The Sentinel=record., 1913-12-13
ITALIAN AUTHORITIES RECOVER FAMOUS PAINTING AND WILL
 RESTORE TO FRANCE.
STOLEN BY AN ITALIAN
Who Resented It's Confiscaton and Delivery to France When Napoleon Captured the Italian Capital During His Reign.

i Florence, Italy, Dee. l2-"Mona Lisa, Leonardo Da Vinci's great paint ing, which was stolen from the Louvre in Paris more Hhan two years ago, has been found II is now in the hands of the Italian authorities and will he re- turned to France.
 : Mona Liza" or La Joconde," as it is more popularly known, the most eel ! brated portrait of a woman ever paint ed, has been the object of exhaustive search in all quarters of the globe. ! The mystery Of its abstraction from : the LourVre, its great intrinsic value and the strange fascination of the smile of the woman it portrayed-Liza Del Gioconde-the wife of a wealthy Forentine, have combined to keep alive interest in it's recovery.
 { The picture was recovered under curious circumstances. An Italian wrote to Senor Geri, an antiquary of | Florence, some weeks ago. saying T am in possession of the missing Mona Liza, but being a patriotic Italian, l desire that it shall remain in Florence, the center of Italian art"
 He signed the letter Leonard" and an appointment was arranged whereby Geri was to view the picture at Milan The date set was November 17, but unforeseen circumstances prevented the meeting
 A young man, fairly well dressed, visited Geri yesterday. He said he was Leonard and was staying at
 the Hotel Tripoli. He asked Geri to go with him to see the picture Signor | Geri notified Dr. Poggi. director of the Florentine museum, who hastened to the hotel and on being shown the painting recognized it as the genuine Mona Lisa Dr. Poggi asked to he allowed to take the picture with him so that he might compare it with other works. He made an appointment to meet Leonard today at the hotel to agree upon the price. The director took with him several officers, who
 placed the man under arrest.
 On being interrogated the prisoner said his real name is Nincenta Peru
 gia. that he was born in the province
 of Como, is by profession a decorator and is unmarried. For six years he
 lived in France and for three years
 was employed at the Louvre. Periguia posed as patriot. 'I was ashamed, ~ he said. that for more than a cen turv no Italian had thought of aveng- ing the spoliation committed by Frenchmen under Napoleon, when they carried ofI from the Italian musenms
 and galleries, pictures, statues and treasures of all kinds by wagon loans, ancient manuscript by thousands and gold by sacks
 lie often had observed, he said in the Louvre many works of art stolen
 from Italy, and conceived the idea of returning to its true home Leonardo Davinci's masterpiece He entered the lTouyre early in the morning, detached the picture and removed the painting
 from the frtme. He concealed the frame under the pack stairs, where
 if was afterward found He hid the
 picture beneath his worFman's blouse
 and succeeded in leaving the place without attracting suspicion.
 At the time Of the theft Perueia was not employed in the Louvre.
 The painting also has been identi-
 fed by Dr. Corrado Ricci, director gen
 eral of the department of fine arts,
 who was dispatched hurriedly to Flor
 ence from Rome by the minister of public instruction, Luigi Credaro
 Sfgnor Credaro announced that he
 had immediately notified the Bremen ambassador of the discovery of the painting. He added.
 | "Although the masterpiece is dear
 to all Italians as one of the best pro-
 ductions of the genius of their race, we will willingly return it to it's foster f country. which has regretted it's loss
 so bitterly as a fresh pledge of friend. shin and brotherhood between the two 7 great Latin nations"
 i, Strangely enough, the painting is i1 } an almost perfect state of preserva - ton, notwithstanding he vicissitudes II - must have undergone. Perugia, al F though he has not made complete | | confession, has admitted that he con
 cealed the painting under the fals'