Man disguised as old woman throws cake at the Mona Lisa

Videos posted on social media appear to show a young man in a wig and lipstick who had arrived in a wheelchair. The man, whose identity was unknown, was also seen throwing roses in the museum gallery on Sunday.

The cake attack left a conspicuous white creamy smear on the glass but the famous work by Leonardo da Vinci wasn't damaged.

Security guards were filmed escorting the wig-wearing activist away as he called out to the surprised visitors in the gallery: “Think of the Earth. There are people who are destroying the Earth. Think about it. Artists tell you: think of the Earth. That’s why I did this.”

Guards were then filmed cleaning the smeared cream from the glass. Officials at the Louvre weren't immediately available for comment.

The 16th-century Renaissance masterpiece has been targeted before.

The painting was stolen in 1911 by a museum employee, an event which increased the painting's international fame.

It was also damaged in an acid attack perpetrated by a vandal in the 1950s, and has since been kept behind glass.

In 2009, a Russian woman who was angry at not being able to get French citizenship threw a ceramic cup at it, smashing the cup but not harming the glass or the painting.

(AP)