Page 12 - mona lisat

After a brief tour through Da Vinci’s homeland, the
Mona Lisa was finally returned to the Louvre in

January 1914.

Peruggia, meanwhile, was charged with theft and

put on trial in Italy. During his testimony, he claimed

that national pride had inspired him to steal the
painting, which he believed had been looted from

his native Italy during the Napoleonic era.

Peruggia was mistaken—Da Vinci had brought the
Mona Lisa to France in 1516, and King Francois I

had later purchased it legally—but the patriotic

defense won him legions of admirers.

Even after the prosecution presented evidence that

he planned to shop the painting around to art

dealers and sell it for profit, many Italians still
considered him a national hero.

In the end, he was sentenced to one year and 15
days in prison but served just seven months before

winning his release on appeal. He later fought in the

Italian army during World War I before returning to
France, where he died in 1925.