Russian Woman Throws Mug At The Mona Lisa

Earlier this month at the Louvre in Paris, France, a Russian woman denied French citizenship threw a ceramic mug at Leonardo da Vinci's 16th century Italian Renaissance painting "Mona Lisa". The masterpiece, protected by bulletproof glass was undamaged and the woman was taken into police custody and later transferred to a psychiatric facility for treatment. The painting, perhaps the world's best known work of art, is owned by the French government and housed in a special wing of the Louvre.This is not the first incident in the storied history of the painting - it has experienced many close calls in it's nearly 500 years. In 1911 the "Mona Lisa" was stolen and it's whereabouts were unknown for two years before it was returned. In 1956 it withstood two attempts to inflict damage upon it, as a rock and acid were thrown at it on separate occasions.