r/RenaissanceArt

The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci around 1503 and is surprisingly small—only 77 × 53 cm (30 × 21 inches).

Despite its size, it became the world's most recognizable painting for several reasons:

• Leonardo's revolutionary sfumato technique gives the face an incredibly soft, lifelike appearance.

• Her expression seems to change depending on where you look, making the smile one of the greatest mysteries in art.

• The painting was stolen from the Louvre in 1911 and recovered two years later, turning it into an international sensation.

• Today, millions of visitors travel to the Louvre every year just to see it behind bulletproof glass.

Question: If the Mona Lisa had never been stolen, do you think it would still be the most famous painting in history? Why or why not?

Ginevra Cantofoli (1608 or 1618 – 1672) was an Italian painter. Her early works were pastel portraits and small paintings, but she later went on to paint large-scale compositions. She was primarily a history painter. She also produced several altarpieces for Bolognese churches, although none of these works are known to still exist. She also painted on glass.

The painting is at the Berkeley Art Museum in California, USA.