Smiling Through

What type of civilization do we live in when great works of art need to be protected by bullet-proof glass? A sick one, is the answer. Ten days ago a Russian loony threw a ceramic mug at Leonardo's masterpiece in the Louvre Museum in Paris. The mug smashed against the glass and the painting was undamaged. Police carted the woman off to a psychiatric hospital. The news has just been released. The AFP news agency quotes a Louvre spokesman: "It looks like it was done by someone who was unhinged and wanted to draw attention to herself". Acid, a brick and now a mug have all been thrown at the Mona Lisa (1503), but she keeps smiling through.