Lisa Gherardini was 24 when Leonardo da Vinci began her portrait, now known as the Mona Lisa. She was born in 1479, and the commission is generally dated to around 1503, producing the traditional age of 24.
Lisa was the wife of the Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocondo, which explains the painting’s Italian name, La Gioconda. Her husband is thought to have commissioned the portrait to mark family events, possibly the birth of a child or the purchase of a home. Leonardo began the work in Florence but did not simply finish it and hand it over to the family.
The age is sometimes misstated because the painting’s creation date is debated. Scholars generally place its beginning around 1503–1506, while Leonardo may have continued refining it for years, possibly until 1517. Thus, 24 refers to Lisa’s age when Leonardo began the portrait, not necessarily every year during which she may have sat for or been associated with the work.