Fox News presenter tells viewers Leonardo DiCaprio painted Mona Lisa

Shepard Smith presented an update on the search for 'Leonardo DiCaprio’s Mona Lisa'

Leonardo DiCaprio

A Fox News anchor confused his world-renowned painters with his A-list actors when he mistakenly declared Leonardo DiCaprio as the artist who produced the Mona Lisa.

Shepard Smith made the error when he introduced a segment about Leonardo da Vinci’s Renaissance masterpiece that continues to puzzle researchers and art historians.

The identity of one of history's most enigmatic smiles has been the subject of much debate over centuries. Scientists have spent four years excavating human remains in Florence and are now focusing on the bones of Lisa Gherardini, the woman many researchers believe modelled for the painting.

The true identity of the woman with the alluring smile in Da Vinci’s 500-year-old Renaissance masterpiece is still a mystery (AFP/Getty)

Presenting this news, an unenthused Smith told viewers: “An update from scientists trying to identify the model for Leonardo DiCaprio’s Mona Lisa. After digging up some woman’s remains and putting it through DNA testing it seems they are no closer to knowing the smile men [inaudible]. Stay tuned.”