A new conspiracy theory involving Leonardo Da Vinci's 'The Last Supper' has the Internet abuzz after a computer analyst claims he found a hidden image of a woman holding a child.
The actual 15th century painting depicts the final meal Jesus Christ had with his apostles before his death.
"It came to mind to scan 'The Last Supper' and print it on transparent paper, then superimpose it in reverse on the original image: the result is a new painting, with other figures," Slavisa Pesci told a news conference in late July.
The woman, which some are speculating might be Mary Magdalene, can be seen leaning towards Christ, on his right side, while holding a child.
Pesci further claims that the two figures on each end of the table become knights when his method is applied. He believes they could be Knights of Templar, which were considered guardians of the holy grail.
He also claims that there's a chalice in front of Christ and a self-portrait of Da Vinci in the middle of the painting.
Pesci refuses to speculate on the meaning of the images, as he is not an art historian, but says the findings may reflect Da Vinci's known interest in mathematics.
Online speculation
Several Da Vinci websites crashed after Pesci's announcement as millions tried to check out the 'findings.'
Conspiracy theorists online have been quick to compare the revelations to the plot of 'The Da Vinci Code' in which Christ marries Mary Magdelene.
The story suggests that one of the apostles seated to the right of Christ is Mary Magdalene and that the two had a child, continuing their bloodline.
But Alessandro Vezzosi, director of a museum dedicated to the artist in his hometown of Vinci, said the images were so degraded by time that it was difficult to draw any new conclusions.
He said computers lend themselves to any conceivable alterations.
"I don't like to be negative, because I admire discoveries reached scientifically," Vezzosi told The Associated Press. "If this computer analyst did not make a historic discovery, I hope he created something artistically beautiful."
The 'woman' who appears in the superimposed version is actually Philip in the original, seated third on Christ's left.
With files from The Associated Press
