A faithful copy of Leonardo da VinciтАЩs Mona Lisa dating from more than 400 years ago will go under the hammer at a Paris auction on Tuesday, months after another reproduction of one of the worldтАЩs most recognisable portraits sold for a record price.
LeonardoтАЩs original, which French King Francois I bought from the painter in 1518, can be found in ParisтАЩ Louvre museum and is not for sale.
But the copy that is on sale, dating from around 1600, is so similar to the original that it is likely that the artist had close access to LeonardoтАЩs version, the Artcurial auction house said.
It estimates the copy will fetch 150,000-200,000 euros ($173,000-$230,000).
тАЬMona Lisa is the most beautiful woman in painting,тАЭ ArtcurialтАЩ auction house expert and auctioneer, Matthieu Fournier, said as the painting went on public display ahead of the sale.
тАЬEveryone wants to own a high-quality version of Mona Lisa.
тАЬLeonardo, he stressed тАЬhad fans, because he invented a style. He had followers, imitatorsтАЭ.
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 an auction at ChristieтАЩs in Paris.
In 2017, ChristieтАЩs New York sold LeonardoтАЩs тАЬSalvator MundiтАЭ for a record $450 million.
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