The Mona Lisa is sold for 552,500 euros

Baghdad-INA

 A 17th-century version of "Mona Lisa" Leonardo da Vinci was sold on Tuesday at the Sotheby's in Paris for 552,500 euros ($ 611,950), far more than the initial valuation of 70,000 to 90,000 euros.

The Mona Lisa itself, initiated by Da Vinci in 1503, hangs in the Louvre in Paris for more than 200 years. It is believed to depict Lisa Gerardini, wife of Florentine silk merchant, Francesco Giocondo. "This amazing result attests to the power of the permanent fascination of this iconic painting," Sotheby's director Bucky Quinnen said in a statement on Tuesday's sale.