El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-02-08

I D.
! upper part OF the body is visible; tbs
! costume IS simple: a thin veil ovel
Z her long hair falls in easy folds on hel
shoulders.
A far stretching landscape forms
! the background The portrait rad
iates a certain distinction and all Is
refined and uncommon One feels that
the lady is a born aristocrat
! Leonardo conceived this portrait or
, a lofty plane as BELTS an artist who
feels that true democracy In life and
art means the people plus the artsto-
crazy, refinement plus power" With
his great visualizing power he lifts
the portrait from merely representa-
tive art TO that Of expressive art For
this reason IL has an individual and
universal appeal
Painted In 1903.
It was during the artists second
stay in Florence in 1903 that he
painted the Mona Lisa or La Clio
condo" as It is properly called after
Lisa who married Francesca Giocon-
do. At that time Leonardo had made
several vain attempt to gain favor
with the reigning pope When there
fore, king Frances I came to Florence
in search OF art treasures. he was
flattered and delighted when the
greatest painter Of the day called to
seek his patronage. The king did not
only profoundly admire his talents,
but he was personally very fond OF
him Leonardo being a splendid me-
chanician, delighted the king with in
Eenious toys which he loved to pro-
vide for his entertainment Once he
constructed an automaton lion, which
walked into the kings presence, open
ing its breast and disclosing bouquets
OF lilies He returned with king
Frances to France where he spent his
remaining years painting. For La
To- ha al Comm
He had it placed in the Cabinet Dore
in FOutainebleau. from where in later
years Louis XIV had II moved to the
palace at Versailles.
Napoleon Admired II.
When Napoleon 1 came into power
he. too, came under the spell OF Mona
Lisa's captivating smile At his
special command the picture was
moved 70 his private apartments in
the Tuileries. After his downfall 1t
was moved to the gallery Of the
Louvre. but during the Franco Ger
for safe keep until 1871 when II was
returned to the Louvre and placed in
Salon Care. There is something in
the wOman's bearing that has led men
OF all ages and all classes TO worship
at her feet Sympathy IS woman's
greatest attribute and IT is this gift
that de Ninci has given the Mona
I've. as though she were sending out
to AL who gaze on her
The Mona Lisa Of the Louvre has q
much talked OF rival in the Mona Lisa
81 the Prado IN Madrid Francis I Of
France and Charles OF Spain were
rivals for the crown OF the Holy
Roman empire. But king Francis had Z
he advantage OF ravaging Italy six ]
-ears before Charles 1 AS a rival art !
collector Charles then tried to pur- I
.hase a Mona Lisa as beautiful as that I
n France. He procured one that Is 4
rery similar to the Louvre picture, 4
lut nat as beautiful For many years I
[ was commended that the one in the /
7rado was the original and that king 1
Charles had purchased Il from de .
Tinci's heirs. In an old catalogue Of [
he Spanish art gallery. the Mona Lisa /
$ listed as a copy Of the Louvre.
Either II IS copy OF Leonardo made
wo pictures, but gradually the one
n the Prado dropped into Obscurity
nd the one IN the Louvre became
-nOwn as the most marvellous and
-aluable portrait IN the world. second.
s a picture, 10 none but the 'Sistine
ladonns-"
Fame Greatest Today.
The Mona Lisa is more famous to-
ay than II has ever been and has
cen rendered still more famous by
8 mysterious disappearance from the
ouvre in August. 1911 II was the
lost colossal theft Of modern times.
nd its disappearance was a startling
vent in the art world Mark Twain
nee pointed & moral for all such
lieves as the one who stole the Mona
lisa from the Louvre. De showed how |
isy II was 10 steal a white elephant, I |
III how hard IL became to get rid OF I
afterwards The French authori-
IS were baffled-
d. -.
money for ransom, no questions II
iked-" to the thief 50 kind as to re- \
I'm Frances most precious heirloom II
any theories sprang up as to the 1
olive OF the thief. Some said an 1
-dent American stole It TO have a |
,py made and would then return It. II
Tiers said II was hoax Lrumped up to / II
low how easily the Louvre could be
lbbed. A French novelist then ad- l
lnced the theory that II had been 1
olen by a blue eyed dreamer who H
Id fallen mystically IN love with II
0na Lisa An American journal COM n
ented that II the police were not Il
.re1ul, someone would steal the II
ouvre itself For two years private II
.tectives searched the world for the II
issing treasure. And then one day II
10 thief came out frim his hiding I.
AGA MI
Theft Of the Picture. III
One morning while the guards were II
aking rounds in the Louvre, Vim IT
MO Perugio. one Of the young Ital- Il
a workmen employed in the build It
g, was noticed in the Salon Care III
ing some necessary repair work. ap- II
.rently. As the guard rounded the IT
rner, Ntncenzo seized a sharp knife III
ID ripped the Mona Lisa out OF her III
anne. Just then the guard returned. III
ncenzo covered his confusion by II
lrriedly placing the picture face III
WI in his tool box, and to all ap- III
ardnces was selecting tool TO con- N
Tue work. The guard passed on III
lree days later. on August %, the II
eft was discovered Vincenzo was
yer suspected. That evening he had NJ
nply slipped the picture IN his III
1use and walked off He left the II
iplOy OF the Louvre, and placing his III
oty again in the tool box. he carried
through to Italy without its being III
by the customs inspectors
the frontier. He was caught while
ling TO sell It in Florence. He ex- M
lined his act by saying he wished Nj
revenge Italy against the ravages lI'
Napoleon / Why he chose the II.
ma Lisa which legitimately belongs TIT
France, no one knows I'LL
Its Discovery. iii
The news OF its discovery created iii
eat excitement in Florence. When llI
was carried through the streets in a I'LL
and procession TO the Uffizi gal III
y. the crowds barred their heads as I'LL
= picture passed Thirty thousand iii
ople came to see II IN the Uffizi. iii
lie the thrOngs outside fought TO TIL
In, pushing through strong lines III
smashing doors The French gov Hi
lment consented to allow the pic I'LL
re 10 be exhibited in Rome before III
return ilII
dona Lisa was the rage. Women in i|iI
ly tried 70 initiate her smile and iii
ployed cosmetics TO reproduce her TIL.