Product Description

Late on the afternoon of Sunday, August 20 1911, three men strolled through the Louvre. Disguising themselves as museum staff they hid until nightfall. Sixteen hours later the most famous painting in the world, the "Mona Lisa", had vanished. It took twenty-four hours for anyone in the museum to notice. When the alarm went out, the police rushed to the museum. The doors were locked, staff and visitors were detained, but the painting was long gone. France sealed her borders. And when the museum reopened a week after the theft, Parisians queued up in record numbers to view the blank space where the famous painting once hung. A huge police hunt continued, but months passed with no breakthrough in the case. It seemed that the theft of the "Mona Lisa" was the perfect crime. Two years later in Florence, art dealer Alfredo Geri received a letter signed 'Leonardo'.The "Mona Lisa" was for sale; the price half a million dollars. A meeting was arranged and 'Leonardo' was persuaded to let Geri remove the painting and take it to the Uffizi for authentication. The moment Geri left the hotel he called the police. Minutes later 'Leonardo' - aka Vincenzo Peruggia - was arrested. In a further twist, Peruggia was hailed as a national hero in Italy. He portrayed himself as a nationalist, who only stole back what rightly belonged to Italy.The "Mona Lisa" was brought back to Paris with much fanfare. But what of the other two men from the Louvre heist? Their story is even more incredible. Eduardo de Valfierno, an Argentine con man, was the brains behind the operation. Together with art forger Yves Chaudron, he planned a truly audacious crime. Chaudron forged six copies of the "Mona Lisa". They then employed Peruggia to help steal the original. When news of the heist hit the international headlines Eduardo sold the six fakes to wealthy collectors, each of whom believed he was buying the original, netting the equivalent of $90 million in today's money. Neither man was convicted for their part in the theft. The whereabouts of the fakes remains a mystery.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #85342 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-23
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

From the Inside Flap
In the late afternoon of Sunday, 20 August 1911, three men strolled into the Louvre in Paris. Disguising themselves as museum staff, they hid until nightfall. Sixteen hours later the most famous painting in the world, the Mona Lisa, had vanished. It took twenty-four hours for anyone to notice.

When the alarm was finally sounded, police rushed to the scene. The doors were locked, staff and visitors were detained, but the painting was long gone. France sealed her borders. And when the museum reopened a week after the theft, Parisians queued up in record numbers to view the blank space where the famous painting had once hung. A worldwide hunt ranged from Paris to New York, from Argentina to Italy, but the Mona Lisa was nowhere to be found.

Two years later, Florentine art dealer Alfredo Geri received a letter signed ‘Leonardo’. The Mona Lisa was for sale. A meeting was arranged and ‘Leonardo’ was persuaded to let Geri take the painting away for authentication. The moment Geri left, he called the police. One of the thieves had been found. But what of the other two men from the Louvre heist?

In The Lost Mona Lisa, R. A. Scotti uncovers the truth behind the ‘crime of the century’. It is a story to rival the best detective fiction – a story about audacious thieves, art forgers, shadowy conmen, millionaire collectors, a global manhunt, and the most beautiful and enigmatic woman in the world, Mona Lisa Gioconda.

From the Back Cover
Mona Lisa had the most famous face in the world, and the most uncertain identity. Who was she? What was her relationship to Leonardo, and what was the secret of her smile? Generations of art historians had puzzled over her enigmas. Now, there was an urgent new mystery to plumb: Where was she? Who took her, and most perplexingly of all, why?

About the Author
R. A. Scotti is the author of Basilica, on the building of St Peter's in Rome and Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938, and four novels.

Customer Reviews

The Lost Mona Lisa by R A. Scotti
The Lost Mona Lisa by R. A. Scotti

The painting: 'Mona Lisa' by Leonardo da Vinci was stolen from The Louvre in Paris in 1911 and was not found until over two years later. This is the true story of the theft, how the picture was stolen, the suspects - including Picasso, the recovery of the Mona Lisa, and the history of the painting.

A fascinating story excellently and very interestingly told. Full of interesting facts - my favourite book this year. Brilliant.