number of reasons not least of all the painting being stolen.
In 1911 an Italian workman employed at the Louvre spent the night hiding in a cupboard, slipped the painting out of its frame and took off with it. At that time, the painting wasn’t well-known and the only way to see it was by going to the museum. The police printed 6,500 copies of the Mona Lisa and distributed them to the public. Every newspaper covered the story. Millions of people saw the painting and had an opinion. The Mona Lisa became the Kim Kardashian of her day – everyone knew who she was. The painting was eventually found, just down the road in what is now the Hotel La Giaconda. She, with her enigmatic smile, missing eyebrows, showing the special trademark technique Leonardo used called sfumato where you can’t see how the smile ends at each corner and the veil of craquelure, tiny age cracks in the paint now resides in majestic glory in the Louvre. Personally, I liked to see the reproduction on the wall at the Chateau du Clos Lucé where her maker finished creating her.
Leonardo da Vinci passed away three years after he arrived in France and was buried, following his wishes, within the royal château. His tomb can be found in Saint-Hubert’s Chapel.