Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-11

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Pcrugia wandered about France and
Italy jor several years, secrcting his
prize in musty attics, too poor to buy
bread. The picture uas finally recon-
cred ,cIten he tried to sell it.
ticn, although this process has probably been
going on for one or two hundred years at least.
I don't think that this change was intensified
in any way during her absence in 1911-1913 On
the contrary, the Il: nds have remained pink.
The Photographic records, Of course, do not
Indicate very/accurately the color changes tax
ing place.
There Is very little we can do TO preserve
the colors, which are really remarkable for .
painting 400 years old We would not think
Of retouching it."
Shortly after the recovery Of the famous
painting art critics Of the world entered into Q
controversy as to the genuineneSs Of the can
vas There were many who insisted that the
painting rehung in the Louvre was q reproduc-
ton: still others mainta ined that Da Vinci
had painted the subject twice, using Identical
colorings and size. The present controversy II
revival Of the snoldsring doubts that arose
f1ve years ago and now bid fair again to eneulf
European art circles.
THE question Of the Mona Lisa's authenticity
has been raised so often that Henri Verne
director CT the French state museums. recently
took the daring decision to have all the 0O0
paintings in the Louvre examined by x-rays,
ultra violet rays and other new processes I'm or
der TO have complete Photographic record Of
each one. 1t was an extremely brave thing
70 DO Tor every gallery in the world contains
fakes, not to mention the alterations restora-
tons, suppreSsions and additions that are re-
vseled by these ruthless scientific methods In
poking into the history of 9 900 works there are
Dound TO be many sensati2ns. many valuable
masterpieces literally relegated to the scrapheap
or, as happens in this case, to the cellar
All the gRat museums have their cellars
packed full OF sensational fakes, for which they
nave bit" at one time or another but they
keep these carefully hidden
unfortunately for the public interest. the
Louvre has decided to keep the results of this
investigation secret. If any glaring frauds are
revealed they will be discreetly moved down.
stairs.
The Mona Lisa one of the first works
TO be examined. Prof. Fernand Cellerier of the
Arts and Crafts Laboratory, who is in charge
Photographed it by six different processes In
Guiding X-ray and ultraviolet The plates were
entirely satisfactory, as they failed to reveal
anything that would throw any doubt on the
works authenticity. Although this is only Mega
tive evidence, it was all that was expected
KEGS van Dongen, the fashionable society
painter Of Paris. also thinks that La Joconde is
losing her smile, but in a sense entirely diff
ferent from the Skeptics.
Il don't think there is any mystery about
1t at ALL he told me half seriously, half smiI-
ingly. The change is a phenomenon of human
Illusion. When these skeptical painters were
younger their hearts were more deeply stirred
by her 1mpenetrable expression; they responded
more violently to her beauty. Every year they
become older and colder and so she doesn't
smile at them so temptingly. That is, they
don't look at her through the same pink Spec
tacleS OF flaming youth. You know that man
in love sees everything lovely. 1t isn't the Lisa
who is changing 1t is the old birds who don't
understand that they changing think
that young painters, all young men, will find
the Lisa just as tantalizng as ever It will
be the same for generation after generation
but as each one grows older he will feel less
thrill. There are exceptions, Of course. Some
lovers never grow Old"
NAN DoNGEN has a very original idea Of
just why Mona Lisa wears the famous
enigmatic expression.
Il know that every one else attributes It to
Da Vinci's genius" he laughed. They think
he wanted her to be the eternal feminine rid
die, and went to great pains to catch the look
he was after. believe the explanation is much
more simple. She probably had bad teeth, like
all the other adults of her time, and kept her
lips close together to hide them. I think that
explains the famous enigma"
The true skeptics, who really believe that La
Joconde met with unfortunate adventure
in Italy, not satisfied by any of these fancy
explanations
They are still sincerely convinced that her
smile has changed. One can go to the Louvre
almost any day and watch them. They study
her. shake their heads gloomily and then
move muttering to themselves.