Lionel Harding was the curator of the International Gallery in London. He was obsessed with the Mona Lisa and did not show any care for his dedicated assitant, Phyllis Trupp. When she came to life, he followed her and tried to help her until he had enough and realised she was not what he imagined her to be.
In an attempt to stop her, he destroyed the Chinese Puzzle Box, her last hope to be able to free her brother and leave the Gallery. He was further shocked when the Mona Lisa expressed the desire not to experience the world, but to destroy it. Once the Mona Lisa was returned to her rightful place in the painting, he found new appreciation for Trupp and tried to advance his affection towards her. She, however, did not forget how he had treated her when Mona Lisa was alive, and rejected him.