Mona Lisa to undergo surgery

[desdemona]

Mona Lisa to undergo surgery

PARIS (AP) ? Is the Mona Lisa headed for surgery? Leonardo da Vinci's 500-year-old painting of the woman with the mysterious smile will go under the microscope and be X-rayed for the first time in a half-century to determine what's causing it to warp.

Nearly 6 million visitors come to the Louvre each year see the Mona Lisa.

Gannett News Service

The world's most famous portrait, painted in Italy over several years beginning about 1505, has long been known to be fragile. The oil sits on a half-inch poplar board that has undergone many nips and tucks over time.(Related video)

Last week, the Louvre Museum said warping was discovered during a recent routine check

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http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2004-0...mona-lisa_x.htm

Edited May 4, 2004 by method77