However, the Mona Lisa (real name ‘La Gioconda’ because the subject is thought to be Italian noblewoman Lisa del Giocondo) was actually bought by the French king Francis I from Leonardo da Vinci.
La Gioconda [the Mona Lisa] is therefore a happy woman whose natural attribute is a smile. The Joker and the Mona Lisa share the same etymology: Jocus’ in Latin,” adds the museum statement.