News of 'Last Supper' image clogs Internet

ROME, July 30 (UPI) -- Reports of an image of a woman and a child hidden in Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" choked several Leonardo-related Web sites, knocking them off-line.

The figure reportedly is visible when the 15th century painting is superimposed with its mirror image, and both are made partially transparent, The Telegraph reported.

The finding was announced by Slavisa Pesci, an Italian amateur scholar, who said the composite shows what appears to be a young child, the British newspaper said. Pesci, who revealed his theory last week, did not speculate on the child's identity.

Conspiracy theorists noted similarities of Pesci's findings to the plot of the runaway bestseller "The Da Vinci Code," in which Jesus was said to have married Mary Magdalene and had children.

Others, however, said the image is much too blurred and faded to draw such conclusions.

Leonardo-related Web sites received millions of hits within hours of Pesci's announcement. At least four -- leonardodavinci.tv, codicedavinci.tv, cenacolo.biz and leonardo2007.com -- were off-line Monday morning because of the traffic.

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