Mona Lisa copy may have been painted by Leonardo da Vinci's lover, art historians suggest The head of Italian paintings at the Prado, Miguel Falomir, told the Art Newspaper he now believes that the copy of the Mona Lisa "can be stylistically located in a Milanese context close to Salaì or possibly Francesco Melzi." Melzi is the least likely of the two because he did not join Leonardo's studio until 1507, and the copy is dated to 1503-06. Bruno Mottin, the head curator at the Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France (based at the Louvre) has backed up the claim. The Louvre in Paris, which owns the original copy of the Mona Lisa, has long held that Salaì inherited the Mona Lisa when Leonardo died. However, if it is proven that Salaì painted his own version, this will throw the origins of the original into doubt, and will force the museum to try and retrace the path of the true masterpiece following Leonardo's death. Last year, a group of Italian researchers claimed that Salaì was the model for the Mona Lisa, but the claims have been disputed by the Louvre. The painting has belonged to the Prado ever since the museum was founded in 1819 with the Spanish royalty's art collection, but with a background covered in black and a frame believed to be of oak, frequent in the work of northern European artists. Experts began a technical study of the copy when the Louvre requested it two years ago for an exhibition opening next month. They found it had been painted on walnut, just like the Mona Lisa, and infrared images showed traces of background mountains just like in the original painting. The painting will be on display at the Prado until March 13, when it will travel to the Louvre in Paris to sit next to the original for a temporary exhibition.