelashes . Some researchers claim that it was common at this time for genteel women to pluck these hairs , as they were considered unsightly . In 2007 , French engineer Pascal Cotte announced that his ultra-high resolution scans of the painting provide evidence that Mona Lisa was originally painted with eyelashes and with visible eyebrows , but that these had gradually disappeared over time , perhaps as a result of overcleaning . Cotte discovered the painting had been reworked several times , with changes made to the size of the Mona Lisa 's face and the direction of her gaze . He also found that in one layer the subject was depicted wearing numerous hairpins and a headdress adorned with pearls which was later scrubbed out and overpainted . There has been much speculation regarding the painting 's model and landscape . For example , Leonardo probably painted his model faithfully since her beauty is not seen as being among the best , `` even when measured by late quattrocento ( 15th century ) or even twenty - first century standards . '' Some art historians in Eastern art , such as Yukio Yashiro , argue that the landscape in the background of the picture was influenced by Chinese paintings , but this thesis has been contested for lack of clear evidence . Research in 2003 by Professor Margaret Livingstone of Harvard University said that Mona Lisa 's smile disappears when observed with direct vision , known as foveal . Because of the way the human eye processes visual information , it is less suited to pick up shadows directly ; however , peripheral vision can pick up shadows well . Research in 2008 by a geomorphology professor at Urbino University and an artist - photographer revealed likenesses of Mona Lisa 's landscapes to some views in the Montefeltro region in the Italian provinces of Pesaro , Urbino and Rimini . Conservation The Mona Lisa has survived for more than 500 years , and an international commission convened in 1952 noted that `` the picture is in a remarkable state of preservation . '' This is partly due to a variety of conservation treatments the painting has undergone . A detailed analysis in 1933 by Madame de Gironde revealed that earlier restorers had `` acted with a great deal of restraint . '' Nevertheless , applications of varnish made to the painting had darkened even by the end of the 16th century , and an aggressive 1809 cleaning and revarnishing removed some of the uppermost portion of the paint layer , resulting in a washed - out appearance to the face of the figure . Despite the treatments , the Mona Lisa has been well cared for throughout its history , and although the panel 's warping caused the curators `` some worry '' , the 2004 -- 05 conservation team was optimistic about the future of the work . Poplar panel At some point , the Mona Lisa was removed from its original frame . The unconstrained poplar panel warped freely with changes in humidity , and as a result , a crack developed near the top of the panel , extending down to the hairline of the figure . In the mid-18th century to early 19th century , two butterfly - shaped walnut braces were inserted into the back of the panel to a depth of about one third the thickness of the panel . This intervention was skilfully executed , and successfully stabilized the crack . Sometime between 1888 and 1905 , or perhaps during the picture 's theft , the upper brace fell out . A later restorer glued and lined the resulting socket and crack with cloth . The picture is kept under strict , climate - controlled conditions in its bulletproof glass case . The humidity is maintained at 50 % ± 10 % , and the temperature is maintained between 18 and 21 ° C. To compensate for fluctuations in relative humidity , the case is supplemented with a bed of silica gel treated to provide 55 % relative humidity . Frame Because the Mona Lisa 's poplar support expands and contracts with changes in humidity , the picture has experienced some warping . In response to warping and swelling experienced during its storage during World War II , and to prepare the picture for an exhibit to honour the anniversary of Leonardo 's 500th birthday , the Mona Lisa was fitted in 1951 with a flexible oak frame with beech crosspieces . This flexible frame , which is used in addition to the decorative frame described below , exerts pressure on the panel to keep it from warping further . In 1970 , the beech crosspieces were switched to maple after it was found that the beechwood had been infested with insects . In 2004 -- 05 , a conservation and study team replaced the maple crosspieces with sycamore ones , and an additional metal crosspiece was added for scientific measurement of the panel 's warp . The Mona Lisa has had many different decorative frames in its history , owing to changes in taste over the centuries . In 1909 , the Comtesse de Béhague gave the portrait its current frame , a Renaissance - era work consistent with the historical period of the Mona Lisa . The edges of the painting have been trimmed at least once in its history to fit the picture into various frames , but no part of the original paint layer has been trimmed . Cleaning and touch - up The first and most extensive recorded cleaning , revarnishing , and touch - up of the Mona Lisa was an 1809 wash and revarnishing undertaken by Jean - Marie Hooghstoel , who was responsible for restoration of paintings for the galleries of the Musée Napoléon . The work involved cleaning with spirits , touch - up of colour , and revarnishing the painting . In 1906 , Louvre restorer Eugène Denizard performed watercolour retouches on areas of the paint layer disturbed by the crack in the panel . Denizard also retouched the edges of the picture with varnish , to mask areas that had been covered initially by an older frame . In 1913 , when the painting was recovered after its theft , Denizard was again called upon to work on the Mona Lisa . Denizard was directed to clean the picture without solvent , and to lightly touch up several scratches to the painting with watercolour . In 1952 , the varnish layer over the background in the painting was evened out . After the second 1956 attack , restorer Jean - Gabriel Goulinat was directed to touch up the damage to Mona Lisa 's left elbow with watercolour . In 1977 , a new insect infestation was discovered in the back of the panel as a result of crosspieces installed to keep the painting from warping . This was treated on the spot with carbon tetrachloride , and later with an ethylene oxide treatment . In 1985 , the spot was again treated with carbon tetrachloride as a preventive measure . Display Mona Lisa behind bulletproof glass at the Louvre Museum On 6 April 2005 -- following a period of curatorial maintenance , recording , and analysis -- the painting was moved to a new location within the museum 's Salle des États . It is displayed in a purpose - built , climate - controlled enclosure behind bulletproof glass . Since 2005 the painting has been illuminated by an LED lamp , and in 2013 a new 20 watt LED lamp was installed , specially designed for this painting . The lamp has a colour rendering index up to 98 , and minimizes infrared and ultraviolet radiation which could otherwise degrade the painting . The renovation of the gallery where the painting now resides was financed by the Japanese broadcaster Nippon Television . About 6 million people view the painting at the Louvre each year . Fame 2014 : Mona Lisa is among the greatest attractions in the Louvre . Today the Mona Lisa is considered the most famous painting in the world , but until the 20th century it was simply one among many highly regarded artworks . Once part of King Francis I of France 's collection , the Mona Lisa was among the very first artworks to be exhibited in Louvre , which became a national museum after the French Revolution . From the 19th century Leonardo began to be revered as a genius and the painting 's popularity grew from the mid-19th century when French intelligentsia developed a theme that it was somehow mysterious and a representation of the femme fatale . The Baedeker guide in 1878 called it `` the most celebrated work of Leonardo in the Louvre '' , but the painting was known more by the intelligentsia than the general public . US President John F. Kennedy , Madeleine Malraux , André Malraux , Jacqueline Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson at the unveiling of the Mona Lisa at the National Gallery of Art during its visit to Washington D.C. , 8 January 1963 The 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa and its subsequent return , however , was reported worldwide , leading to a massive increase in public recognition of the painting . During the 20th century it was an object for mass reproduction , merchandising , lampooning and speculation , and was claimed to have been reproduced in `` 300 paintings and 2,000 advertisements '' . It has been said that the Mona Lisa was regarded as `` just another Leonardo until early last century , when the scandal of the painting 's theft from the Louvre and subsequent return kept a spotlight on it over several years . '' From December 1962 to March 1963 , the French government lent it to the United States to be displayed in New York City and Washington , D.C. It was shipped on the new liner SS France . In New York an estimated 1.7 million people queued `` in order to cast a glance at the Mona Lisa for 20 seconds or so . '' While exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art , the painting was almost drenched in water because of a faulty sprinkler , but the bullet - proof glass case which encased the painting protected it . In 1974 , the painting was exhibited in Tokyo and Moscow . In 2014 , 9.3 million people visited the Louvre . Former director Henri Loyrette reckoned that `` 80 percent of the people only want to see the Mona Lisa . '' Financial worth Before the 1962 -- 63 tour , the painting was assessed for insurance at $100 million . The insurance was not bought . Instead , more was spent on security . Adjusted for inflation using the US Consumer Price Index , $100 million in 1962 is around $782 million in 2015 making it , in practice , by far the most valued painting in the world . In 2014 a France 24 article suggested that the painting could be sold to help ease the national debt , although it was noted that the Mona Lisa and other such art works were prohibited from being sold due to French heritage law , which states that `` Collections held in museums that belong to public bodies are considered public property and can not be otherwise . '' Raphael 's Young Woman with Unicorn , ( c. 1506 ) Raphael 's Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione ( c. 1514 -- 15 ) Le rire ( The Laugh ) by Eugène Bataille , or Sapeck ( 1883 ) L.H.O.O.Q. by Marcel Duchamp ( 1919 ) Legacy See also : Mona Lisa replicas and reinterpretations Before its completion the Mona Lisa had already begun to influence contemporary Florentine painting . Raphael , who had been to Leonardo 's workshop several times , promptly used elements of the portrait 's composition and format in several of his works , such as Young Woman with Unicorn ( c. 1506 ) , and Portrait of Maddalena Doni ( c. 1506 ) . Celebrated later paintings by Raphael , La velata ( 1515 -- 16 ) and Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione ( c. 1514 -- 15 ) , continued to borrow from Leonardo 's painting . Zollner states that `` None of Leonardo 's works would exert more influence upon the evolution of the genre than the Mona Lisa . It became the definitive example of the Renaissance portrait and perhaps for this reason is seen not just as the likeness of a real person , but also as the embodiment of an ideal . '' Early commentators such as Vasari and André Félibien praised the picture for its realism , but by the Victorian era writers began to regard the Mona Lisa as imbued with a sense of mystery and romance . In 1859 Théophile Gautier wrote that the Mona Lisa was a `` sphinx of beauty who smiles so mysteriously '' and that `` Beneath the form expressed one feels a thought that is vague , infinite , inexpressible . One is moved , troubled ... repressed desires , hopes that drive one to despair , stir painfully . '' Walter Pater 's famous essay of 1869 described the sitter as `` older than the rocks among which she sits ; like the vampire , she has been dead many times , and learned the secrets of the grave ; and has been a diver in the deep seas , and keeps their fallen day about her . '' By the early 20th century some critics started to feel the painting had become a repository for subjective exegeses and theories , and upon the painting 's theft in 1911 , Renaissance historian Bernard Berenson admitted that it had `` simply become an incubus , and I was glad to be rid of her . '' The avant - garde art world has made note of the undeniable fact of the Mona Lisa 's popularity . Because of the painting 's overwhelming stature , Dadaists and Surrealists often produce modifications and caricatures . Already in 1883 , Le rire , an image of a Mona Lisa smoking a pipe , by Sapeck ( Eugène Bataille ) , was shown at the `` Incoherents '' show in Paris . In 1919 , Marcel Duchamp , one of the most influential modern artists , created L.H.O.O.Q. , a Mona Lisa parody made by adorning a cheap reproduction with a moustache and goatee . Duchamp added an inscription , which when read out loud in French sounds like `` Elle a chaud au cul '' meaning : `` she has a hot ass '' , implying the woman in the painting is in a state of sexual excitement and intended as a Freudian joke . According to Rhonda R. Shearer , the apparent reproduction is in fact a copy partly modelled on Duchamp 's own face . Salvador Dalí , famous for his surrealist work , painted Self portrait as Mona Lisa in 1954 . In 1963 following the painting 's visit to the United States , Andy Warhol created serigraph prints of multiple Mona Lisas called Thirty are Better than One , like his works of Marilyn Monroe ( Twenty - five Coloured Marilyns , 1962 ) , Elvis Presley ( 1964 ) and Campbell 's soup ( 1961 -- 62 ) . The Mona Lisa continues to inspire artists around the world . A French urban artist known pseudonymously as Invader has created versions on city walls in Paris and Tokyo using his trademark mosaic style . A collection of Mona Lisa parodies may be found on YouTube . A 2014 New Yorker magazine cartoon parodies the supposed enigma of the Mona Lisa smile in an animation showing progressively maniacal smiles . Early versions and copies Perspective Mona Lisa to the Prado museum Perspective Mona Lisa to the Louvre museum Prado Museum La Gioconda Main article : Mona Lisa ( Prado 's version ) A version of Mona Lisa known as Mujer de mano de Leonardo Abince ( `` Leonardo da Vinci 's handy - woman '' ) held in Madrid 's Museo del Prado was for centuries considered to be a work by Leonardo . However , since its restoration in 2012 it is considered to have been executed by one of Leonardo 's pupils in his studio at the same time as Mona Lisa was being painted . Their conclusion , based on analysis obtained after the picture underwent extensive restoration , that the painting is probably by Salaì ( 1480 -- 1524 ) or by Melzi ( 1493 -- 1572 ) . This has been called into question by others . The restored painting is from a slightly different perspective than the original Mona Lisa , leading to the speculation that it is part of the world 's first stereoscopic pair . However , a more recent report has demonstrated that this stereoscopic pair in fact gives no reliable stereoscopic depth . Isleworth Mona Lisa Main article : Isleworth Mona Lisa A version of the Mona Lisa known as the Isleworth Mona Lisa and also known as the Earlier Mona Lisa was first bought by an English nobleman in 1778 and was rediscovered in 1913 by Hugh Blaker , an art connoisseur . The painting was presented to the media in 2012 by the Mona Lisa Foundation . It is a painting of the same subject as Leonardo da Vinci 's Mona Lisa . The painting is claimed by a majority of experts to be mostly an original work of Leonardo dating from the early 16th century . Other experts , including Zöllner and Kemp , deny the attribution . Copy of Mona Lisa commonly attributed to Salaì The Prado Museum La Gioconda The Isleworth Mona Lisa 16th - century copy at the Hermitage by unknown artist See also Visual arts portal List of most expensive paintings List of stolen paintings References Notes Jump up ^ Lichfield , John ( 1 April 2005 ) . `` The Moving of the Mona Lisa '' . The Independent . Archived from the original on 9 November 2016 . Jump up ^ `` Highest insurance valuation for a painting '' . Guinness World Records . Retrieved 2017 - 07 - 25 . Jump up ^ `` Inflation Calculator '' . www.dollartimes.com . Retrieved 2017 - 10 - 22 . ^ Jump up to : Pedretti , Carlo ( 1982 ) . Leonardo , a study in chronology and style . Johnson Reprint Corporation . ISBN 0384452809 . ^ Jump up to : Vezzosi , Alessandro ( 2007 ) . `` The Gioconda mystery -- Leonardo and the `` common vice of painters '' `` . In Vezzosi ; Schwarz ; Manetti . Mona Lisa : Leonardo 's hidden face . Polistampa . ISBN 9788859602583 . ^ Jump up to : Lorusso , Salvatore ; Natali , Andrea ( 2015 ) . `` Mona Lisa : A comparative evaluation of the different versions and copies '' . Conservation Science . 15 : 57 -- 84 . Retrieved July 26 , 2017 . ^ Jump up to : Asmus , John F. ; Parfenov , Vadim ; Elford , Jessie ( 28 November 2016 ) . `` Seeing double : Leonardo 's Mona Lisa twin '' . Optical and Quantum Electronics . 48 : 555 . Retrieved July 26 , 2017 . Jump up ^ Carrier , David ( 2006 ) . Museum Skepticism : A History of the Display of Art in Public Galleries . Duke University Press . p. 35 . ISBN 0822387573 . Jump up ^ Cohen , Philip ( 23 June 2004 ) . `` Noisy secret of Mona Lisa 's '' . New Scientist . Archived from the original on 23 April 2008 . 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Retrieved 25 October 2015 . Jump up ^ `` The Theft That Made The ' Mona Lisa ' A Masterpiece '' . NPR. 30 July 2011 . Archived from the original on 27 August 2014 . Retrieved 26 August 2014 . Jump up ^ `` Faces of the week '' . BBC . 29 September 2006 . Archived from the original on 3 August 2014 . Retrieved 27 April 2008 . Jump up ^ `` Mona FAQ '' . Mona Lisa Mania . Archived from the original on 1 June 2009 . Retrieved 7 January 2010 . Jump up ^ `` ' Mona Lisa ' Still Smiling , Undamaged After Woman 's Spray Attack in Tokyo '' . Sarasota Herald - Tribune . 21 April 1974 . Retrieved 9 October 2012 . Jump up ^ `` Mona Lisa attacked by Russian woman '' . Xinhua News Agency . 12 August 2009 . Archived from the original on 2 March 2012 . Retrieved 12 August 2009 . Jump up ^ `` Russian tourist hurls mug at Mona Lisa in Louvre '' . Associated Press . 11 August 2009 . Retrieved 11 August 2009 . ^ Jump up to : Zöllner , Frank ( 2000 ) . Leonardo Da Vinci , 1452 -- 1519 . ISBN 9783822859797 . Jump up ^ Zöllner , Frank . `` Leonardo 's Portrait of Mona Lisa del Giocondo '' ( PDF ) . p. 16 . Archived ( PDF ) from the original on 1 October 2014 . ^ Jump up to : Woods - Marsden p. 77 n . 100 Jump up ^ `` E.H. Gombrich , The Story of Art '' . Artchive.com . Archived from the original on 3 June 2013 . Retrieved 3 June 2013 . Jump up ^ Farago 1999 , p. 372 Jump up ^ `` The Mona Lisa ( La Gioconda ) '' . BBC . 25 October 2009 . Archived from the original on 26 June 2010 . Retrieved 24 October 2009 . Jump up ^ Turudich 2003 , p. 198 Jump up ^ McMullen , Roy ( 1976 ) . Mona Lisa : The Picture and the Myth . Macmillan Publishers . ISBN 0 - 333 - 19169 - 2 . Jump up ^ Holt , Richard ( 22 October 2007 ) . `` Solved : Why Mona Lisa does n't have eyebrows '' . The Daily Telegraph . UK . Archived from the original on 4 April 2010 . Retrieved 11 March 2010 . Jump up ^ Ghose , Tia ( 9 December 2015 ) . `` Lurking Beneath the ' Mona Lisa ' May Be the Real One '' . Livescience.com . Archived from the original on 11 December 2015 . Jump up ^ Irene Earls , Artists of the Renaissance , Greenwood Press , 2004 , p. 113 . ISBN 0 - 313 - 31937 - 5 ^ Jump up to : Salgueiro , Heliana Angotti ( 2000 ) . Paisaje y art . University of São Paulo . p. 74 . ISBN 85 - 901430 - 1 - 5 . Jump up ^ `` BBC NEWS -- Entertainment -- Mona Lisa smile secrets revealed '' . Archived from the original on 31 August 2007 . Jump up ^ Rosetta Borchia and Olivia Nesci , Codice P. Atlante illustrato del reale paesaggio della Gioconda , Mondadori Electa , 2012 , ISBN 978 - 88 - 370 - 9277 - 1 Jump up ^ `` Researchers identify landscape behind the Mona Lisa '' . The Times . Retrieved 22 January 2014 . Jump up ^ `` Ageing Mona Lisa worries Louvre '' . BBC News . 26 April 2004 . Archived from the original on 16 August 2009 . Retrieved 24 October 2009 . Jump up ^ `` Biographical index of collectors of pastels '' . Pastellists.com . Archived from the original on 15 June 2013 . Retrieved 3 June 2013 . Jump up ^ `` Mona Lisa gains new Louvre home '' . BBC . 6 April 2005 . Archived from the original on 1 February 2008 . Retrieved 27 April 2008 . Jump up ^ Fontoynont , Marc et al. `` Lighting Mona Lisa with LEDs Archived 8 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine . '' Note Archived 29 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine ... SBI / Aalborg University , June 2013 . Jump up ^ `` Nippon Television Network Corporation '' . Ntv.co.jp. 6 April 2005 . Archived from the original on 8 October 2010 . Retrieved 21 November 2010 . Jump up ^ Riding , Alan ( 6 April 2005 ) . `` In Louvre , New Room With View of ' Mona Lisa ' '' . The New York Times . Archived from the original on 25 June 2011 . Retrieved 7 October 2007 . Jump up ^ Sassoon , Donald . `` Why is the Mona Lisa Famous ? '' . La Trobe University Podcast . Archived from the original on 4 July 2015 . Retrieved 20 January 2014 . ^ Jump up to : Sassoon , Donald ( 2001 ) . `` Mona Lisa : the Best - Known Girl in the Whole Wide World '' . History Workshop Journal ( vol 2001 ed . ) . Oxford University Press . 2001 ( 51 ) : 1 . doi : 10.1093 / hwj / 2001.51. 1 . ISSN 1477 - 4569 . Jump up ^ Gopnik , Blake ( 7 May 2004 ) . `` A Record Picasso and the Hype Price of Status Objects '' . The Washington Post . Archived from the original on 29 November 2016 . Retrieved 28 November 2016 . Jump up ^ `` The Mona Lisa '' ( PDF ) . Metropolitan Museum of Art . Retrieved 2018 - 01 - 08 . Jump up ^ Stolow , Nathan ( 1987 ) . Conservation and exhibitions : packing , transport , storage , and environmental consideration . Butterworths . p. 188 . ISBN 978 - 0 - 408 - 01434 - 2 . Archived from the original on 5 October 2012 . Retrieved 10 October 2010 . Jump up ^ `` Today in Met History : February 4 '' . Metropolitan Museum of Art . 2013 - 02 - 04 . Retrieved 2018 - 01 - 08 . Jump up ^ `` Another art anniversary : Mona Lisa comes to New York ! And she 's almost drowned in a sprinkler malfunction '' . boweryboyshistory.com. 2013 - 01 - 13 . Retrieved 2018 - 01 - 08 . Jump up ^ Bohm - Duchen , Monica ( 2001 ) . The private life of a masterpiece . University of California Press . p. 65 . ISBN 978 - 0 - 520 - 23378 - 2 . Archived from the original on 5 October 2012 . Retrieved 10 October 2010 . Jump up ^ The French Ministry of Foreign affairs . `` The Louvre , the most visited museum in the world ( 01.15 ) '' . France Diplomatie : : Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development . Archived from the original on 22 December 2015 . Jump up ^ `` On a Mission to Loosen Up the Louvre '' . The New York Times . 11 October 2009 . Archived from the original on 24 December 2016 . Jump up ^ Young , Mark , ed. ( 1999 ) . The Guinness Book of World Records 1999 . Bantam Books . p. 381 . ISBN 0 - 553 - 58075 - 2 . Jump up ^ `` Six Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a U.S. Dollar Amount , 1790 to Present '' . Measuring Worth . Archived from the original on 8 August 2008 . Retrieved 9 August 2013 . Jump up ^ `` Culture -- Could France sell the Mona Lisa to pay off its debts ? '' . France 24 . Archived from the original on 30 November 2015 . Jump up ^ Zollner gives a date of c. 1504 , most others say c. 1506 Jump up ^ Zöllner , Frank . Leonardo Da Vinci , 1452 -- 1519 . p. 161 . Jump up ^ Clark , Kenneth ( 1999 ) . `` Mona Lisa '' . In Farago , Claire J. Leonardo Da Vinci , Selected Scholarship : Leonardo 's projects , c. 1500 -- 1519 . p. 214 . ISBN 9780815329350 . ^ Jump up to : `` The myth of the Mona Lisa '' . The Guardian . Archived from the original on 10 July 2017 . Jump up ^ Samuels , Ernest ; Samuels , Jayne ( 1987 ) . Bernard Berenson , the Making of a Legend . p. 215 . ISBN 9780674067790 . Jump up ^ Jones , Jonathan ( 26 May 2001 ) . `` L.H.O.O.Q. , Marcel Duchamp ( 1919 ) '' . The Guardian . UK . Archived from the original on 9 May 2014 . Retrieved 12 June 2009 . Jump up ^ Marting , Marco De ( 2003 ) . `` Mona Lisa : Who is Hidden Behind the Woman with the Mustache ? '' . Art Science Research Laboratory . Archived from the original on 20 March 2008 . Retrieved 27 April 2008 . Jump up ^ Dalí , Salvador . `` Self Portrait as Mona Lisa '' . Mona Lisa Images for a Modern World by Robert A. Baron ( from the catalog of an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art , 1973 , p. 195 ) . Archived from the original on 28 October 2009 . Retrieved 24 October 2009 . Jump up ^ Sassoon , Donald ( 2003 ) . Becoming Mona Lisa . Harvest Books via Amazon Search Inside . p. 251 . ISBN 0 - 15 - 602711 - 9 . Jump up ^ `` The £ 20,000 Rubik 's Cube Mona Lisa '' . metro.co.uk. 29 January 2009 . Archived from the original on 26 July 2014 . Retrieved 18 July 2014 . Jump up ^ Best Funny Mona Lisa Parodies La Gioconda Painting NO Panic ! at the Disco . YouTube . 18 September 2014 . Archived from the original on 4 September 2015 . Jump up ^ `` La Gioconda , Leonardo 's atelier '' . Museo Nacional del Prado . Archived from the original on 8 December 2015 . Retrieved 7 December 2015 . Jump up ^ `` The ' Prado Mona Lisa ' -- The Mona Lisa Foundation '' . The Mona Lisa Foundation . Archived from the original on 17 December 2015 . Jump up ^ Carbon , C.C. ; Hesslinger , V.M. ( August 2013 ) . `` Da Vinci 's Mona Lisa Entering the Next Dimension '' . Perception. 42 ( 8 ) : 887 -- 893 . doi : 10.1068 / p7524 . PMID 24303752 . Archived from the original on 2 January 2016 . Retrieved 8 December 2015 . Jump up ^ Carbon , Claus - Christian ; Hesslinger , Vera M. `` Restoring Depth to Leonardo 's Mona Lisa '' . American Scientist. 103 ( 6 ) : 404 -- 409 . doi : 10.1511 / 2015.117. 1 . Archived from the original on 10 December 2015 . Retrieved 7 December 2015 . ( Subscription required ( help ) ) . Jump up ^ Tweened animated gif of Mona Lisa and Prado version Archived 7 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine . by Carbon and Hesslinger Jump up ^ Brooks , K.R. ( 1 January 2017 ) . `` Depth Perception and the History of Three - Dimensional Art : Who Produced the First Stereoscopic Images ? '' . i - Perception. 8 ( 1 ) . doi : 10.1177 / 2041669516680114 . Retrieved 25 January 2017 . Jump up ^ Dutta , Kunal ( 15 December 2014 ) . `` ' Early Mona Lisa ' : Unveiling the one - in - a-million identical twin to Leonardo da Vinci painting '' . Archived from the original on 16 December 2014 . Jump up ^ Eyre , John ( 1926 ) . The two Mona Lisas : Which was Giocondo 's picture ? Ten direct , distinct , and decisive data in favour of the Isleworth version and some recent Italian experts ' opinions on it . London : J.M. Ouseley & Son . Jump up ^ Chappelow , AC ( July 1 , 1956 ) . `` The Isleworth Mona Lisa '' . Apollo Magazine . access - date = requires url = ( help ) Jump up ^ Pulitzer , Henry E. ( 1960 ) . Where is the Mona Lisa ? . London : The Pulitzer Press . ASIN B0027MR0A2 . Jump up ^ Asmus , John F. ( 1 July 1989 ) . `` Computer Studies of the Isleworth and Louvre Mona Lisas '' . Optical Engineering . 28 ( 7 ) : 800 -- 804 . doi : 10.1117 / 12.7977036 . Retrieved July 26 , 2017 . ^ Jump up to : `` New proof said found for `` original '' Mona Lisa -- `` . Reuters.com. 13 February 2013 . Retrieved 26 July 2017 . Jump up ^ Soares , Atila ( 2013 ) . A Jovem Mona Lisa . Rio de Janeiro , Brasil : Multifoco . ISBN 9788582733882 . Jump up ^ Sauteur , Albert ( April 22 , 2014 ) . `` Albert Sauteur réinvente la perspective '' . Migros Magazine . Vol. 17 . pp. 14 -- 17 . access - date = requires url = ( help ) Jump up ^ Alastair Sooke . `` The Isleworth Mona Lisa : A second Leonardo masterpiece ? '' . BBC . Archived from the original on 2 January 2016 . Bibliography External video Leonardo 's `` Mona Lisa '' , Smarthistory Bartz , Gabriele ( 2001 ) . Art and architecture , Louvre . Barnes & Noble Books . ISBN 978 - 0 - 7607 - 2577 - 1 . Retrieved 10 October 2010 . Bohm - Duchen , Monica ( 2001 ) . The private life of a masterpiece . University of California Press . ISBN 978 - 0 - 520 - 23378 - 2 . Retrieved 10 October 2010 . Farago , Claire J. ( 1999 ) . Leonardo 's projects , c. 1500 -- 1519 . Taylor & Francis . ISBN 978 - 0 - 8153 - 2935 - 0 . Retrieved 10 October 2010 . Kemp , Martin ( 2006 ) . Leonardo da Vinci : the marvellous works of nature and man . Oxford University Press . ISBN 978 - 0 - 19 - 280725 - 0 . Retrieved 10 October 2010 . Littlefield , Walter ( 1914 ) . `` The Two `` Mona Lisas '' `` . The Century : a popular quarterly . Scribner & Co. 87 . Turudich , Daniela ( 2003 ) . Plucked , Shaved & Braided : Medieval and Renaissance Beauty and Grooming Practices 1000 -- 1600 . Streamline Press . ISBN 1 - 930064 - 08 - X . Vasari , Giorgio ( 1879 ) ( 1550 ) . `` Le vite de ' più eccellenti pittori , scultori ed architettori '' ( vol 4 ed . ) . Florence : G.C. Sansoni . Wilson , Colin ( 2000 ) . The Mammoth Encyclopedia of the Unsolved . Carroll & Graf Publishers . ISBN 0 - 7867 - 0793 - 3 . Woods - Marsden , Joanna ( 2001 ) , `` Portrait of the Lady , 1430 -- 1520 '' , in Brown , David Alan , Virtue & Beauty , London : Priceton University Press , pp. 64 -- 87 , ISBN 0691090572 External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mona Lisa . Sassoon , Donald , Prof. ( 21 January 2014 ) . # 26 : Why is the Mona Lisa Famous ? . La Trobe University podcast blog . Archived from the original on 4 July 2015 . CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ) of the podcast audio . Kobbé , Gustav `` The Smile of the Mona Lisa '' The Lotus Magazine Vol. 8 , No. 2 ( Nov. 1916 ) , pp. 67 -- 74 `` Mona Lisa , Leonardo 's Earlier Version '' . Zürich , Switzerland : The Mona Lisa Foundation . Archived from the original on 26 June 2015 . Retrieved 5 November 2015 . `` True Colors of the Mona Lisa Revealed '' ( Press release ) . Paris : Lumiere Technology . 19 October 2006 . Archived from the original on 26 June 2015 . Retrieved 5 November 2015 . Scientific analyses conducted by the Center for Research and Restoration of the Museums of France ( C2RMF ) Compare layers of the painting as revealed by x-radiography , infrared reflectographya and ultraviolet fluorescence `` Stealing Mona Lisa '' . Dorothy & Thomas Hoobler . May 2009 . excerpt of book . Vanity Fair Discussion by Janina Ramirez and Martin Kemp : Art Detective Podcast , 18 Jan 2017 Leonardo da Vinci List of works Science and inventions Personal life Paintings Medusa The Annunciation The Baptism of Christ The Madonna of the Carnation Ginevra de ' Benci Benois Madonna The Adoration of the Magi St. Jerome in the Wilderness Madonna Litta Virgin of the Rocks Portrait of a Musician Lady with an Ermine La Belle Ferronnière Salvator Mundi Madonna of the Yarnwinder The Virgin and Child with St. Anne Mona Lisa Head of a Woman ( La Scapigliata ) Leda and the Swan St. John the Baptist Works on walls The Last Supper Sala delle Asse The Battle of Anghiari Sculptures Sforza monument ( unexecuted ) Horse and Rider Rearing Horse and Mounted Warrior Works on paper Vitruvian Man Portrait of a Young Fiancée The Virgin and Child with St Anne and St John the Baptist Self - portrait Studies of the Fetus in the Womb Manuscripts Codex Arundel Codex Atlanticus Codex on the Flight of Birds Codex Leicester Codex Madrid Codex Trivulzianus A Treatise on Painting Other projects De divina proportione Architonnerre Leonardo 's crossbow Leonardo 's fighting vehicle Leonardo 's robot Leonardo 's self - propelled cart Viola organista Leonardeschi Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio Cesare da Sesto Giampietrino Giovanni Agostino da Lodi Bernardino Luini Cesare Magni Marco d'Oggiono Francesco Melzi Giovanni Ambrogio de Predis Salaì Andrea Solari Posthumous fame Cultural references Mona Lisa replicas and reinterpretations Things named after da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci 's Mona Lisa Subject Lisa del Giocondo Replicas Isleworth Mona Lisa ( 16th century ) Mona Lisa ( Prado , c. 1503 -- 16 ) L.H.O.O.Q. ( 1919 ) Mini Lisa ( 2013 ) Related Mona Lisa replicas and reinterpretations Speculations about Mona Lisa Timeline of fictional stories about the Mona Lisa 1911 theft Eduardo de Valfierno Yves Chaudron Vincenzo Peruggia On screen The Theft of the Mona Lisa ( 1931 ) The Mona Lisa Has Been Stolen ( 1966 ) City of Death ( 1979 ) Mona Lisa 's Revenge ( 2009 ) Music Mona Lisa ( 1915 opera ) `` Mona Lisa '' ( 1950 song ) `` Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile '' ( 1984 song ) `` Lisa Mona Lisa '' ( 1988 song ) `` The Mona Lisa '' ( 2013 song ) Literature The Second Mrs. Giaconda ( 1975 ) I , Mona Lisa ( 2006 ) The Smile ( 2008 ) Other `` The Ballad of Mona Lisa '' VIAF : 180757281 LCCN : n98092274 GND : 4074156 - 4 SUDOC : 027396797 BNF : cb11944800v ( data ) NLA : 35300571 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mona_Lisa&oldid=835360258 '' Categories : Paintings by Leonardo da Vinci Mona Lisa 16th - century portraits Italian paintings 1500s paintings Paintings of the Louvre Portraits of women Hidden categories : Articles containing Italian - language text All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from June 2016 CS1 : Julian -- Gregorian uncertainty Pages using citations with accessdate and no URL Webarchive template wayback links Pages containing links to subscription - only content Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages Use dmy dates from July 2017 Use British English Oxford spelling from August 2016 Pages using infobox artwork with the material parameter Articles containing French - language text All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from May 2014 Articles with unsourced statements from August 2012 Articles with unsourced statements from November 2016 Articles with unsourced statements from January 2017 Articles with dead external links from March 2010 CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with NLA identifiers Talk View source Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans አማርኛ অসমীয়া Asturianu Azərbaycanca বাংলা Bân - lâm - gú Башҡортса Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца )  Bikol Central Български བོད ་ ཡིག Bosanski Brezhoneg Català Чӑвашла Čeština Chavacano de Zamboanga Corsu Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Fiji Hindi Føroyskt Français Frysk Gaeilge Galego 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hrvatski Ilokano Bahasa Indonesia IsiZulu Íslenska Italiano עברית Basa Jawa ಕನ್ನಡ ქართული Қазақша Kiswahili Kurdî ລາວ Latina Latviešu Lëtzebuergesch Lietuvių Limburgs Magyar मैथिली Македонски മലയാളം Malti मराठी Bahasa Melayu Монгол မြန်မာဘာသာ Nederlands नेपाली 日本 語 Nordfriisk Norsk Norsk nynorsk Occitan Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча ਪੰਜਾਬੀ پنجابی پښتو Polski Português Ripoarisch Română Русиньскый Русский Scots Shqip Sicilianu සිංහල Simple English سنڌي Slovenčina Slovenščina Soomaaliga کوردی Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog தமிழ் తెలుగు ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو Vèneto Tiếng Việt Winaray 粵語 中文 Bahasa Hulontalo 102 more Edit links This page was last edited on 8 April 2018 , at 06 : 45 . 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Question: where can the mona lisa be found today