Man throws a cake at the Mona Lisa in the Louvre

An unusual incident occurred at the Louvre in Paris over the weekend: a man threw a cake at Leonardo da Vinci’s world-famous Mona Lisa. This left visible traces. However, the painting itself was not damaged: For security reasons, the Mona Lisa is behind bulletproof glass.

According to media reports, the perpetrator is a young man. As the Italian “Corriere della Sera” reports, he is said to have come to the museum dressed as an old woman and in a wheelchair. He wore a hat and a wig.

According to the police, the aim was not to damage the work of art. Rather, it is said to have been a protest action. Video recordings show him saying, just before he has to leave the museum: “Think of the earth! It has people who are going to destroy the earth!” As a further action, the man is said to have scattered some roses on the floor.

Meanwhile, it is not the first time that the Mona Lisa has been attacked by a visitor. In 2009, a Russian woman threw a teacup at the painting, which broke the glass. In 1956, a Bolivian tourist threw a rock at the image after staring at it for hours. Since it was still behind a normal pane of glass at the time, it was partially damaged. Since then, the Mona Lisa has been protected with bulletproof glass. (dab)

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