The Mona Lisa’s Unusual Journey from a Bathroom to the Louvre

The Mona Lisa hasn't always been on display in the Louvre. 

Before it was hung in the historic museum, the world's most famous painting adorned the walls of a King's bathroom, an emperor's bedroom, and was strapped to an ambulance stretcher. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's start at the very beginning. 

Leonardo da Vinci began painting the Mona Lisa at his studio in Florence in 1503 as a commissioned painting of Lisa Camilla Gherardini (Mona Lisa del Giocondo) by her husband, Francesco del Giocondo. It's said the artist never finished the storied oil painting, and kept it with him until his death in 1519. 

After da Vinci's death, the Mona Lisa was recorded as a prized possession in an inventory of Salai’s (his student) belongings in Milan. From there, she embarked on an eventful journey before ultimately finding a permanent home at the Louvre.

Let's trace the steps of the most iconic painting ever created, to find out how the Mona Lisa went from a bathroom to the Louvre. 

The Bathroom of King Francois I of France

It's believed King Francois I of France acquired the Mona Lisa from Salai and famously displayed it in his bathroom (much fancier than a modern restroom) at the Château de Fontainebleau. The painting remained in the hands of the French Monarchy for 250 years, leading up to the French Revolution in 1789. 

During the reign of Louis XIV, the Mona Lisa spent a short period at the Palace of Versailles as part of the King’s exclusive royal art collection.

The Bedroom of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte

Later, the painting was requisitioned and became the property of the French Republic. It eventually came into the possession of Napoleon Bonaparte, who was supposedly captivated by the Mona Lisa's mystery. After the revolution, he had "Madame Lisa" mounted in his bedchamber in Tuileries Palace in Paris. 

The painting hung there for four years before being moved to the Grand Gallery of the Louvre Museum in 1804, where it remained until the infamous 1911 heist by Vincenzo Peruggia, who illegally carried the Mona Lisa off to Italy. It was returned to French custody two years later and reinstalled in the Louvre. 

An Ambulance Stretcher During WWII

At the onset of WWII in 1939, the beloved masterpiece was taken away in an ambulance stretcher, carefully placed in a padded wooden crate, and sent off to the French countryside to protect it from the Nazi's, who had written instructions to seize the Mona Lisa. 

It arrived safely at Château de Chambord and remained in the country until the end of the war, after which it was brought back to the Louvre for public display.

A Return To The Louvre

Since then, the Mona Lisa has remained at the Louvre, occupying a room dedicated solely to her. Each year, roughly 6 million visitors come to marvel at the painting, spending an average of 15 seconds mesmerized by her gaze before proceeding to the next exhibit.

And that's the story of how an unfinished painting, originally commissioned from Leonardo da Vinci, journeyed from a king’s bathroom to royal collections, an emperor’s bedroom, a wartime ambulance stretcher, and ultimately back to the Louvre, where millions continue to be entranced by her mystery. 

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