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Photo: LUCIEN LIBERT / REUTERS
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And?
Would you have recognized it?
This is the Mona Lisa, but not the original by Leonardo da Vinci, but a copy.
Nevertheless, the painting has just been auctioned in Paris for 2.9 million euros, including fees.
According to Christie's auction house, this is the highest price ever paid for such a replica.
The picture was estimated in advance at only 200,000 to 300,000 euros.
The copy, here on the left in the picture, has a curious history.
Because its former owner, Raymond Hekking, was absolutely convinced that he owned the original because a forgery had been brought back to the Louvre after a theft at the beginning of the 20th century.
The replica is therefore also called "Hekking Mona Lisa".
It is not clear who it came from.
Presumably an anonymous Italian artist painted the picture in the early 17th century.
Incidentally, after a corresponding examination, Hekking contradicted the expert.
Pierre Etienne, Christie's:
"The biggest difference is the picture itself. It looks like the Mona Lisa, but the quality of the workmanship is not Leonardo Da Vinci."
One of the other differences: the original is a panel painting, the copy was made on canvas.
And so it is clear: the original is still hanging in the Louvre. But the fascination of the painting is evident even in the price of the copy.
