Isleworth Mona Lisa
According to Leonardo's early biographer Giorgio Vasari, Leonardo had started to paint "Mona Lisa" in 1503, but "left it unfinished". However, a fully finished painting of a "certain Florentine lady" surfaced again in 1517, shortly before Leonardo's death and in his private possession. The latter painting almost certainly is the one that now hangs in the Louvre. Based on this contradiction, supporters of the authenticity of the "Isleworth Mona Lisa" claim it is the unfinished "Mona Lisa", made at least partially by Leonardo, and the Louvre "Mona Lisa" a later version of it, made by Leonardo for his own use.
Mona Lisa replicas and reinterpretations
"Mona Lisa"'s iconic face has been available for years in all forms, reproduced on everything from birthday cards to refrigerator magnets, appearing in advertisements for fashion and travel industries, and on the cover of magazines.
Leonardo da Vinci's own status as "genius" has been suggested as a factor contributing to the mystique of his creation.
The eyes of Leonardo's original "Mona Lisa" appear within cover-graphics for Dan Brown's fictional novel "The Da Vinci Code".
The "Mona Lisa" portrait also appeared in the teaser trailer for the 2006 film of the same name, although a replica was used for filming, appears only briefly in the film, and plays a very small part in the story.
Along with Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring", "Mona Lisa" is among the most replicated works of art.
The sheer number and variety of replicas and reproductions since its creation in the early 16th century illustrates a so-called "self-reinforcing dynamic"; utilized in advertising because of its familiarity, thereby re-enforcing its fame.