A faithful copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, one of the world’s most recognisable portraits, sold for 210,000 euros ($242,634.00) at a Paris auction on Tuesday (November 9).
Leonardo’s original, which French King Francois I bought from the painter in 1518, can be found in Paris’ Louvre museum, drawing huge crowds to see its enigmatic smile.
Artcurial had estimated that the copy, dating from around 1600 and looking strikingly similar to the original, which is not for sale, would fetch 150,000-200,000 euros.
In June, a European collector bought another 17th century copy of Mona Lisa for 2.9 million euros, a record for a reproduction of the work, at Christie’s in Paris.
In 2017, Christie’s New York sold Leonardo’s “Salvator Mundi” for a record $450 million.
