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When did viewers begin to describe the Mona Lisa's smile as mysterious?
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Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa, oil on wood panel by Leonardo da Vinci, 1503–19; in the Louvre, Paris.
Although the Mona Lisa was highly regarded by Leonardo da Vinci's contemporaries for its realism, the sitter's steady gaze and restrained smile were not described as mysterious until the 19th century.1
During the Romantic era of the 1800s, writers and critics began to transform the perception of the portrait. Authors such as Théophile Gautier and Walter Pater characterized the subject as a mysterious seductress, using evocative language to describe her "enchanting smile" and "unknown pleasures." This 19th-century mythmaking played a significant role in establishing the air of mystery that continues to define the painting today.1