Lisa Kereszi Art

Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo is likely the person who posed for the Mona Lisa. She was the wife of a wealthy Florentine silk merchant. Historians have arrived at this conclusion based largely on the biography of Leonardo da Vinci written by Giorgio Vasari. On 1stDibs, explore a large collection of Old Masters art.

The real story of the Mona Lisa may never be known for certain. However, most art historians believe that Lisa del Giocondo, the wife of a silk merchant from Florence, posed for the painting. Biographies of Leonardo da Vinci and other historical documents from the Italian Renaissance suggest that the del Giocondos commissioned the work to hang in their new home and to mark the occasion of the birth of their son. On 1stDibs, find a large selection of fine art.

Leonardo da Vinci actually painted the Mona Lisa. Although works of fiction, including novels and films, have led some people to falsely believe that the work was secretly created by someone else, there is no historical evidence to support this. Interestingly, there is a very similar painting in the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain. Called La Gioconda, it was most likely painted by one of da Vinci's apprentices and completed while the master artist worked on the Mona Lisa. On 1stDibs, explore a large collection of fine art.

Why the Mona Lisa is called La Gioconda is because of the identity of the woman widely believed to be shown in Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece. Many art historians consider that the portrait depicts Lisa Gherardini, the wife of an Italian merchant named Francesco del Giocondo. In Italian, "La" is the feminine form for the word "the." Changing "Giocondo" to "Giaconda" is a way to make the last name feminine. Put simply, “La Gioconda” means "the wife of Giocondo" and describes who Lisa Gherardini was. Explore a wide variety of fine art on 1stDibs.

It is difficult to say for certain how much the Mona Lisa is worth today. Experts estimate that the painting may be worth upwards of $860 million, but unless the painting comes up for auction, it can be difficult to predict how much it could sell for. The masterpiece painted by Leonardo da Vinci has been part of the Louvre's collection since 1797. On 1stDibs, shop a diverse assortment of fine art.