The Mona Lisa is said to be the most valuable painting in the world- insured for $800million. It was probably painted around 1513 when the artist returned to Florence, and this ‘mystery woman is most certainly Lisa Gherardini wife of Silk Merchant Francesco del Giocondo. It was acquired by King Francis, King of France and is now the property of the French Republic. It has been hanging in the Louvre since 1797. Vasari’s account of it’s history is fascinating reading- he himself named it after writing Leonardos biography in 1550, 31 years after the artist’s death.