5 Interesting Facts About Mona Lisa

Certainly one of the most popular paintings in the world  by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci, between 1503 to 1506, is the Mona Lisa, a priceless work of art.  Despite her known features like her gaze, and the discussions surrounding her smile and beauty, there are other things we didn’t know about this infamous art work;

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

• The original name of the painting was Monna Lisa, Monna in Italian is a short form for Madonna which means ‘My Lady’. Mona Lisa was a spelling error.
• A Bolivian, Ugo Ungaza in 1956 threw a stone at the painting and this resulted in a small patch of damaged paint next to her left elbow.
• Mona Lisa is  priceless and so it cannot be insured.
• She is in the most expensive prison in the world. The painting has an exclusive room that costs the museum over seven million dollars. It is protected in a climate controlled environment and encased in bullet proof glass.
• She is a killer of men. In 1852, an artist named Luc Maspero threw himself from the fourth floor of a Parisian hotel, leaving a suicide note that read: “For years I have grappled desperately with her smile. I prefer to die.” Also in 1910, one enamored fan came before her solely to shoot himself as he looked upon her.