In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, green was the color commonly associated with merchants, bankers and the gentry, while red was reserved for the nobility. For this reason, the costume of the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci and the benches in the British House of Commons are green while those in the House of Lords are red. It also has a long historical tradition as the color of Ireland and of Gaelic culture. It is the historic color of Islam, representing the lush vegetation of Paradise. It was the color of the banner of Muhammad, and is found in the flags of nearly all Islamic countries.[2] Because of its association with nature, it became the color of the Environmental Movement in the 1960s, and Green Parties were founded in many counties.
