Mona Lisa. Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa 1502-1516, 76.8×53 cm. Louvre, Paris.
It is perhaps difficult to find a person on the globe who would not be familiar with “Gioconda”. It is undoubtedly the most famous work of the talented Italian. Many of the mysteries and mysteries of this painting by Leonardo da Vinci have not yet been solved:

“Mona Lisa” had a special significance in the life of the artist – it is no secret that sometimes, fascinated by something new, he was very reluctant to return to the interrupted work. However, over the “Mona Lisa”, he worked with passion and enthusiasm. Why?

It is unclear exactly who the portrait depicts. Was it the wife of the merchant del Giocondo? Or the same woman who posed for “Lady with an ermine”? There is even a version that as a model for the Mona Lisa was Salai – one of the artist’s apprentices, depicted by him in at least two other paintings.
What color was the original color of Gioconda’s dress? Apparently, Leonardo again experimented with paints, and again unsuccessfully, so that nothing remained of the original color of the sleeves. Contemporaries, by the way, admired the luxurious coloring of the painting.
And finally, the mysterious half-smile – is she smiling at all, or is it just an illusion, skillfully created by the artist through shadows in the corners of the lips?