Mona Lisa survives cake attack by 'environmental activist' disguised as granny

The Mona Lisa came under a “cake” attack on Sunday after a male visitor masquerading as a wheelchair-bound granny hurled a slice of “gateau” at the world’s best-known painting.

Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece was undamaged in the incident at the Louvre, as it is protected behind a thick, glass case.

The unnamed man said afterwards that he had carried out the stunt to raise awareness about the state of “the planet”.

The incident, which took place at lunchtime on Sunday, was caught on camera by several visitors among the hundreds queuing up to get a glimpse of “la Joconde”, as the French call the painting.

The man, who was wearing make-up and a black wig, was pushed to the front of the queue in a wheelchair. He then jumped up and hurled the slice of cake at the painting, which could be seen smeared in white icing.

He proceeded to throw red rose petals before being seized by museum security guards and led away. They could then be seen wiping off the cream with a cloth.

Incredulous visitors took to social media, with one saying: “I’ve just seen a man throw a piece of cake a the Mona Lisa.”

Another Twitter user said: “Maybe this is just nuts to me but a man dressed as an old lady jumps out of a wheelchair and attempted to smash the bulletproof glass of the Mona Lisa.

“Then proceeds to smear cake on the glass, and throws roses everywhere all before being tackled by security???”

Before being escorted out, the Frenchman was filmed saying: “Think about the Earth. There are people destroying the Earth. That’s why I did it. Think about the planet.”

The Louvre declined to comment, but according to Le Parisien it has filed a legal complaint for “public defacement”.

This is by no means the first time the Mona Lisa has come under attack. It has been behind glass since a Bolivian man threw a rock at the painting in December 1956, damaging her left elbow.

In 2009, a Russian woman threw an empty teacup at the painting, which slightly scratched the case.

Hanging in the Louvre’s Salle des États, the world’s most visited painting was given a new glass cover in 2019 that “enhances transparency thanks to the latest anti-reflective technology while improving security”, according to the museum.

As part of a ten-month spring clean, the walls behind the frame also changed colour from eggshell yellow to midnight blue.

Meanwhile, a new queuing system was introduced to create shorter waiting times and a more intimate experience with the painting.

The Mona Lisa attracts 10.2 million people a year, with about 80 per cent of visitors to the museum believed to come just to see the work.