When was the Mona Lisa painted?

According to Leonardo's early biographer Giorgio Vasari, Leonardo had started to paint "Mona Lisa" in 1503, but "left it unfinished". However, a fully finished painting of a "certain Florentine lady" surfaced again in 1517, shortly before Leonardo's death and in his private possession. The latter painting almost certainly is the one that now hangs in the Louvre. Based on this contradiction, supporters of the authenticity of the "Isleworth Mona Lisa" claim it is the unfinished "Mona Lisa", made at least partially by Leonardo, and the Louvre "Mona Lisa" a later version of it, made by Leonardo for his own use.

Isleworth Mona Lisa

The Isleworth Mona Lisa is an oil-on-canvas painting of the same subject as Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa". In 2015 and 2016, peer-reviewed academic publications concerning it confirmed its attribution to Leonardo da Vinci.

In 1913 English connoisseur Hugh Blaker spotted and acquired the painting which had been hanging for over a century in a manor house in Somerset, having been bought in Italy as an original Leonardo. In a monograph published shortly thereafter, Blaker's stepfather, John R Eyre, proposed that two versions of the Mona Lisa had been worked on by Leonardo; the "Isleworth" picture (named after the location of Blaker's studio in Isleworth, west London) being the first.

The painting was subsequently bought by Henry F. Pulitzer, who argued that it was Leonardo's only real portrait of Lisa Gherardini.

It belongs to a private collection and is not on display to the public, but has been examined by many experts in recent years, and been filmed for a TV documentary.

Also, according to Henry F. Pulitzer in his book "Where is the Mona Lisa?" (1960), Gian Paolo Lomazzo, an artist and writer, refers in his "Trattato dell'arte della Pittura Scultura ed Architettura" (1584), to ""della Gioconda, e di Mona Lisa" (the Gioconda, and the Mona Lisa)". "La Gioconda" is sometimes used as an alternative title of the "Mona Lisa" hanging in the Louvre; the reference implies that these were, in fact, two separate paintings. Pulitzer reproduces the critical page from Lomazzo's tract in his own book.

The "Isleworth Mona Lisa" is wider than the "Mona Lisa" in the Louvre, having columns on either side which also appear in some other versions. The Louvre painting merely has the projecting bases of columns on either side, suggesting that the picture was originally framed by columns but was trimmed. However, experts who examined the "Mona Lisa" in 2004–2005 stated that the original painting had not been trimmed.

The figure of the "Isleworth Mona Lisa" closely resembles that of the "Mona Lisa", being identically composed and lit. However, the face of the "Isleworth Mona Lisa" appears younger, leading to speculation that it is an earlier version by the artist. According to Pulitzer, multiple art experts agreed that the neck of the "Isleworth Mona Lisa" is inferior to the necks of other Leonardo subjects. Furthermore, the background in the Isleworth painting is considerably less detailed than the background in the Louvre painting. For these reasons, several people Pulitzer consulted believed that the hands and face of the portrait were done by Leonardo, but the rest may have been finished by another or others.

During the first part of the 20th century, a number of experts supported the attribution of the most significant sections of the "Isleworth Mona Lisa" to Leonardo da Vinci: Hugh Blaker, Paul Konody, John Eyre, Commendatore Cecconi, Dr. Arduino Colasanti, Ludovico Spiridon, Enrico San Martino di Valperga, Adolfo Venturi, A.C. Chappelow, and Henry Pulitzer.

The authenticity of the "Isleworth Mona Lisa" is disputed by a minority of experts. Skeptics argue that as Henry F. Pulitzer himself owned the painting in question, a conflict of interest is present. His "Where is the Mona Lisa?" was published by the Pulitzer Press, a publisher he owned. Pulitzer notes in the book's introduction that he made a number of sacrifices in order to acquire the painting, including the selling of "a house with all its contents".

Pulitzer argues in his book that Leonardo's contemporary Raphael made a sketch of this painting, probably from memory, after seeing it in Leonardo's studio in 1504 (the sketch is reproduced in Pulitzer's book; the book says that this sketch is at the Louvre). The Raphael sketch includes the two Greek columns that are not found in the Louvre's "Mona Lisa", but are found in the painting bought by Blaker. Pulitzer presents a few pages of art expert testimonials in his book; some of these experts seemed to believe that Leonardo was the painter, others felt the artist was somebody who worked in Leonardo's studio, and still others suggested that other artists may have done it. Supporters of the authenticity of the "Isleworth Mona Lisa" include art collector John Eyre, who argued that the bust, face, and hands are autographed.

Pulitzer also presents laboratory evidence (light to dark ratios across the canvas, X-rays, etc.) that his painting is a Leonardo. However, specific detail on the manner in which these studies were carried out, and by whom, is not provided. He writes: "I have no intention of cluttering up this book with too many technicalities and wish to make this chapter brief". No independent reports on the painting are cited in his text; he uses the pronoun "we" to refer to the team that conducted the research. As his own Pulitzer Press then published these results, there is a lack of outside corroboration for his claims. A documentary aired by PBS gives the names of the persons doing the scientific studies.

The painting disappeared from public gaze around 1970, locked in a Swiss bank vault. Pulitzer died in 1979, leaving the painting to his Swiss partner. On 27 September 2012, The Mona Lisa Foundation of Zurich unveiled the painting once more to the world's press. A book published at the same time presented the Foundation's research and arguments for the painting's authenticity. Professor Martin Kemp of Oxford University, though having not seen the painting, immediately raised doubts about the status of the picture.

Since then, a number of experts have examined and studied the work. Between 2012 and 2013 a number of additional examinations and tests were carried out and a summary was reported by Reuters on 13 February 2013. Alfonso Rubino found that the work matched Leonardo's geometry and stated that it was by his hand. In 2013, Professor Atila Soares examined the painting in detail and published a book where he confirmed its authenticity as a genuine Leonardo.

In October 2013 Jean Pierre Isbouts published a book titled "The Mona Lisa Myth" examining the history and events behind the Louvre and Isleworth paintings and confirmed the latter's attribution to Leonardo. A companion film was released in March 2014. In April 2014, Albert Sauteur examined the perspective used to execute the "Isleworth Mona Lisa" and the "Mona Lisa" in the Louvre, and concluded that Leonardo painted both works. In July 2014 "The Mona Lisa Mystery" premiered on the PBS television station's series "Secrets of the Dead". This documentary investigated, at length, the authenticity of the Isleworth painting.

In 2015, an academic publication by Professors Lorusso and Natali documented an exhaustive analysis of Mona Lisa paintings and copies, and concluded that both "Mona Lisa" and the "Isleworth Mona Lisa" were original works by Leonardo. In 2016, in another academic publication, Professors Asmus, Parfenov and Elford published the results of scientific examinations that established to their satisfaction that the same artist painted the face of both the "Mona Lisa" and the "Isleworth Mona Lisa".

In 2017, Gérard Boudin de l'Arche published a comprehensive historical account and stated that Leonardo painted the "Isleworth Mona Lisa" before the Louvre "Mona Lisa".

At the start of the 16th century, Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned by Florentine nobleman Francesco del Giocondo to paint a portrait of his wife, Lisa.
The painting is believed to have been undertaken between 1503 and 1506.
Leonardo's portrait of "Mona Lisa" ("Mona" or "Monna" being the Italian honorific for "Madame") has been on display as part of the permanent collection at Paris' Louvre museum since 1797. It is also known as "La Joconde" in French and "La Gioconda" in Italian, and has been known by other names in the past. There is a new study setting the beginning of the Mona Lisa to an earlier date that thought before, pre-1478, contrary to Vasari's narrative.
Replicas of "Mona Lisa" date back to the 16th century,
including sculptures and etchings inspired by the painting.
But even by the start of the 20th century, historian Donald Sassoon has stated, "Mona Lisa" was still "just a well-respected painting by a famous old master, hanging in one of the great museums of the world."
The image had yet to gain iconic status, and, Sassoon adds, was "not even the most valued painting in the Louvre."
The painting's theft on August 11, 1911, and the subsequent media frenzy surrounding the investigation and its recovery are contributing factors which ignited public interest and catapulted "Mona Lisa" to its current standing.

Mona Lisa replicas and reinterpretations

Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" is one of the most recognizable and famous works of art in the world, and also one of the most replicated and reinterpreted. "Mona Lisa" replicas were already being painted during Leonardo's lifetime by his own students and contemporaries. Some are claimed to be the work of Leonardo himself, and remain disputed by scholars.
Prominent 20th-century artists such as Marcel Duchamp and Salvador Dalí have also produced derivative works, manipulating "Mona Lisa"'s image to suit their own aesthetic.
Replicating Renaissance masterpieces continues to be a way for aspiring artists to perfect their painting techniques and prove their skills.

Contemporary "Mona Lisa" replicas are often created in conjunction with events or exhibitions related to Leonardo da Vinci, for publicity.
Her portrait, considered public domain and therefore outside of copyright protection, has also been exploited to make political statements.
Known even to people with no art background, the mere use of "Mona Lisa"'s name – immortalized in Academy Award-winning lyrics sung by Nat King Cole (Best Original Song, 1950) – is capable of stirring public interest and intrigue.
Aside from countless print-reproductions of Leonardo's original "Mona Lisa" on postcards, coffee mugs and T-shirts, her likeness has also been re-imagined using coffee, toast, seaweed, Rubik's Cubes, and computer chips, to name only a few.
Now over five-hundred years since her creation, the perpetuation of "Mona Lisa"'s influence is reinforced with every reinterpretation.

"Mona Lisa" is in the public domain and free to be exploited, explaining its reproduction on everything from postcards to coffee mugs, with no legal repercussions.
Artistic replicas and reinterpretations as a whole – demonstrating adequate modification – are considered "new" works eligible for copyright protection.
A fine example is artist Marcel Duchamp's "L.H.O.O.Q.", a 1919 work of art in which Duchamp embellished existing print-reproductions of Leonardo's "Mona Lisa" by merely adding a goatee ("shown below").
While copyright laws do not protect Leonardo's "Mona Lisa", Duchamp's "L.H.O.O.Q." falls within parameters of copyright law constituting "new" works.
For such reasons, "Mona Lisa" is commonly referenced academically in copyright courses.

A version of the "Mona Lisa" known as the "Isleworth Mona Lisa" and also known as the "Earlier Mona Lisa" was first bought by an English nobleman in 1778 and was rediscovered in 1913 by Hugh Blaker, an art connoisseur. The painting was presented to the media in 2012 by the Mona Lisa Foundation.

It is a painting of the same subject as Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa". The painting is claimed by a majority of experts to be mostly an original work of Leonardo dating from the early 16th century: a survey of all published opinions shows that 22 experts are certain that the major parts of the "Isleworth Mona Lisa" are the work of Leonardo da Vinci.

In 2015 and 2016, peer-reviewed academic publications concerning it confirmed its attribution to Leonardo da Vinci.

In 2011, the Prado museum in Madrid, Spain, announced discovery of what may be the earliest known replica.
Miguel Falomir, heading the Department of Italian Renaissance Painting at the time of the discovery, stated the Prado "had no idea of (the painting's) significance" until a recent restoration.
Recovered from the Prado's vaults, the replica – which El Mundo newspaper dubbed ""Mona Lisa"'s twin" ("above, far right") – was reportedly painted simultaneously alongside Leonardo as he painted his own "Mona Lisa"; in the same studio, by a "key" student.
It was painted on walnut. The replica has been part of the Prado's collection since the museum's founding in 1819.

After restoration, the Prado's "Mona Lisa" revealed details covered by previous restorations and layers of varnish.
Furnishings and fabrics were enhanced, as well as landscape and facial features.
It is anticipated that such revelations may offer further insight into Leonardo's original.
Experts at the Louvre reportedly supported the Prado museum's findings.
The Prado replica was subsequently transported to the Louvre in 2012 to be displayed next to "Mona Lisa" as part of a temporary exhibition.
Two nude paintings bearing similarities to Leonardo da Vinci's original were part of a 2009 exhibition of artwork inspired by "Mona Lisa".
Displayed at the Museo Ideale in Leonardo's hometown of Vinci, near Florence, some believe one of the paintings – dating from Leonardo's time – to be the work of Leonardo himself, and it has at times been credited to him.
Other experts theorize the painting, one of at least six known to exist, may be just another copy painted by "followers" of Leonardo.
Scholarly dispute persists as to artist, subject and origin.
The nude in question, discovered behind a wall in a private library, reportedly belonged to an uncle of Napoleon Bonaparte, who owned another of Leonardo's paintings.
Facial features bear only vague resemblance, but landscape, compositional and technical details correspond to those of the "Mona Lisa" known worldwide today.

A student and companion of Leonardo da Vinci known as Salaì painted one of the nude interpretations of "Mona Lisa" known, titled "Mona Vanna".
Salai's version is thought by some to have been "based on" the nude sometimes attributed to Leonardo, which is considered a lost work. Discussion among experts exists as to whether Salai, known to have modeled for Leonardo, may in fact have been the sitter represented in the original "Mona Lisa".

Joos van Cleve, a Flemish artist active in the years following "Mona Lisa"'s creation, also painted a nude titled "Mona Vanna". Though the figure portrayed in van Cleve's painting bears no resemblance to Leonardo's "Mona Lisa", the artist was known to mimic themes and techniques of Leonardo da Vinci, in this case the positioning of the figure and the delicate brushwork reminiscent of Leonardo's sfumato. The artwork, dating to the mid-16th century, is in the collection of the National Gallery, Prague.

By the 20th century, "Mona Lisa" had already been a victim of satirical embellishment.
"Sapeck" (Eugène Bataille), in 1883, depicted "Mona Lisa" smoking a pipe ("shown above"). Titled "Le Rire" (The Laugh), the artwork was displayed at the "Incoherents" exhibition in Paris at the time of its creation, making it among the earliest known instances of "Mona Lisa"'s image being re-interpreted using contemporary irony.
Further interpretations by avante garde artists beginning in the early 20th century, coinciding with the artwork's theft, attest to "Mona Lisa"'s popularity as an irresistible target.
Dadaists and Surrealists were quick to modify, embellish and caricature "Mona Lisa"'s visage.

Marcel Duchamp, among the most influential artists of his generation, in 1919 may have inadvertently set the standard for modern manifestations of "Mona Lisa" simply by adding a goatee to an existing postcard print of Leonardo's original.
Duchamp pioneered the concept of "readymades", which involves taking mundane objects not generally considered to be art and transforming them artistically, sometimes by simply renaming them and placing them in a gallery setting.
In "L.H.O.O.Q." the "found object" is a "Mona Lisa" postcard onto which Duchamp drew a goatee in pencil and appended the title.

The title, Duchamp is said to have admitted in his later years, is a pun. The letters L-H-O-O-Q pronounced in French form the sentence "Elle a chaud au cul", colloquially translating into English as "She has a hot ass."
As was the case with many of his readymades, Duchamp made multiple versions of "L.H.O.O.Q." in varying sizes and media throughout his career.
An unmodified black and white reproduction of "Mona Lisa" on a playing-card, onto which Duchamp in 1965 inscribed "LHOOQ rasée" ("LHOOQ Shaved"), is among many "second-generation" variants referencing the original "L.H.O.O.Q".

Duchamp's parody of "Mona Lisa" was itself parodied by Francis Picabia in 1942, annotated "Tableau Dada Par Marcel Duchamp" ("Dadaist Scene for Marcel Duchamp"), another example of "second-generation" interpretations of "Mona Lisa".
Salvador Dalí created his "Self Portrait as Mona Lisa" in 1954, referencing "L.H.O.O.Q." in collaboration with Philippe Halsman, incorporating his photographs of a wild-eyed Dalí showing his handlebar moustache and a handful of coins.
In 1958, Icelandic painter Erró then incorporated Dalí's version into a composition which also included a film-still from Dalí's "Un Chien Andalou".
Fernand Léger and René Magritte are among the numbers of Modern art masters who've adapted "Mona Lisa" using their own iconography.
None of the parodies have tarnished "Mona Lisa"'s image; rather, they reinforce her fame.
Duchamp's "mustached" "Mona Lisa" embellishment continues to inspire imitation. Contemporary conceptual artist Subodh Gupta gave "L.H.O.O.Q." three-dimensional form in his 2009 bronze sculpture "Et tu, Duchamp?" Gupta, from India, considers himself an "idol thief" and has reinterpreted a number of iconic works from European art history.

Radio personality Bruce Morrow presided over a promotional event during "Mona Lisa"'s exhibition in New York City. 70,000 entries of a "Best Mona" painting contest were exhibited at the Polo Grounds, with Salvador Dalí helping to pick the winner.
Following the painting's first American presentation, Andy Warhol in 1963 created multiple renditions in his screen-print Pop art style.

""Mona Lisa" (Two Times)," "Four "Mona Lisa"s," and "Thirty Are Better Than One" illustrate Warhol's method of silkscreening an image repetitively within the same work of art.
Also in 1963, Fernando Botero – who had already painted ""Mona Lisa", Age Twelve" in 1959 – painted another, this time in what would become his trademark "Boterismo" style of rendering figures disproportionately "plump".
"Mona Lisa" is also referenced in artwork by Contemporary art luminaries such as Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg, adding to the veritable "who's who" list of artists putting their own spin on the portrait.
A paint by numbers version of "Mona Lisa" accompanied artist Suzanne Lacy during her 1977 travelogue "Travels with Mona", documenting the painting process at landmark locations throughout Europe and Central America.
From the 1980s through the end of the 20th Century, "Mona Lisa" continued to be the subject of re-interpretation among a new generation of emerging artists.
Street artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, who came into prominence in the 1980s, created "Federal Reserve Note" and "Apocalipse 7", respectively, juxtaposing "Mona Lisa" within compositions suiting their styles.
Ballpoint art pioneer Lennie Mace created his "Mona a'la Mace" replica in 1993, a ballpoint "PENting" commissioned by Pilot pen company and featured on CBS News.
Artist Sophie Matisse, great-granddaughter of artist Henri Matisse, in her 1997 "Monna Lisa (Be Back in Five Minutes)" faithfully replicated the setting of the original painting, but omitted Mona Lisa from the scene; a concept she would repeat using other iconic artworks.

British street artist Banksy in the first decade of the 21st century stenciled a ""Mona Lisa" Mujaheddin" holding a rocket launcher, and another mooning the viewer.

"Mona Lisa"'s iconic face has been available for years in all forms, reproduced on everything from birthday cards to refrigerator magnets, appearing in advertisements for fashion and travel industries, and on the cover of magazines.
Leonardo da Vinci's own status as "genius" has been suggested as a factor contributing to the mystique of his creation.
The eyes of Leonardo's original "Mona Lisa" appear within cover-graphics for Dan Brown's fictional novel "The Da Vinci Code".
The "Mona Lisa" portrait also appeared in the teaser trailer for the 2006 film of the same name, although a replica was used for filming, appears only briefly in the film, and plays a very small part in the story.
Along with Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring", "Mona Lisa" is among the most replicated works of art.
The sheer number and variety of replicas and reproductions since its creation in the early 16th century illustrates a so-called "self-reinforcing dynamic"; utilized in advertising because of its familiarity, thereby re-enforcing its fame.

Painting "knock-offs" of "Mona Lisa" and other Western masterpieces has become a cottage industry of sorts.
Struggling artists in China paint them by the hundreds to supply the demand of American and European markets, and "Mona Lisa" is among the most popular requests.
Working in cramped studios, or at home with children running around, these artists can earn a few hundred dollars (US) for a weeks worth of work on paintings which are then sold retail through mail-order catalogues.
Reproducing the works of old masters by hand not only provides a way to earn a living but also a way of furthering their art education by perfecting painting techniques.

Among the most common motifs for satirization, "Mona Lisa"'s face is embellished upon; adding a red Santa cap for Christmas, or, as Duchamp had done, simply adding a mustache.
Replacing "Mona Lisa"'s face or head altogether is another common motif; substituting the head of an animated character such as Betty Boop, for example.
British artist Caroline Shotton in 2007 produced a series of paintings replicating classical works of art as "cows", which she would go on to title her "Great "Moo"-sters" series.
The inspiration for the series, she says, came to her while watching a documentary about "Mona Lisa".
Having settled upon the cow motif, she then formulated puns befitting her chosen subjects; whereby "Mona Lisa" became "Moo"-na Lisa.

In a film called "Elf", Buddy uses an Etch-a-Sketch to draw the Mona Lisa in process to build Santa Land by the North Pole in Gimbels. In "Horton Hears A Who", the Mayor Ned McDodd shows his only son Jojo a family gallery where in one part his great grandmother is parodied as the Mona Lisa. And in "", there is a cake that Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy have baked with a picture of the Mona Lisa inside.

"Mona Lisa" replicas are sometimes directly or indirectly embellished as commentary of contemporary events.
Exhibitions or events with ties to Leonardo da Vinci or Renaissance art also provide an opportunity for local artists to exploit "Mona Lisa"'s image toward promoting the events. The resulting artworks represent a broad spectrum of artists using creative license.

In 2009, a replica of "Mona Lisa" was pieced-together using precious gemstones by a jewelry collector in China. Using approximately 100,000 carats of multi-colored jewels amassed over 30 years, the replica required five years to complete. The resulting artwork was publicly displayed at a Shenyang City shopping center.
In a similar vein, artist Kristen Cumings in 2010 created her own "Jelly Bean Mona" replica using over 10,000 jelly beans. The one initial creation led to a full series of eight masterpiece replicas commissioned by a California jelly bean company as a publicity stunt and addition to the company's collection.
Ohio's Center of Science and Industry (COSI) in Columbus thought the series noteworthy enough to be featured in an exhibition, held at the end of 2012.

A replica of "Mona Lisa" publicized as the ""world's smallest"" was painted by Andrew Nichols of New Hampshire (USA) in 2011, intending "to break the record." Recreated at a 70:1 ratio, the miniature "Mona Lisa" measures approximately 1/4 by 7/16 inches (7 by 11 mm). Although his rendition drew media attention, it was never officially reported whether he had, in fact, broken any existing record. In 2013, a far smaller version of the painting, entitled the "Mini Lisa", was created by a Georgia Institute of Technology student named Keith Carroll. The replica was created to demonstrate a new scientific technique called thermochemical nanolithography (TCNL). The "Mini Lisa" was just wide, about 1/25,000th the size of the original.

High school students attracted media attention in 2011 by recreating "Mona Lisa" on Daytona Beach, Florida (USA), using seaweed which had accumulated on shore. Claiming to have "too much time on their hands," it took two people approximately one hour to "turn the ugly seaweed into a work of art." Aside from photos appearing in the press, presumably their efforts were washed away with the tide.

In 2012 the Portuguese designer Luís Silva created a poster for a campaign against violence on women representing Mona Lisa with a sore eye and a sombre expression, with the slogan "Could you live without her smile?".

The computer age introduced digitally-produced or -inspired incarnations of "Mona Lisa".
Aside from versions constructed of actual computer motherboards,
mosaic-making techniques are another common motif used in such re-creations.

A photo mosaic of "Mona Lisa" was digitally produced in 2012 from randomly compiled photos using "adaptive rendering software", to promote the potential of "Simultaneous Multi-compare Adaptive Rendering Technology" ("SMART"), which automatically analyzes and matches the shapes and colors of source-photos to a desired image.

Mimicking the heavy pixelation of a highly magnified computer file, Canadian artist Robert McKinnon assembled 315 Rubik's Cubes into a 36 by 48 inch "Mona Lisa" mosaic, an effect dubbed "Rubik's Cubism" by French artist Invader.
Similarly, colored Lego "bricks" have been employed to replicate "Mona Lisa" in a mosaic motif.
A 2011 exhibition titled "Da Vinci, The Genius" at the Frazier Museum in Louisville, Kentucky attracted attention by having a "Mona Lisa" constructed by Lego artist Brian Korte.
Known as "Brick Art", so-called "pro" Lego builders such as Eric Harshbarger have made multiple replicas of Mona Lisa.
Matching the approximate 21 by 30 inch size (535 x 760+ mm) of Leonardo's original requires upwards of 5,000 standard Lego "bricks", but replicas measuring 6 by 8 feet have been built, requiring more than 30,000 bricks.

At a 2009 festival in Sydney, Australia, a group of eight people spent three hours creating a "Mona Lisa" replica from 3,604 cups of coffee. The mosaic effect in this case was created by adding amounts of milk, or sometimes none, to cups of black coffee. The final product, measuring 20 by 13 feet, was dubbed the ""Mocha" Lisa."
Maurice "Toastman" Bennet, known for recreating masterpieces using toasted bread, parodied "Mona Lisa" in a toast mosaic. At a 2010 food-art festival in Hong Kong, Bennet "tiled" together approximately 6,000 slices of bread, using a blow-torch to achieve the desired "tone" on each piece of toast.

Media coverage of the many incarnations of "Mona Lisa" often allude to the likely disbelief of Leonardo himself; of the intrigue she would come to inspire, and the unimaginable extremes of her re-portrayal.

Leonardo da Vinci is thought by some to have begun painting the "Mona Lisa" in 1503 or 1504 in Florence, Italy. Although the Louvre states that it was "doubtless painted between 1503 and 1506", the art historian Martin Kemp says there are some difficulties in confirming the actual dates with certainty. In addition, many Leonardo experts, such as Carlo Pedretti and Alessandro Vezzosi, are of the opinion that the painting is characteristic of Leonardo's style in the final years of his life, post-1513. Other academics argue that, given the historical documentation, Leonardo would have painted the work from 1513. According to Leonardo's contemporary, Giorgio Vasari, "after he had lingered over it four years, [he] left it unfinished". Leonardo, later in his life, is said to have regretted "never having completed a single work".
Circa 1504, Raphael executed a pen and ink sketch, today in the Louvre museum, in which the subject is flanked by large columns. Experts universally agree it is based on Leonardo's portrait of "Mona Lisa". Other later copies of the "Mona Lisa", such as those in the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design in Oslo and The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, also display large flanking columns. As a result, it was originally thought that the "Mona Lisa" in the Louvre had side columns and had been cut. However, as early as 1993, Zöllner observed that the painting surface had never been trimmed. This was confirmed through a series of tests conducted in 2004. In view of this, Vincent Delieuvin, curator of 16th-century Italian painting at the Louvre museum states that the sketch and these other copies must have been inspired by another version, while Frank Zöllner states that the sketch brings up the possibility that Leonardo executed another work on the subject of Mona Lisa.

Mona Lisa

The Mona Lisa (; or La Gioconda, ) is a half-length portrait painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci that has been described as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world". The "Mona Lisa" is also one of the most valuable paintings in the world. It holds the Guinness World Record for the highest known insurance valuation in history at $100 million in 1962, which is worth nearly $820 million in 2018.

The painting is thought to be a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, and is in oil on a white Lombardy poplar panel. It had been believed to have been painted between 1503 and 1506; however, Leonardo may have continued working on it as late as 1517. Recent academic work suggests that it would not have been started before 1513. It was acquired by King Francis I of France and is now the property of the French Republic, on permanent display at the Louvre Museum in Paris since 1797.

The subject's expression, which is frequently described as enigmatic, the monumentality of the composition, the subtle modelling of forms, and the atmospheric illusionism were novel qualities that have contributed to the continuing fascination and study of the work.

The title of the painting, which is known in English as "Mona Lisa", comes from a description by Renaissance art historian Giorgio Vasari, who wrote "Leonardo undertook to paint, for Francesco del Giocondo, the portrait of Mona Lisa, his wife." "Mona" in Italian is a polite form of address originating as "ma donna" – similar to "Ma’am", "Madam", or "my lady" in English. This became "madonna", and its contraction "mona". The title of the painting, though traditionally spelled "Mona" (as used by Vasari), is also commonly spelled in modern Italian as "Monna Lisa" ("" being a vulgarity in some Italian dialects), but this is rare in English.

Vasari's account of the "Mona Lisa" comes from his biography of Leonardo published in 1550, 31 years after the artist's death. It has long been the best-known source of information on the provenance of the work and identity of the sitter. Leonardo's assistant Salaì, at his death in 1524, owned a portrait which in his personal papers was named "la Gioconda", a painting bequeathed to him by Leonardo.

That Leonardo painted such a work, and its date, were confirmed in 2005 when a scholar at Heidelberg University discovered a marginal note in a 1477 printing of a volume written by the ancient Roman philosopher Cicero. Dated October 1503, the note was written by Leonardo's contemporary Agostino Vespucci. This note likens Leonardo to renowned Greek painter Apelles, who is mentioned in the text, and states that Leonardo was at that time working on a painting of Lisa del Giocondo.

In response to the announcement of the discovery of this document, Vincent Delieuvin, the Louvre representative, stated "Leonardo da Vinci was painting, in 1503, the portrait of a Florentine lady by the name of Lisa del Giocondo. About this we are now certain. Unfortunately, we cannot be absolutely certain that this portrait of Lisa del Giocondo is the painting of the Louvre."

The model, Lisa del Giocondo,
was a member of the Gherardini family of Florence and Tuscany, and the wife of wealthy Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo. The painting is thought to have been commissioned for their new home, and to celebrate the birth of their second son, Andrea. The Italian name for the painting, "La Gioconda", means "jocund" ("happy" or "jovial") or, literally, "the jocund one", a pun on the feminine form of Lisa's married name, "Giocondo". In French, the title "La Joconde" has the same meaning.

Before that discovery, scholars had developed several alternative views as to the subject of the painting. Some argued that Lisa del Giocondo was the subject of a different portrait, identifying at least four other paintings as the "Mona Lisa" referred to by Vasari.
Several other women have been proposed as the subject of the painting.
Isabella of Aragon, Cecilia Gallerani, Costanza d'Avalos, Duchess of Francavilla, Isabella d'Este, Pacifica Brandano or Brandino, Isabela Gualanda, Caterina Sforza—even Salaì and Leonardo himself—are all among the list of posited models portrayed in the painting.
The consensus of art historians in the 21st century maintains the long-held traditional opinion, that the painting depicts Lisa del Giocondo.

It is unclear as to who commissioned the painting. Vasari states that the work was painted for Francesco del Giocondo, the husband of Lisa del Giocondo. However, Antonio de Beatis, following a visit with Leonardo in 1517, records that the painting was executed at the instance of Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici.

In 1516, Leonardo was invited by King François I to work at the Clos Lucé near the king's castle in Amboise. It is believed that he took the "Mona Lisa" with him and continued to work after he moved to France. Art historian Carmen C. Bambach has concluded that Leonardo probably continued refining the work until 1516 or 1517.

The fate of the painting around Leonardo's death and just after it has divided academic opinion. Some, such as Kemp, believe that upon Leonardo's death, the painting was inherited with other works by his pupil and assistant Salaì and was still in the latter's possession in 1525. Others believe that the painting was sold to Francis I by Salaì, together with "The Virgin and Child with St. Anne" and the "St. John the Baptist" in 1518. The Louvre Museum lists the painting as having entered the Royal collection in 1518.

Given the issue surrounding the dating of the painting, the presence of the flanking columns in the Raphael sketch, the uncertainty concerning the person who commissioned it and its fate around the time of Leonardo's death, a number of experts have argued that Leonardo painted two versions of the Mona Lisa. The first would have been commissioned by Francesco del Giocondo circa 1503, had flanking columns, have been left unfinished and have been in Salaì's possession in 1525. The second, commissioned by Giuliano de' Medici circa 1513, without the flanking columns, would have been sold by Salaì to Francis I in 1518 and be the one in the Louvre today.

The painting was kept at the Palace of Fontainebleau, where it remained until Louis XIV moved the painting to the Palace of Versailles. After the French Revolution, it was moved to the Louvre, but spent a brief period in the bedroom of Napoleon in the Tuileries Palace.

During the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71) it was moved from the Louvre to the Brest Arsenal. During World War II, "Mona Lisa" was again removed from the Louvre and taken safely, first to Château d'Amboise, then to the Loc-Dieu Abbey and Château de Chambord, then finally to the Ingres Museum in Montauban.

In December 2015, it was reported that French scientist Pascal Cotte had found a hidden portrait underneath the surface of the painting using reflective light technology. The portrait is an underlying image of a model looking off to the side. Having been given access to the painting by Louvre in 2004, Cotte spent ten years using layer amplification methods to study the painting. According to Cotte, the underlying image is Leonardo's original Mona Lisa.

However, this portrait does not fit with the description of the painting in the historical records: Both Vasari and Gian Paolo Lomazzo describe the subject as smiling; the subject in Cotte's portrait displays no smile. In addition, the portrait lacks the flanking columns drawn by Raphael in his c.1504 sketch of "Mona Lisa". Moreover, Cotte admits that his reconstitution had been carried out only in support of his hypotheses and should not be considered a real painting; he stresses that the images never existed. Kemp is also adamant that Cotte's images in no way establish the existence of a separate underlying portrait.

On 21 August 1911, the painting was stolen from the Louvre. The theft was not discovered until the next day, when painter Louis Béroud walked into the museum and went to the Salon Carré where the "Mona Lisa" had been on display for five years, only to find four iron pegs on the wall. Béroud contacted the head of the guards, who thought the painting was being photographed for promotional purposes. A few hours later, Béroud checked back with the Section Chief of the Louvre who confirmed that the "Mona Lisa" was not with the photographers. The Louvre was closed for an entire week during the investigation.

French poet Guillaume Apollinaire came under suspicion and was arrested and imprisoned. Apollinaire implicated his friend Pablo Picasso, who was brought in for questioning. Both were later exonerated. Two years later the thief revealed himself. Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia had stolen the "Mona Lisa" by entering the building during regular hours, hiding in a broom closet, and walking out with it hidden under his coat after the museum had closed. Peruggia was an Italian patriot who believed Leonardo's painting should have been returned for display in an Italian museum.

Peruggia may have been motivated by an associate whose copies of the original would significantly rise in value after the painting's theft. A later account suggested Eduardo de Valfierno had been the mastermind of the theft and had commissioned forger Yves Chaudron to create six copies of the painting to sell in the U.S. while the location of the original was unclear. However, the original painting remained in Europe. After having kept the "Mona Lisa" in his apartment for two years, Peruggia grew impatient and was caught when he attempted to sell it to directors of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. It was exhibited in the Uffizi Gallery for over two weeks and returned to the Louvre on 4 January 1914. Peruggia served six months in prison for the crime and was hailed for his patriotism in Italy.

Before its 1911 theft, the "Mona Lisa" was not widely known outside the art world. It was not until the 1860s that some critics, a thin slice of the French intelligentsia, began to hail it as a masterwork of Renaissance painting. Even in 1911, it was not popular among the lay public before the theft.

In 1956, part of the painting was damaged when a vandal threw acid at it. On 30 December of that year, a rock was thrown at the painting, dislodging a speck of pigment near the left elbow, later restored.

The use of bulletproof glass has shielded the "Mona Lisa" from subsequent attacks. In April 1974, while the painting was on display at the Tokyo National Museum, a woman sprayed it with red paint as a protest against that museum's failure to provide access for disabled people. On 2 August 2009, a Russian woman, distraught over being denied French citizenship, threw a ceramic teacup purchased at the Louvre; the vessel shattered against the glass enclosure. In both cases, the painting was undamaged.

The "Mona Lisa" bears a strong resemblance to many Renaissance depictions of the Virgin Mary, who was at that time seen as an ideal for womanhood.

The depiction of the sitter in three-quarter profile is similar to late 15th-century works by Lorenzo di Credi and Agnolo di Domenico del Mazziere. Zöllner notes that the sitter's general position can be traced back to Flemish models and that "in particular the vertical slices of columns at both sides of the panel had precedents in Flemish portraiture." Woods-Marsden cites Hans Memling's (1487) or Italian imitations such as for the use of a "loggia", which has the effect of mediating between the sitter and the distant landscape, a feature missing from Leonardo's earlier portrait of "Ginevra de' Benci".

The woman sits markedly upright in a "pozzetto" armchair with her arms folded, a sign of her reserved posture. Her gaze is fixed on the observer. The woman appears alive to an unusual extent, which Leonardo achieved by his method of not drawing outlines ("sfumato"). The soft blending creates an ambiguous mood "mainly in two features: the corners of the mouth, and the corners of the eyes".

The painting was one of the first portraits to depict the sitter in front of an imaginary landscape, and Leonardo was one of the first painters to use aerial perspective. The enigmatic woman is portrayed seated in what appears to be an open loggia with dark pillar bases on either side. Behind her, a vast landscape recedes to icy mountains. Winding paths and a distant bridge give only the slightest indications of human presence. Leonardo has chosen to place the horizon line not at the neck, as he did with "Ginevra de' Benci", but on a level with the eyes, thus linking the figure with the landscape and emphasizing the mysterious nature of the painting.

"Mona Lisa" has no clearly visible eyebrows or eyelashes. Some researchers claim that it was common at this time for genteel women to pluck these hairs, as they were considered unsightly. In 2007, French engineer Pascal Cotte announced that his ultra-high resolution scans of the painting provide evidence that "Mona Lisa" was originally painted with eyelashes and with visible eyebrows, but that these had gradually disappeared over time, perhaps as a result of overcleaning. Cotte discovered the painting had been reworked several times, with changes made to the size of the Mona Lisa's face and the direction of her gaze. He also found that in one layer the subject was depicted wearing numerous hairpins and a headdress adorned with pearls which was later scrubbed out and overpainted.

There has been much speculation regarding the painting's model and landscape. For example, Leonardo probably painted his model faithfully since her beauty is not seen as being among the best, "even when measured by late quattrocento (15th century) or even twenty-first century standards." Some art historians in Eastern art, such as Yukio Yashiro, argue that the landscape in the background of the picture was influenced by Chinese paintings, but this thesis has been contested for lack of clear evidence.

Research in 2003 by Professor Margaret Livingstone of Harvard University said that Mona Lisa's smile disappears when observed with direct vision, known as foveal. Because of the way the human eye processes visual information, it is less suited to pick up shadows directly; however, peripheral vision can pick up shadows well.

Research in 2008 by a geomorphology professor at Urbino University and an artist-photographer revealed likenesses of "Mona Lisa"s landscapes to some views in the Montefeltro region in the Italian provinces of Pesaro and Urbino, and Rimini.

The "Mona Lisa" has survived for more than 500 years, and an international commission convened in 1952 noted that "the picture is in a remarkable state of preservation." This is partly due to a variety of conservation treatments the painting has undergone. A detailed analysis in 1933 by Madame de Gironde revealed that earlier restorers had "acted with a great deal of restraint." Nevertheless, applications of varnish made to the painting had darkened even by the end of the 16th century, and an aggressive 1809 cleaning and revarnishing removed some of the uppermost portion of the paint layer, resulting in a washed-out appearance to the face of the figure. Despite the treatments, the "Mona Lisa" has been well cared for throughout its history, and although the panel's warping caused the curators "some worry", the 2004–05 conservation team was optimistic about the future of the work.

At some point, the "Mona Lisa" was removed from its original frame. The unconstrained poplar panel warped freely with changes in humidity, and as a result, a crack developed near the top of the panel, extending down to the hairline of the figure. In the mid-18th century to early 19th century, two butterfly-shaped walnut braces were inserted into the back of the panel to a depth of about one third the thickness of the panel. This intervention was skilfully executed, and successfully stabilized the crack. Sometime between 1888 and 1905, or perhaps during the picture's theft, the upper brace fell out. A later restorer glued and lined the resulting socket and crack with cloth.

The picture is kept under strict, climate-controlled conditions in its bulletproof glass case. The humidity is maintained at 50% ±10%, and the temperature is maintained between 18 and 21 °C. To compensate for fluctuations in relative humidity, the case is supplemented with a bed of silica gel treated to provide 55% relative humidity.

Because the "Mona Lisa"s poplar support expands and contracts with changes in humidity, the picture has experienced some warping. In response to warping and swelling experienced during its storage during World War II, and to prepare the picture for an exhibit to honour the anniversary of Leonardo's 500th birthday, the "Mona Lisa" was fitted in 1951 with a flexible oak frame with beech crosspieces. This flexible frame, which is used in addition to the decorative frame described below, exerts pressure on the panel to keep it from warping further. In 1970, the beech crosspieces were switched to maple after it was found that the beechwood had been infested with insects. In 2004–05, a conservation and study team replaced the maple crosspieces with sycamore ones, and an additional metal crosspiece was added for scientific measurement of the panel's warp.

The "Mona Lisa" has had many different decorative frames in its history, owing to changes in taste over the centuries. In 1909, the Comtesse de Béhague gave the portrait its current frame, a Renaissance-era work consistent with the historical period of the "Mona Lisa". The edges of the painting have been trimmed at least once in its history to fit the picture into various frames, but no part of the original paint layer has been trimmed.

The first and most extensive recorded cleaning, revarnishing, and touch-up of the "Mona Lisa" was an 1809 wash and revarnishing undertaken by Jean-Marie Hooghstoel, who was responsible for restoration of paintings for the galleries of the Musée Napoléon. The work involved cleaning with spirits, touch-up of colour, and revarnishing the painting. In 1906, Louvre restorer Eugène Denizard performed watercolour retouches on areas of the paint layer disturbed by the crack in the panel. Denizard also retouched the edges of the picture with varnish, to mask areas that had been covered initially by an older frame. In 1913, when the painting was recovered after its theft, Denizard was again called upon to work on the "Mona Lisa". Denizard was directed to clean the picture without solvent, and to lightly touch up several scratches to the painting with watercolour. In 1952, the varnish layer over the background in the painting was evened out. After the second 1956 attack, restorer Jean-Gabriel Goulinat was directed to touch up the damage to "Mona Lisa"s left elbow with watercolour.

In 1977, a new insect infestation was discovered in the back of the panel as a result of crosspieces installed to keep the painting from warping. This was treated on the spot with carbon tetrachloride, and later with an ethylene oxide treatment. In 1985, the spot was again treated with carbon tetrachloride as a preventive measure.

On 6 April 2005—following a period of curatorial maintenance, recording, and analysis—the painting was moved to a new location within the museum's Salle des États. It is displayed in a purpose-built, climate-controlled enclosure behind bulletproof glass. Since 2005 the painting has been illuminated by an LED lamp, and in 2013 a new 20 watt LED lamp was installed, specially designed for this painting. The lamp has a colour rendering index up to 98, and minimizes infrared and ultraviolet radiation which could otherwise degrade the painting. The renovation of the gallery where the painting now resides was financed by the Japanese broadcaster Nippon Television. About 6 million people view the painting at the Louvre each year.

Today the "Mona Lisa" is considered the most famous painting in the world, but until the 20th century it was simply one among many highly regarded artworks.
Once part of King Francis I of France's collection, the "Mona Lisa" was among the first artworks to be exhibited in Louvre, which became a national museum after the French Revolution. From the 19th century Leonardo began to be revered as a genius and the painting's popularity grew from the mid-19th century when French intelligentsia developed a theme that it was mysterious and a representation of the femme fatale.
The Baedeker guide in 1878 called it "the most celebrated work of Leonardo in the Louvre", but the painting was known more by the intelligentsia than the general public.
The 1911 theft of the "Mona Lisa" and its subsequent return was reported worldwide, leading to a massive increase in public recognition of the painting. During the 20th century it was an object for mass reproduction, merchandising, lampooning and speculation, and was claimed to have been reproduced in "300 paintings and 2,000 advertisements". It has been said that the "Mona Lisa" was regarded as "just another Leonardo until early last century, when the scandal of the painting's theft from the Louvre and subsequent return kept a spotlight on it over several years."

From December 1962 to March 1963, the French government lent it to the United States to be displayed in New York City and Washington, D.C. It was shipped on the new liner SS "France". In New York an estimated 1.7 million people queued "in order to cast a glance at the Mona Lisa for 20 seconds or so." While exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the painting was almost drenched in water because of a faulty sprinkler, but the bullet-proof glass case which encased the painting protected it.

In 1974, the painting was exhibited in Tokyo and Moscow.

In 2014, 9.3 million people visited the Louvre. Former director Henri Loyrette reckoned that "80 percent of the people only want to see the "Mona Lisa"."

Before the 1962–1963 tour, the painting was assessed for insurance at $100 million. The insurance was not bought. Instead, more was spent on security. Adjusted for inflation using the US Consumer Price Index, $100 million in 1962 is around $782 million in 2015 making it, in practice, by far the most valued painting in the world.

In 2014, a France 24 article suggested that the painting could be sold to help ease the national debt, although it was noted that the "Mona Lisa" and other such art works were prohibited from being sold due to French heritage law, which states that "Collections held in museums that belong to public bodies are considered public property and cannot be otherwise."

Before its completion the "Mona Lisa" had already begun to influence contemporary Florentine painting. Raphael, who had been to Leonardo's workshop several times, promptly used elements of the portrait's composition and format in several of his works, such as "Young Woman with Unicorn" (c. 1506), and "Portrait of Maddalena Doni" (c. 1506). Celebrated later paintings by Raphael, "La velata" (1515–16) and "Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione" (c. 1514–15), continued to borrow from Leonardo's painting. Zollner states that "None of Leonardo's works would exert more influence upon the evolution of the genre than the "Mona Lisa". It became the definitive example of the Renaissance portrait and perhaps for this reason is seen not just as the likeness of a real person, but also as the embodiment of an ideal."

Early commentators such as Vasari and André Félibien praised the picture for its realism, but by the Victorian era writers began to regard the "Mona Lisa" as imbued with a sense of mystery and romance. In 1859 Théophile Gautier wrote that the "Mona Lisa" was a "sphinx of beauty who smiles so mysteriously" and that "Beneath the form expressed one feels a thought that is vague, infinite, inexpressible. One is moved, troubled... repressed desires, hopes that drive one to despair, stir painfully." Walter Pater's famous essay of 1869 described the sitter as "older than the rocks among which she sits; like the vampire, she has been dead many times, and learned the secrets of the grave; and has been a diver in the deep seas, and keeps their fallen day about her." By the early 20th century some critics started to feel the painting had become a repository for subjective exegeses and theories, and upon the painting's theft in 1911, Renaissance historian Bernard Berenson admitted that it had "simply become an incubus, and I was glad to be rid of her." In 1911 Jean Metzinger's "Le goûter (Tea Time)" was exhibited at the 1911 Salon d'Automne and was described by André Salmon as "The Mona Lisa of Cubism".
The avant-garde art world has made note of the undeniable fact of the "Mona Lisa"s popularity. Because of the painting's overwhelming stature, Dadaists and Surrealists often produce modifications and caricatures. Already in 1883, "Le rire," an image of a Mona Lisa smoking a pipe, by Sapeck (Eugène Bataille), was shown at the "Incoherents" show in Paris. In 1919, Marcel Duchamp, one of the most influential modern artists, created "L.H.O.O.Q.", a "Mona Lisa" parody made by adorning a cheap reproduction with a moustache and goatee. Duchamp added an inscription, which when read out loud in French sounds like "Elle a chaud au cul" meaning: "she has a hot ass", implying the woman in the painting is in a state of sexual excitement and intended as a Freudian joke. According to Rhonda R. Shearer, the apparent reproduction is in fact a copy partly modelled on Duchamp's own face.

Salvador Dalí, famous for his surrealist work, painted "Self portrait as Mona Lisa" in 1954. In 1963 following the painting's visit to the United States, Andy Warhol created serigraph prints of multiple "Mona Lisa"s called "Thirty are Better than One", like his works of Marilyn Monroe ("Twenty-five Coloured Marilyns", 1962), Elvis Presley (1964) and Campbell's soup (1961–62). The "Mona Lisa" continues to inspire artists. A French urban artist known pseudonymously as Invader has created versions on city walls in Paris and Tokyo using a mosaic style. A collection of "Mona Lisa" parodies may be found on YouTube. A 2014 "New Yorker" magazine cartoon parodies the supposed enigma of the "Mona Lisa" smile in an animation showing progressively maniacal smiles.

A version of "Mona Lisa" known as "Mujer de mano de Leonardo Abince" ("Woman by Leonardo da Vinci's hand") held in Madrid's Museo del Prado was for centuries considered to be a work by Leonardo. However, since its restoration in 2012 it is considered to have been executed by one of Leonardo's pupils in his studio at the same time as "Mona Lisa" was being painted. Their conclusion, based on analysis obtained after the picture underwent extensive restoration, that the painting is probably by Salaì (1480–1524) or by Melzi (1493–1572). This has been called into question by others.

The restored painting is from a slightly different perspective than the original "Mona Lisa", leading to the speculation that it is part of the world's first stereoscopic pair. However, a more recent report has demonstrated that this stereoscopic pair in fact gives no reliable stereoscopic depth.

A version of the "Mona Lisa" known as the "Isleworth Mona Lisa" and also known as the "Earlier Mona Lisa" was first bought by an English nobleman in 1778 and was rediscovered in 1913 by Hugh Blaker, an art connoisseur. The painting was presented to the media in 2012 by the Mona Lisa Foundation. It is a painting of the same subject as Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. The painting is claimed by a majority of experts to be mostly an original work of Leonardo dating from the early 16th century. Other experts, including Zöllner and Kemp, deny the attribution.

Notes
Bibliography


How common are basal cancerous cells?

Basal-cell cancer is a very common skin cancer. It is much more common in fair-skinned individuals with a family history of basal-cell cancer and increases in incidence closer to the equator or at higher altitude. There are approximately 800,000 new cases yearly in the United States alone. Up to 30% of Caucasians develop basal-cell carcinomas in their lifetime. In Canada, the most common skin cancer is basal-cell carcinoma (as much as one third of all cancer diagnoses), affecting 1 in 7 individuals over a lifetime.

Basal-cell carcinoma

Basal-cell carcinoma (BCC), also known as basal-cell cancer, is the most common type of skin cancer. It often appears as a painless raised area of skin, which may be shiny with small blood vessels running over it; or it may present as a raised area with ulceration. Basal-cell cancer grows slowly and can damage the tissue around it but is unlikely to spread to distant areas or to result in death.
Risk factors include exposure to ultraviolet light, having lighter skin, radiation therapy, long-term exposure to arsenic, and poor immune-system function. Exposure to UV light during childhood is particularly harmful. Tanning beds have become another common source of ultraviolet radiation. Diagnosis often depends on skin examination, confirmed by tissue biopsy.
It remains unclear whether sunscreen affects the risk of basal-cell cancer. Treatment is typically by surgical removal. This can be by simple excision if the cancer is small; otherwise Mohs surgery is generally recommended. Other options may include application of cold, topical chemotherapy, laser surgery, or the use of imiquimod. In the rare cases in which distant spread has occurred, chemotherapy or targeted therapy may be used.
Basal-cell cancer accounts for at least 32% of all cancers globally. Of skin cancers other than melanoma, about 80% are basal-cell cancers. In the United States, about 35% of white males and 25% of white females are affected by BCC at some point in their lives.
Individuals with a basal-cell carcinoma typically present with a shiny, pearly skin nodule. However, superficial basal-cell cancer can present as a red patch similar to eczema. Infiltrative or morpheaform basal-cell cancers can present as a skin thickening or scar tissue – making diagnosis difficult without using tactile sensation and a skin biopsy. It is often difficult to visually distinguish basal-cell cancer from acne scar, actinic elastosis, and recent cryodestruction inflammation.
About two thirds of basal-cell carcinomas occur on sun-exposed areas of the body. One-third occur on areas of the body that are not exposed to sunlight, emphasizing the genetic susceptibility of basal-cell cancer.

Basal-cell carcinomas are currently considered to have origin from the folliculo-sebaceous-apocrine germ, also known as trichoblast. The differential diagnosis with trichoblastic carcinoma, a rare malignant form of trichoblastoma, can be challenging. Alternatively, one argument is that basal-cell carcinoma "is" trichoblastic carcinoma. Overexposure to sun leads to the formation of thymine dimers, a form of DNA damage. While DNA repair removes most UV-induced damage, not all crosslinks are excised. There is, therefore, cumulative DNA damage leading to mutations. Apart from the mutagenesis, overexposure to sunlight depresses the local immune system, possibly decreasing immune surveillance for new tumor cells.

Basal-cell carcinomas can often come in association with other lesions of the skin, such as actinic keratosis, seborrheic keratosis, squamous cell carcinoma. In a small proportion of cases, basal-cell carcinoma also develops as a result of basal-cell nevus syndrome, or Gorlin Syndrome, which is also characterized by keratocystic odontogenic tumors of the jaw, palmar or plantar (sole of the foot) pits, calcification of the falx cerebri (in the center line of the brain) and rib abnormalities. The cause of this syndrome is a mutation in the PTCH1 tumor suppressor gene located in chromosome 9q22.3, which inhibits the hedgehog signaling pathway. A mutation in the SMO gene, which is also on the hedgehog pathway, also causes basal-cell carcinoma.
To diagnose basal-cell carcinomas, a skin biopsy is performed for histopathologic analyses. The most common method is a shave biopsy under local anesthesia. Most nodular basal-cell cancers can be diagnosed clinically; however, other variants can be very difficult to distinguish from benign lesions such as intradermal naevus, sebaceomas, fibrous papules, early acne scars, and hypertrophic scarring.

Basal-cell carcinoma can be divided into three groups, based on the growth patterns.

The histopathologic classification includes:

See also:

Basal-cell carcinoma is a common skin cancer and occurs mainly in fair-skinned patients with a family history of this cancer. Sunlight is a factor in about two-thirds of these cancers; therefore, doctors recommend sunscreens with at least SPF 30. However, a Cochrane review examining the effect of solar protection (sunscreen only) in preventing the development of basal-cell carcinoma or cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma found that there was insufficient evidence to demonstrate whether sunscreen was effective for the prevention of either of these keratinocyte-derived cancers. The review did ultimately state that the certainty of these results were low, so future evidence could very well alter this conclusion. One-third occur in non-sun-exposed areas; thus, the pathogenesis is more complex than UV exposure as "the" cause.

The use of a chemotherapeutic agent such as 5-Fluorouracil or imiquimod can prevent development of skin cancer. It is usually recommended to individuals with extensive sun damage, history of multiple skin cancers, or rudimentary forms of cancer (i.e., solar keratosis). It is often repeated every 2 to 3 years to further decrease the risk of skin cancer.

The following methods are employed in the treatment of basal-cell carcinoma (BCC):

This can be with either frozen section histology, or paraffin-embedded fixed-tissue pathology. It is the preferred method for removal of most BCCs. A dermatoscope can help an experienced surgeon accurately identify the visible tumour that the naked eye can not see.

The cure rate for this method, whether performed by a General Surgeon, Otolaryngologist, Head & Neck Surgeon, Plastic Surgeon, Maxillofacial Surgeon or dermatologist is totally dependent on the surgical margin. The narrower the free surgical margin (skin removed that is free of visible tumor) the higher the recurrence rate. If a 4 mm free surgical margin is obtained around a small tumor (less than 6mm), or a wider 6 mm free surgical margin is obtained around a larger tumor (greater than 6mm), the cure rate is very high—95% or better. However, for cosmetic reasons, many doctors take only very small surgical margins 1–2 mm, especially when operating on the face. In such a case, a pathology report indicating the margins are free of residual tumour is often inaccurate, and recurrence rates are much higher (up to 38%).

A weakness with standard surgical excision is the high recurrence rate of basal-cell cancers of the face, especially around the eyelids, nose, and facial structures. There is no clear approach for treating basal-cell carcinoma around the eye. A diagram on page 38 of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network publication demonstrate the area of high risk of recurrence as being most of the face with the exception of the central cheek and upper forehead. On the face, or on recurrent basal-cell cancer after previous surgery, special surgical margin controlled processing (CCPDMA—complete circumferential peripheral and deep margin assessment) using frozen section histology (Mohs surgery is one of the methods) is required.

With surgical margin controlled frozen section histology, a surgeon can achieve a high cure rate and low recurrence rate on the same day of the excision. However, most standard excisions done in a plastic surgeon or dermatologist's office are sent to an outside laboratory for standard bread loafing method of processing. With this method, it is likely that less than 5% of the surgical margin is examined, as each slice of tissue is only 6 micrometres thick, about 3 to 4 serial slices are obtained per section, and only about 3 to 4 sections are obtained per specimen (see figure 2 of reference).

When in doubt, a patient should demand that either Mohs surgery or frozen section histology with either margin control (ccpdma) or thin serial bread-loafing is utilized when dealing with a tumour on the face. The pathologist processing the frozen section specimen should cut multiple sections through the block to minimize the false negative error rate. Or one should simply process the tissue utilizing a method approximating the Mohs method (described in most basic histopathology text books or described in this reference ) during frozen section processing. Unfortunately, these methods are difficult when applied to frozen sections; and they are very tedious to process. When not utilizing frozen section, the surgeon might have to wait a week or more before informing the patient if more tumour is left, or if the surgical margin is too narrow. A second surgery must be performed to remove the residual or potential residual tumour once the surgeon informs the patient of the positive or narrow surgical margin on the surgical pathology report.

A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials supports surgery as the most effective treatment of BCC of the skin. There is no clear research comparing the effectiveness of Mohs micrographic surgery versus surgical excision for BCC of the eye.

Mohs surgery (or Mohs micrographic surgery) is an outpatient procedure, which was developed by Frederic E. Mohs in the 1940s, in which the tumor is surgically excised and then immediately examined under a microscope. It is a form of pathology processing called CCPDMA. The base and edges are microscopically examined to verify sufficient margins before the surgical repair of the site. If the margins are insufficient, more is removed from the patient until the margins are sufficient. It is also used for squamous-cell carcinoma; however, the cure rate is not as high as Mohs surgery for basal-cell carcinoma. The 2008 study found MMS to be a good option for both primary and high-risk recurrent BCCs.

Cryosurgery is an old modality for the treatment of many skin cancers. When accurately utilized with a temperature probe and cryotherapy instruments, it can result in very good cure rate. Disadvantages include lack of margin control, tissue necrosis, over or under treatment of the tumor, and long recovery time. Overall, there are sufficient data to consider cryosurgery as a reasonable treatment for BCC. There are no good studies, however, comparing cryosurgery with other modalities, particularly with Mohs surgery, excision, or electrodesiccation and curettage so that no conclusion can be made whether cryosurgery is as efficacious as other methods. Also, there is no evidence on whether curetting the lesions before cryosurgery affects the efficacy of treatment. Several textbooks are published on the therapy, and a few physicians still apply the treatment to selected patients.

Electrodesiccation and curettage (EDC, also known as curettage and cautery, simply curettage) is accomplished by using a round knife, or curette, to scrape away the soft cancer. The skin is then burned with an electric current. This further softens the skin, allowing for the knife to cut more deeply with the next layer of curettage. The cycle is repeated, with a safety margin of curettage of normal skin around the visible tumor. This cycle is repeated 3 to 5 times, and the free skin margin treated is usually 4 to 6 mm. Cure rate is very much user-dependent and depends also on the size and type of tumor. Infiltrative or morpheaform BCCs can be difficult to eradicate with EDC. Generally, this method is used on cosmetically unimportant areas like the trunk (torso). Some physicians believe that it is acceptable to utilize EDC on the face of elderly patients over the age of 70. However, with increasing life expectancy, such an objective criterion cannot be supported. The cure rate can vary, depending on the aggressiveness of the EDC and the free margin treated. Some advocate curettage alone without electrodesiccation, and with the same cure rate.

Some superficial cancers respond to local therapy with 5-fluorouracil, a chemotherapy agent. Topical treatment with 5% Imiquimod cream, with five applications per week for six weeks has a reported 70–90% success rate at reducing, even removing, the BCC [basal-cell carcinoma]. Both Imiquimod and 5-fluorouracil have received FDA approval, and topical IMQ is approved by the European Medicines Agency for treatment of small superficial basal-cell carcinoma. Off label use of imiquimod on invasive basal-cell carcinoma has been reported. Imiquimod may be used prior to surgery in order to reduce the size of the carcinoma. One can expect a great deal of inflammation with this treatment. Chemotherapy often follows Mohs surgery to eliminate the residual superficial basal-cell carcinoma after the invasive portion is removed. Some advocate the use of imiquimod prior to Mohs surgery to remove the superficial component of the cancer. Removing the residual superficial tumor with surgery alone can result in large and difficult to repair surgical defects. One often waits a month or more after surgery before starting the Imiquimod or 5-fluorouracil to make sure the surgical wound has adequately healed. Some people advocate the use of curettage (see EDC below) first, followed by chemotherapy. These experimental procedures are not standard care. The 2008 study reported that topical IMQ appears effective in the treatment of primary small superficial BCCs but only "may possibly" have a role in the treatment of primary nodular BCC.

Approved in 2012, vismodegib is used to treat an advanced form of basal-cell carcinoma.

Immunotherapy research suggests that treatment using "Euphorbia peplus", a common garden weed, may be effective. Australian biopharmaceutical company Peplin is developing this as topical treatment for BCC. Imiquimod is an immunotherapy but is listed here under chemotherapy.

Radiation therapy can be delivered either as external beam radiotherapy or as brachytherapy (internal radiotherapy). Although radiotherapy is generally used in older patients who are not candidates for surgery, it is also used in cases where surgical excision will be disfiguring or difficult to reconstruct (especially on the tip of the nose, and the nostril rims). Radiation treatment often takes as few as 5 visits to as many as 25 visits. Usually, the more visits scheduled for therapy, the less complication or damage is done to the normal tissue supporting the tumor. Radiotherapy can also be useful if surgical excision has been done incompletely or if the pathology report following surgery suggests a high risk of recurrence, for example if nerve involvement has been demonstrated. Cure rate can be as high as 95% for small tumor, or as low as 80% for large tumors. Usually, recurrent tumors after radiation are treated with surgery, and not with radiation. Further radiation treatment will further damage normal tissue, and the tumor might be resistant to further radiation. Radiation therapy may be contraindicated for treatment of nevoid basal-cell carcinoma syndrome. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials supports radiotherapy as one of the most effective treatments for BCC. A 2008 study reported that radiation therapy is appropriate for primary BCCs and recurrent BCCs, but not for BCCs that have recurred following previous radiation treatment.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a new modality for treatment of basal-cell carcinoma, which is administrated by application of photosensitizers to the target area. When these molecules are activated by light, they become toxic, therefore destroy the target cells. Methyl aminolevulinate is approved by EU as a photosensitizer since 2001. This therapy is also used in other skin cancer types. The 2008 study reported that PDT was a good treatment option for primary superficial BCCs and reasonable for primary low-risk nodular BCCs but a "relatively poor" option for high-risk lesions.

Prognosis is excellent if the appropriate method of treatment is used in early primary basal-cell cancers. Recurrent cancers are much harder to cure, with a higher recurrent rate with any methods of treatment. Although basal-cell carcinoma rarely metastasizes, it grows locally with invasion and destruction of local tissues. The cancer can impinge on vital structures like nerves and result in loss of sensation or loss of function or rarely death. The vast majority of cases can be successfully treated before serious complications occur. The recurrence rate for the above treatment options ranges from 50 percent to 1 percent or less.

In the United States approximately 3 out of 10 caucasians develop a basal-cell carcinoma during their lifetime. This tumor accounts for approximately 70% of non-melanoma skin cancers. In 80 percent of all cases, basal-cell carcinoma affects the skin of head and neck. Furthermore, there appears to be an increase in the incidence of basal-cell cancer of the trunk in recent years.

Most sporadic BCC arises in small numbers on sun-exposed skin of people over age 50, although younger people may also be affected. The development of multiple basal-cell cancer at an early age could be indicative of nevoid basal-cell carcinoma syndrome, also known as Gorlin's Syndrome.


Who is the WWE Champion?

At the top of WWE's championship hierarchy are the WWE Universal Championship on Raw and the WWE Championship on SmackDown. The Universal Championship is held by record two-time champion Brock Lesnar, who won the vacant title by defeating Braun Strowman at Crown Jewel on November 2, 2018; previous champion Roman Reigns had to relinquish the title due to illness (leukemia). The WWE Champion is Daniel Bryan, who is in his fourth reign. He won the title on the November 13, 2018, episode of "SmackDown Live" by defeating AJ Styles.

List of current champions in WWE

WWE is an American professional wrestling promotion based out of Stamford, Connecticut. Title reigns are either determined by professional wrestling matches or are awarded to a wrestler, as a result of the culmination of various scripted storylines.

WWE splits its main roster into two distinctive brands — Raw and SmackDown. A level below the main roster is the NXT brand. Specialty brands in WWE include 205 Live, which is for male wrestlers 205 lbs. and under (designated by WWE as crusierweights), and NXT UK, which is for wrestlers based in the United Kingdom.

Raw, SmackDown, and NXT each have two active singles championships for male wrestlers, an active championship for female wrestlers, and an active tag team championship. There is one championship for the cruiserweight wrestlers on 205 Live, which is the only championship with a weight limit in the promotion, and one male, one female, and one tag team championship for NXT UK wrestlers. A new tag team championship for the women's division was announced with the inaugural holders to be determined in 2019; it will be the only championship unaffiliated with any brand.

Among the five current brands, 20 wrestlers hold the championships. The list includes the number of times the wrestler has held the title, the date and location of the win, and a description of the winning bout. The following is correct as of 02, 2022.

Secondary titles in WWE include the WWE Intercontinental Championship for Raw and the WWE United States Championship for SmackDown. The Intercontinental Championship is held by Bobby Lashley, who is in his first reign. He won the title by defeating previous champion Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins in a triple threat match on the January 14 episode of "Raw". The United States Championship is held by R-Truth, who is in his second reign. He won the title by defeating Shinsuke Nakamura on the January 29 episode of "SmackDown Live".

The WWE Cruiserweight Championship is the top championship for the 205 Live brand, exclusive for wrestlers and under; the only championship in WWE with a weight limit. The title is held by Buddy Murphy, who is in his first reign. He won the title by defeating Cedric Alexander on October 6, 2018, during Super Show-Down.

The WWE Raw Women's Championship is held by Ronda Rousey, who is in her first reign. She defeated Alexa Bliss on August 19, 2018, at SummerSlam. The WWE SmackDown Women's Championship is held by Asuka, who is in her first reign. She won the title by defeating previous champion Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair in a Triple Threat Tables, Ladders and Chairs match at.

The WWE Raw Tag Team Championship is held by Bobby Roode and Chad Gable who are in their first reign, both as a team and individually. They won the titles by defeating previous champions AOP in a handicap match on the December 10 episode of "Raw" with AOP's manager Drake Maverick also in the match (and was pinned by Roode to cause the title change). The WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship is held by The Miz and Shane McMahon, who are in their first reign as a team and individually. They won the titles by defeating Cesaro and Sheamus at Royal Rumble.

A new tag team championship, the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship, was announced in December 2018. The inaugural holders will be determined at Elimination Chamber on February 17, 2019 in a tag team Elimination Chamber match. It will be the only championship to be defended on both Raw and SmackDown.

The top title of NXT is the NXT Championship, which is held by Tommaso Ciampa, who is in his first reign. He won the title by defeating Aleister Black on the July 18, 2018 tapings of "NXT" (aired July 25). The secondary title of NXT is the NXT North American Championship, which is held by Johnny Gargano, who defeated Ricochet at on January 26 2019. The NXT Women's Championship is held by record two-time champion Shayna Baszler. She won the title by defeating Kairi Sane at Evolution on October 28, 2018. The NXT Tag Team Championship is held by one-time title holders The War Raiders (Raymond Rowe and Hanson). They won the titles by defeating Undisputed Era (Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong) on the January 26,2019 at NXT Phoenix Takeover.

The WWE United Kingdom Championship is the top championship of NXT UK. The current champion is Pete Dunne, who is in his first reign. He won the title by defeating inaugural champion Tyler Bate at on May 20, 2017. The NXT UK Women's Championship is held by Toni Storm, who defeated inaugural title holder Rhea Ripley on January 12, 2019 at. The NXT UK Tag Team Championship is held by the team of Zack Gibson and James Drake, who defeated Moustache Mountain (Trent Seven and Tyler Bate) in a tournament final at on January 12, 2019 to become the inaugural champions.