What landscape features appear behind the Mona Lisa?

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Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, oil painting showing a woman with a slight smile and folded hands, seated before a distant, hazy landscape. — Mona Lisa *Mona Lisa*, oil on wood panel by Leonardo da Vinci, 1503–19; in the Louvre, Paris.

The background of the Mona Lisa features a distant, atmospheric landscape that includes undulating valleys and rivers.12

Leonardo da Vinci utilized his knowledge of atmospheric perspective to create the illusion of a receding space, causing elements such as rock formations and trees to appear softer and lighter as they move further into the distance. The shapes of these natural features are designed to echo the sensuous curves of the sitter’s hair and clothing, reflecting Leonardo's vision of a cosmic link connecting humanity and nature.21