Hello! It’s me!
Do you know who I am? (hint: I’m not French)
They call me “the Mona Lisa” in English, “La Joconde” in French, but my name is Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Mr. Francesco del Giocondo.
Where am I? (hint: it’s an easy question)
I am in the Louvre, Paris, France, and have been there for decades. I am in a room with other paintings, but everybody seems to focus on me.
But… I am Italian… What am I doing here?
Leonardo da Vinci was Italian, but he spent the last years of his life in France, and brought this painting with him. It was bought by the king of France Francis the 1st. During the French Revolution (1789-1799), the castle of the Louvre, which was a royal castle, was turned into a public museum. I was displayed a few years later.
What am I made of? (hint: it’s a trick question)
I’m an oil painting on a wooden panel! (no, I’m not a canvas)
Why am I so famous? (hint: it’s a good question)
Nobody is really sure why, but out of the 8 million people who visit the Louvre every year, half of them come only to see me! I became world famous when I was stolen.
Was I ever stolen? (hint: the answer is in the question)
Actually, I was. In 1911, I went missing. I was looked for for years, and my fame increased enormously. I was found in Italy and returned to Paris, France in 1914.
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