New Da Vinci Conspiracy Theory Surfaces

Aug. 1, 2007 — -- Theories about a secret code hidden in Leonardo da Vinci's iconic painting "The Last Supper" sparked an international obsession when it was featured in "The Da Vinci Code" book and movie.

Now a high-tech analysis of the painting seems to have uncovered a brand-new secret hidden inside that familiar image.

"I discovered another painting within Leonardo's painting," said computer analyst Slavisa Pesci.

Pesci took the image, flipped it and then superimposed it onto the original painting.

He discovered the image of a female figure cradling a baby. Pesci thinks it might be Mary Magdalene.

And at the end of the table, Pesci says there is an image of a Knight of Templar. According to legend, the Templars were the guardians of the holy grail.

Pesci also claims there's a chalice in front of Christ, and in the middle of the painting is a self-portrait of da Vinci.

Pesci's theory sparked a storm of activity on the Internet. Just hours after he revealed his theory, millions of people logged on, crashing several da Vinci Web sites. Today, many of the sites are still down.

Some art experts say Pesci's claims are bunk.

"There was some fairly fancy computer work being done and you can make computer-generated images do what you want them to do," said John Paoletti, a professor of art history at Wesleyan University.

For now, it is a yet another theory in the da Vinci mystery.