Within a week now looking around the Louvre - to no avail. The case turned into national mourning. Before the Louvre was a crowd with bouquets of flowers as the funeral. Postcards and other rubbish from the image browless beauties produced huge circulations and immediately sold out. Those who would give information on the whereabouts of the treasures of the museum management promised to pay 25,000 francs, and was declared vsenatsionalnaya subscription to collect this amount.

Newspaper Illyustrason "for its part promised 50,000 francs to anyone who will bring the masterpiece to the Editor.
Some were told that the theft - another feat Arsene Lupine, "gentleman-thief.

A newspaper article about all the twists and turns of the story printed on the front page. Then came the notice that the poet Guillaume Apollinaire and the painter Pablo Picasso were suspected of involvement in the heinous theft of jewels of the national patrimony.

The fact that a few years before one of his friends Apollinaire, Zheri Pierre, began to steal from the Louvre items of small size, in particular, as already mentioned, the Egyptian Votive figurine. Among others, he sold them, and Picasso, with whom he introduced as Apollinaire. Zheri gave an interview to the newspaper Paris-Journal, in which he confessed to the theft of statues, and claimed that he stole the Mona Lisa, too. Eventually, Apollinaire, imprudent yelling at every corner, that "museums should be burned" (my advice is relevant to artists: Choose your mark!) Was arrested and placed in the Sante prison. Once Apollinaire released from prison, he went to a Picasso, they collected unjust manner acquired property and went to the embankment of the Seine. It is part of the artistic heritage of ancient Egypt was mercilessly thrown into a river.

Soon came another false Dmitri: Italian writer Gabriele D'Annunzio decadent stated that the author of the theft of the century is it.

In fact, now stole some Vincenzo Perugia, glazier, who last worked at the Louvre.
But who was his client? Question has remained open. Many have called the names of Argentine Eduardo de Valferno counterfeiter, and restorer Yves Shodrona who allegedly wanted to copy the Mona Lisa and sell the largest possible number of American collectors, to convince them that they are buying an original. Judging by how much the United States is circulating copies of the Mona Lisa, one can assume that they carried out his plan.

But after the execution of copies of original paintings by our craftsmen was no longer needed.

In short, within 2 years to find the Mona Lisa was not possible, but this time she was in a poor apartment Perugia, who laid it on the table, as oilcloth face down.

But in December 1913, the Perugia returned home to Florence and entered into contact with the well-known antiquarian Alfredo Geri, to whom he instructed to negotiate with the French. Three days after his return to Perugia was arrested. At trial, he stated that he had acted out of patriotism - to return the Mona Lisa on the land of their ancestors, but nothing did not help him, still seated (and well done!). And Jerry handed lady Lisa Louvre in exchange for the promised reward.