What are views on painting?

These days, most experts agree that the Mona Lisa is a portrait of Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo, wife of a Florentine silk merchant named Francesco del Giocondo (hence the name by which she is known in Italy and France, La Gioconda, or La Joconde). 

When she sat for Leonardo da Vinci, in around 1503, she was about 24 years old. 

Her contrapposto pose – with the body angled away from the viewer, head turned forward – was widely admired and copied by Leonardo’s contemporaries. 

And his sfumato technique, where sharp edges are blurred to create an uncannily lifelike effect.