Prado Mona Lisa vs the Louvre Mona Lisa: The Differences
Updated October 28, 2026
Verdict
If you want to see Leonardo's own painting, you have to go to the Louvre: it is the original, in room 711 of the Denon wing. If you want to see what the Mona Lisa looked like freshly painted, with clean colors and a sharp landscape, the Prado version in Madrid is the best reference there is.
There are two famous Mona Lisas: Leonardo da Vinci's original, in the Louvre Museum in Paris, and a version from Leonardo's workshop in the Museo del Prado in Madrid. The Prado Mona Lisa is not a later copy: the Prado's technical studies show it was painted at the same time as the original, following its changes. Its restoration, completed in 2012, removed a black background and revealed the landscape, with colors much brighter than those of the Paris painting.
| Criterion | The Louvre Mona Lisa | The Prado Mona Lisa |
|---|---|---|
| Artist | Leonardo da Vinci | Leonardo's workshop; the Prado team leans toward Francesco Melzi, and Salai has also been proposed |
| Date | 1503–1519 | Around 1503–1516 |
| Support | Poplar panel, 13 mm | Walnut panel, 18 mm |
| Size | 79 × 53 cm | 76.3 × 57 cm |
| Colors | Aged, yellowed varnish | Clean varnish after the 2011–2012 restoration; brighter colors |
| Visible details | No visible eyebrows; darkened landscape | Fine eyebrows; landscape, veil, chair and columns more visible |
| Where it is | Louvre Museum, Paris: room 711, Denon wing, level 1, behind glass | Museo del Prado, Madrid (inventory P-504) |
What the Prado Mona Lisa is
It is an oil on walnut panel measuring 76.3 × 57 cm, registered at the Prado as number P-504 and dated around 1503–1516. For centuries it was thought to be just another copy: it was covered by a dark repaint, added after 1750, that hid the landscape. When the Louvre asked to borrow it for an exhibition, the Prado studied and restored it in 2011–2012. The discovery was presented in January 2012 at the National Gallery in London; the Prado showed it in its room 49 from February 21 to March 13, 2012, before it traveled to Paris.
Who painted it
No signature or document says. Infrared reflectography and X-rays show that it reproduces the underdrawing and the corrections of the original, which indicates it was painted at the same time as the original, in Leonardo's circle. That is why it is attributed to Leonardo's workshop. The Prado team leans toward Francesco Melzi; other scholars propose Andrea Salai or Spanish painters such as Fernando Yáñez de la Almedina. Most experts rule out Leonardo's own hand.
Differences from the Louvre version
The figure has the same shape and size in both, possibly traced from the same cartoon, but the look is very different:
- Condition — The Prado version is better preserved, with clean varnish; the Louvre one keeps an aged varnish that yellows the colors.
- Face — The Prado version shows fine eyebrows, which you cannot make out on the original.
- Background — On the Prado version the landscape, the veil, the chair and the columns are clearly visible.
- Support and size — 18 mm walnut in Madrid against 13 mm poplar in Paris; the Prado version is wider (57 cm against 53 cm).
Where to see each one
The original is in the Louvre Museum, in room 711, the Salle des États, on the first floor of the Denon wing, protected by glass and facing The Wedding Feast at Cana. The workshop version belongs to the Museo del Prado in Madrid. Its Spanish history is long: it may already appear in the 1666 inventory of the Alcázar of Madrid, it survived the Alcázar fire of 1734 and it has been in the Prado since 1819. Before you go to see it, check on the Prado website which room it is shown in.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Prado Mona Lisa an original?
It is an original work from Leonardo's workshop, painted at the same time as the Louvre one, but not by Leonardo himself. Leonardo's original is in the Louvre.
Where is the original Mona Lisa?
In the Louvre Museum in Paris, room 711 (Salle des États), Denon wing, level 1.
Why does the Prado Mona Lisa have brighter colors?
Because the 2011–2012 restoration removed a yellowed varnish and a dark repaint. The Louvre one still has an aged varnish.
Who painted the Prado Mona Lisa?
Nobody knows for certain. It is attributed to Leonardo's workshop; the Prado team leans toward Francesco Melzi and other scholars toward Salai.
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