Art

The history of a painting told in pictures

Revealed in more than four hundred paintings, photographs and illustrations this is an intimate look at the history of the world's most famous painting and the genius who created it.
Ah, that smile we've all seen it hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of times. It graces the face of La Gioconda, or the Mona Lisa, as she is affectionately known - the world's most famous painting, created by Leonardo da Vinci around 1505. Five centuries later,the Mona Lisa has achieved celebrity status.
She has been admired and imitated, parodied and exploited. Yet few of us know the compelling story of this priceless world treasure. In this engaging story - told mainly in pictures - historian and Mona Lisa scholar Donald Sassoon offers us an intimate look at the painting's history and at the genius who gave the Mona Lisa lasting life.
First published july 2006.