The Mona Lisa by the talented Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci is a world-renowned canvas. According to UNESCO statistics, by the end of 1991, more than 200 monographs on this famous painting had been published around the world. In Spain, England, and France alone, 38 scholars have painstakingly discussed the mysterious laughter of the Mona Lisa year after year.
This mysterious and magical picture is now in the collection of the Musée National des Beaux-Arts in France, hanging in a square hall of the Louvre. It has always attracted people from all over the world with its unique charm, with 4 million visitors in 1990 and 6.34 million in 1991.
The Mona Lisa was originally 0.77 × 0.53 meters. It and its creators have had an extraordinary experience, full of sour, sweet and bitter. From 1515 to 1544 AD, King Francis I of France led The French feudal lords across the Alps on a predatory expedition against neighboring Italy. Francis I sent someone to buy the Mona Lisa from Leonardo da Vinci four times, but all of them were politely rejected. In 1518, Francis I, who was obsessed with the Mona Lisa, sent his henchmen to Saint-Croix, France, to da Vinci's residence for the fifth time, and bid 30,000 gold coins to buy the painting from the master painter in his sick bed. But Da Vinci could not bear to be separated from his proud work, so he moved out of bed, explained to the painter the reason for not selling, and knelt down to ask for forgiveness, so as to avoid the disaster of killing. Subsequently, da Vinci disappeared into anonymity, dragging his sick body away, and died the following year.
After 6 years, the Mona Lisa, which has been tossed around several times, finally returned to her hometown and was collected by the Museum of the City of Milan, Italy. Later, King Louis XIII of France became the owner of the painting. The king hung it in the "family training hall" and ordered his daughter to imitate the smile on the screen all day. Napoleon hung the Mona Lisa in his bedroom, and every morning and evening he had to live alone many times; sometimes he stood in front of the painting for a day and a half, so fascinated that he forgot everything, and the late French President Charles de Gaulle drove to the Louvre to admire the paintings when he encountered difficult problems or was restless. Incredibly, when he walked out of the Mona Lisa exhibition hall, his original troubles had long since disappeared and he seemed to be full of spring breeze.
Georges Pompidou, who became president of France at the end of June 1969, was also a Fan of the Mona Lisa, saying: "I often can't restrain my fascination with the Mona Lisa, like a rabbit obsessed with a python." ”
Since the 19th century, the Mona Lisa has received more than 7,200 "courtship letters" from all corners of the world, and the French authorities are sorting out these love letters and striving to pay them next year.
Every six months, the Mona Lisa goes to the scientific research department to "check the body.". At the beginning of the journey, 30 police cars pressed left and right, and more than 200 big men with guns and live ammunition hugged each other, and they were in awe. The usual "Mona Lisa" exhibition hall is heavily guarded day and night. However, the gangsters did not give up, and from 1987 to 1991 alone, there were 4 consecutive cases of theft of ink treasures, but none of them succeeded.
There are already more than 200 fake Mona Lisa paintings around the world. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher collected 4 paintings, she said: "I really like the Mona Lisa, but it is a lonely piece, so I have to entertain myself with fakes." ”
The French regard the disappearance of the Mona Lisa on August 21, 1911, as a national disaster. France set up hundreds of reconnaissance teams and fought for more than a year to find the painting, which was regarded as an idol by the French, in the town of Dimot on the border between France and Andorra. To this end, the price of various commodities in French urban and rural areas has been reduced by 40% as a sign of celebration.
The reclusive Mona Lisa has been involved in foreign countries 4 times, and it has been in the limelight and glory. In April 1951, it received a grand reception in Spain at the level of head of state or government, with Spanish Head of State Franco personally presenting a painting at the airport and 200,000 Madrid citizens dressed up as Don Quixote singing and dancing. In October 1954, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill sent 6 special planes and 300 Miss Manners to take it from Paris to London; France also exchanged courtesies, making an exception to allow Churchill to touch the painting with his fingers 3 times, but stipulating that the prime minister's fingers must be repeatedly washed and strictly disinfected.
In June 1963, the painting was exhibited in Washington, D.C., with more than 40,000 security guards, and each visitor had to go through 6 checkpoints and be inspected by various instruments. In May 1974, the painting was exhibited in Tokyo, Japan, and each visitor was allowed to stand in front of the painting for only 9 seconds. In 1993, the Mona Lisa will travel around some of the member states of the European Community. In order to ensure safety on the way, France has designed and manufactured a unique storage box, which can not only prevent fire, waterproof, cut, mold, but also resist heavy pressure, call for help, and automatically alarm.
More and more businessmen and entrepreneurs use the Mona Lisa as a tool to get rich, and they have used the recreated painting of the woman as a trademark of the product. For example, perfumes in France, women's corsets in Britain, cigarettes in Germany, canned fish in Norway, dairy products in Sweden, canned meat in Finland, electrical appliances in Austria, instruments in Switzerland, food additives in Morocco, olive oil in Spain, cement in Algeria, coffee in Brazil, cocoa in Colombia, honey in Mexico, tung oil in Paraguay, butter in New Zealand, long-fiber cotton in Egypt, and so on.