Mona Lisa
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.
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.