Mona Lisa

Painted by Leonardo da Vinci around 1503, the Mona Lisa is probably the most famous portrait in the world. The woman is widely believed to be Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a wealthy Florentine merchant named Francesco del Giocondo, which is why the painting is sometimes called La Gioconda. What makes her so captivating is that gentle, mysterious smile that seems to shift depending on how you look at it. Leonardo achieved this effect using a technique called sfumato, where he blended colors and tones so softly that there are no harsh lines, leaving the corners of her mouth and eyes slightly blurred and open to interpretation.

Leonardo carried this painting with him for years and never quite considered it finished, working on it on and off until his death. Look closely and you'll notice she has no visible eyebrows or eyelashes, a detail that has puzzled viewers for centuries, though some experts believe they simply faded over time. The dreamy landscape behind her, with its winding paths and misty mountains, adds to the sense that she exists in a world of her own. Her fame exploded even further in 1911 when the painting was stolen from the Louvre, an event that turned an admired Renaissance portrait into a global celebrity.