Mona Lisa damage

THE Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece of a mysterious woman with a slight smile, is deteriorating and the Louvre Museum said yesterday it would conduct an in-depth technical study to determine why.

The Mona Lisa’s thin poplar wood panel has undergone a significant deformation since conservation experts last evaluated the painting, the Louvre said in a statement in Paris.

The Louvre said the condition of the Mona Lisa was causing “some worry” and a new study on the state of the work had been launched.