Crowds flock to see Mona Lisa copy

Published: 11:48am, 22nd February 2012

Crowds are gathering at Madrid's Prado Museum to view a copy of the Mona Lisa for the first time since a restoration revealed it was almost certainly painted by one of Leonardo da Vinci's apprentices as he worked on the original.

The painting was put on display at the museum, where it will stay until it moves to the Louvre in Paris next month to hang alongside the original as part of an exhibition on da Vinci's work.

Although the precise author of the copy has not been determined, both the Prado and Louvre believe it is probably the earliest known copy of La Gioconda.