A worker installs a 17th century copy of the painting Mona Lisa (La Joconde) before its auction.

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

Mona Lisa s smile now behind extremely protective glass

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The Mona Lisa itself, on which da Vinci began work in 1503, has hung at the Louvre Museum in Paris for more than 200 years.

It is thought to depict Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a Florentine silk merchant, Francesco Giocondo.

"This amazing result testifies to the power of the lasting fascination of this iconic painting," Baukje Coenen, a director at Sotheby's, said in a statement about Tuesday's sale.

Reuters