Mona Lisa, or La Gioconda (La Joconde), by Leonardo da Vinci, is the most famous painting in the world. Leonardo took the painting from Italy to France in 1516 when King François I invited the painter to work at the Clos Lucé near the king’s castle in Amboise. The King bought the painting for 4,000 écus and kept it at Fontainebleau, where it remained until moved by Louis XIV. It hangs now in the Musée du Louvre, Paris.