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
Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" is one of the most recognizable and famous works of art in the world, and also one of the most replicated and reinterpreted. "Mona Lisa" replicas were already being painted during Leonardo's lifetime by his own students and contemporaries. Some are claimed to be the work of Leonardo himself, and remain disputed by scholars.
Prominent 20th-century artists such as Marcel Duchamp and Salvador Dalí have also produced derivative works, manipulating "Mona Lisa"'s image to suit their own aesthetic.
Replicating Renaissance masterpieces continues to be a way for aspiring artists to perfect their painting techniques and prove their skills.