It is a conspiracy theory worthy of a Dan Brown novel.

The composite version of the Last Supper, created by superimposing the original with its mirror image

New claims that Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper contains a hidden image of a woman holding a child are provoking a storm of interest on the internet.

The figure allegedly appears when the 15th Century mural painting is superimposed with its mirror image, and both are made partially transparent.

	The 'woman' leans across the group in Christ's direction...

According to Slavisa Pesci, an Italian amateur scholar, the resulting composite picture shows a figure clutching what appears to be a young child.

More cynical observers may conclude that the double-image is far too blurry and faded to draw such conclusions.

Mr Pesci, who revealed his "findings" last week, chose not to speculate on who the child could be, but internet conspiracy theorists have been quick to point out similarities to the plot of the bestseller The Da Vinci Code, in which Jesus married his follower, Mary Magdelene.

Leonardo da Vinci websites received millions of hits within hours of Mr Pesci's announcement, and at least four www.leonardodavinci.tv  were still down this morning due to the weight of traffic.

Mr Pesci also claims that the superimposed image shows a goblet in front of Jesus Christ - perhaps a depiction of his blessing of bread and wine - and transforms two of the people sitting at the table into knights.

	... while on the other side two guests appear as knights

"I came across it by accident, from some of the details you can infer that we are not talking about chance but about a precise calculation," he said.

The Last Supper, one of the most famous and valuable paintings in the world, depicts the meal shortly before Christ's death when he announced to his disciples that one of them would betray him.

The long-haired figure who appears as a woman in Mr Pesci's double image is Philip, the figure wearing orange, third on Christ's left in the original.

The basis of The Da Vinci Code is that the feminine figure on Christ's immediate right was actually Mary Magdelene, not John as most scholars believe.