The Mona Lisa has weathered another storm, this time involving a cake, a wig, and a dramatically-orchestrated protest.
The Renaissance masterpiece by Leonardo Da Vinci, arguably the most famous painting in the world that permanently sits behind bulletproof glass at the Louvre in Paris, was smeared by a piece of cake, delivered by a 36-year-old man on Sunday. Disguised in a wig, the suspect was reportedly sitting in a wheelchair in the gallery before standing up to throw cake at the painting, witnesses told French press.
According to the Independent, he tossed roses around the space, later being escorted out by security guards.
In a video filmed by an onlooker in the gallery, the activist was seen saying to visitors in French, “Think of the Earth. There are people who are destroying the Earth. Think about it. Artists tell you: think of the Earth. That’s why I did this.”
The cake only touched the bulletproof glass which encases the painting. The Mona Lisa herself faced no damage.
Created by Da Vinci over 500 years ago, the artwork also known as La Gioconda is no stranger to threats. The painting was once stolen in 1911, had a rock thrown at it in 1956, and been the subject of another flamboyant protest involving red paint in 1974. More recently, in 2009, a woman who was denied French citizenship threw a ceramic teacup at the glass.
Still, the cultural icon prevails, and is now the center of both well-wishers and — of course — memes on Twitter.