On This Day Dec 12, 1913, the stolen “Mona Lisa” was recovered in Florence. The iconic painting by Leonardo da Vinci had been missing for over two years after being stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris. Italian authorities, led by detective Giovanni Poggi, discovered the masterpiece in the possession of Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian handyman who had worked at the Louvre.
Peruggia, driven by a misguided patriotic motive, believed he was repatriating the artwork to Italy. The recovery of the “Mona Lisa” garnered international attention, and the painting was eventually returned to its rightful place in the Louvre, solidifying its status as one of the most famous and valuable works of art in the world.
