The morning of Tuesday, August 22, 1911, portends a normal hot summer day. The French painter Louis Perrault may have been planning a light walk on the Seine at the end of the day, after spending his day at work, but surely his plans for this day have changed after discovering the disappearance of a painting The "Mona Lisa" on the wall of the Louvre Museum, where he worked.

Peru was the first to discover the disappearance of the painting, which was not of current interest. The "Mona Lisa" measuring 77 x 53 centimeters was placed inside a gilded frame of dimensions 87 x 63 centimeters, among other paintings displayed in an ordinary hall inside the Louvre until it was stolen on the evening of August 21 1911, about 110 years ago, to change its place in the world since then.

The story of the Mona Lisa

To this day, the painting by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci in 1503 is still obscure and bears several theories about its painting. The most common opinion, and the reason why it is called "Mona Lisa", is that the word "Mona" means "my lady" in Italian.

The second opinion, in terms of popularity, is that the painting was commissioned by Giuliano de' Medici of the mother of his young son born out of wedlock.

But the theories do not stop at these two theories. Some claim that "Mona Lisa" is a drawing of Da Vinci's imagination to express perfection and purity, and others believe that Da Vinci painted himself, but in a feminine equivalent.

But the confirmed information about the painting is that da Vinci was commissioned in Florence and painted in France, and there it was owned by François I, King of France, before its ownership was transferred to King Louis XIV, and then to the French Republic after the revolution to become a French heritage owned by the state, which sparked a diplomatic crisis With Italy after it was stolen in 1911.

It is certain that da Vinci was commissioned to paint the painting in Florence and completed it in France (European).

The greatest art theft of the twentieth century

The painting did not receive the great attention it receives today. Until August 21, 1911, it was displayed in the "Carré" salon of the Louvre, along with other paintings, and to its right was the painting "The Dinner Party at the House of Simon the Pharisee" and on the side The other is the painting "The Sermon of Saint Catherine".

In 1911, Vincenzo Peruggi committed what was described as the greatest art theft of the twentieth century.

According to his confession to the police in Florence after his arrest, Peruggi, a former worker of the Louvre, entered the museum on Monday 21 August, at about 7 am, through the door where the other Louvre workers were entering.

He said he was wearing one of the white suits usually worn by museum staff, and was indistinguishable from other workers.

When Carré's salon was empty, he removed the painting from the four iron nails holding it to the wall and took it to a nearby service office.

And there, he removed the frame.

He simply took off his dress, wrapped it around the painting, put it under his arm, and left the Louvre through the same door he entered, quite simply.

The Mona Lisa was first stolen in 1911 by Vincenzo Peruggi, a former worker at the Louvre Museum (Reuters)

Diplomatic crisis

After hiding the painting in his apartment for two years, Perugia returned to Italy carrying it as a colossal treasure.

There he kept it in his apartment in Florence, Italy, for some time.

Eventually impatient, he called Mario Fratelli, the owner of an art gallery in Florence, who summoned Giovanni Poggi, director of the Italian Uffizi Gallery, who certified that the painting was authentic.

Boggi and Fratelli, after taking the painting, reported it to the police, who arrested Perugia from his home.

After the painting was recovered, it was displayed all over Italy with banner titles rejoicing at its return.

As soon as the news reached the French, their revolution erupted, and the government threatened to sever diplomatic relations, considering that the "Mona Lisa" painted by the Italian artist is a French national heritage, because it was the property of King François I and its ownership continued among the kings of France until it became the property of the French Republic.

The Mona Lisa was returned to the Louvre in 1913. It received widespread headlines and extensive police investigations that helped it become one of the world's most famous works of art, gaining a great deal of public interest.

In 2014, 9.3 million people visited the Louvre, and the former director of the museum, Henri Loyret, considered that 80% of them only wanted to see the Mona Lisa.” Close up at peak times.

The most expensive work of art

In 2014, it was suggested that the sale of the painting could help alleviate the local French debt, although the sale of the "Mona Lisa" and other similar works of art is prohibited under the French heritage law, which states that "the archives of museums belonging to public bodies are considered public property and cannot be To be otherwise.” What is the value of this work that can help pay off the domestic debt of a country the size of France?

From December 1962 until March 1963, the French government exhibited the painting in New York and Washington DC.

And in New York, visited by about 1.7 million people, they waited in queues to catch a quick 20-second look at the Mona Lisa.

In 1974, the painting was shown in Tokyo and Moscow.

Prior to this tour, the painting was valued at approximately $100 million for its security.

Adjusting the value according to inflation rates according to the US consumer price index, this value in 1962 is equal to about 800 million in 2019, making it practically the most expensive painting in the world.