The famous Portrait of Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci, an artist, scientist and inventor. The portrait was painted in Florence of Italy between 1503 and 1506.

The portrait was painted in scale to a real person with delicate details. She has a veil covering her head. She wears a pleated gown with yellow sleeves and a scarf over her shoulder. She is sitting in a chair and resting her left arm on the arm of the chair with her hands crossed. The background is a landscape with a winding road and a bridge with rocks and water stretches to the horizon. The painting has a perfect structure. This influenced the portrait paintings in the second half of the 15th century.

The famous smile of Mona Lisa is a visual representation of happiness. Leonardo made this notion of happiness the motif of the portrait. It is this notion which makes the work such an ideal.