Russian Woman attacks Mona Lisa with Souvenir mug

A Russian tourist caused a security alert this week in the Louvre Museum in Paris, when she threw a souvenir mug at the Mona Lisa.

The gallery was full of visitors (always) when the woman hurled an empty terracotta mug at the world-famous painting. Thankfully for art-lovers everywhere, the vessel bounced off the portrait's bullet-proof glass and landed on the floor, smashing into pieces.

The incident occurred on August 2. The Russian is thought to have purchased the mug from the museum gift shop a few minutes before taking aim at Leonardo da Vinci's iconic masterpiece. Perhaps it is an old Russian custom?

No Harm Done
"There was no damage done to the painting whatsoever," a museum official told French newspaper Le Parisien. "It is kept in a special sealed box to protect it from vibrations, heat and humidity. It is protected by thick glass resistant to bullets and any other object hurled at it."

Stendhal Syndrome
The Russian was taken into custody and reportedly underwent a psychological examination. Doctors are still trying to assess whether she is a sufferer of Stendhal Syndrome: a medical condition that prompts sane individuals to lose control of their actions suddenly and defame a work of art.

Leonardo da Vinci
The Mona Lisa is regularly in the limelight, but thankfully not always because something dramatic has befallen da Vinci's classical creation.