A strange sequel to the theft of the Monne Lisa'
from the Louvre a year ago was reported by the Paris correspondent of the Times in a telegram published last Saturday. It appears that late in the evening of Thursday week an Englishman appeared at the British Embassy with a picture which he suggested was the missing Leonardo. Sir Francis Bertie communicated with the authorities, who examined the picture, and pronounced it to be an early copy of some value. Like the original, it is painted on wood, which is cracked at the top left-hand corner. This crack, however, runs in a different direction. It subsequently turned out that the mysterious Englishman—a Mr. Rathbone—bought the picture at Christie's about a fortnight ago for 105 guineas. After cleaning it, he came to the conclusion that it was genuine—a view which he is reported still to maintain.
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