The Life Of An Object

Mona Lisa’s mysterious smile has made it one of the most famous and recognisable paintings in the world. Leonardo Da Vinci painted it between 1503 and 1506. Today it hangs at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. It is a very old painting and has had a very interesting life. Sometimes a work of art can take on a life of its own and have its own biography.

In 1911, a man named Vincenzo Peruggia stole the painting from the Louvre Museum and tried to return it to Italy. He was very patriotic and believed that the painting belonged in Italy, not France, because Da Vinci was Italian and he started painting in Italy. The police couldn’t find the painting for two years and many feared they would never find it. Fortunately, Mr Peruggia tried to sell the painting to an Italian museum, and that’s when the police got the painting back.

Vandals also tried to destroy the Mona Lisa several times. In 1956, the celebrated painting was attacked twice. The first person threw acid on it and damaged the lower half of the painting. A few months later, the second person threw a rock and damaged the painting a little more. Over the years, a few other people also tried to damage the painting, but no one could get near enough to cause more damage.

The priceless painting survived but now hangs behind bulletproof glass and is surrounded by heavy security. Thousands of people view her every day for about 15 seconds, or enough time to take a few selfies. If the Mona Lisa could talk, what stories would she tell?