Mona Lisa, the

Oil painting by Leonardo da Vinci (1503–05; Louvre, Paris), a portrait of the wife of a Florentine official, Francesco del Giocondo, which, according to Vasari, Leonardo worked on for four years. It was the first Italian portrait to extend below waist level, setting a precedent for composition that was to dominate portraiture until the 19th century. In the Mona Lisa Leonardo brought his technique of sfumato (avoiding sharp outlines through gentle gradations of colour) to perfection.