Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa (c. 1503) by Leonardo da Vinci. Its palette is led by warm black (#1c160d, 36%) and dark taupe (#3c3526, 32%), with accents of rich scarlet brown and light tan. Overall the canvas is dark, muted and warm.

Color notes

Centuries of yellowed varnish sit over the paint, so its colors read warmer and more yellow than when Leonardo painted them.

Leonardo built his tones from many thin, translucent layers, the soft-edged technique called sfumato. Centuries of yellowed varnish now sit over his paintings, so their colors read warmer and more yellow than when he painted them.

Palette

#1c160d MG 220 warm black 36.3% of canvas
#3c3526 MG 177 dark taupe 31.9% of canvas
#515b4a MG 058 muted green 17.7% of canvas
#634026 MG 168 dark amber brown 7.0% of canvas
#8d6441 MG 161 rich scarlet brown 4.6% of canvas
#c69774 MG 164 light tan 2.4% of canvas

Color families

Brown 40%, Black 35%, Green 14%, Gray 9%, Orange 2%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.33
Contrast: 0.35
Vividness: 0.026
Warmth: +0.95
Complexity: 79 cells
Hue range: 0.53
Focus: 0.17

Composition

57% of the visual weight is in the left half, 67% in the upper half. Symmetry 0.66 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 64% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 25% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: c. 1503
Medium: Oil on poplar panel and wood
Size: 79.4 × 53.4 cm
Genre: portrait
Made in: Republic of Florence
Collection: Department of Paintings of the Louvre

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