Whose painting is the Mona Lisa?

The Mona Lisa was painted by the Italian Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci, begun around 1503 and worked on for several years. It is believed to depict Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a Florentine merchant, and is celebrated for its subtle, lifelike expression and the hazy sfumato technique that softens the edges of her features. The painting hangs in the Louvre in Paris and is one of the most famous artworks in the world, protected behind bulletproof glass. Much of its modern fame stems from a 1911 theft, when an Italian handyman stole it from the Louvre, making headlines worldwide before it was recovered two years later.