Madrid ( CNN ) -- The Prado Museum put on display for public viewing Tuesday a restored version of what is thought to be the earliest known copy of Leonardo da Vinci 's `` Mona Lisa '' masterpiece , which hangs in the Louvre Museum in Paris . Many copies of `` Mona Lisa '' were painted years after the fact , but this copy is different , experts say , because evidence shows it was painted at the same time and in the same studio as the original masterpiece , probably by one of Leonardo 's assistants or pupils . The copy shows the same woman and the same landscape , the Prado Museum said in a statement . But the restored copy may depict the woman in a more youthful and vibrant fashion , some art experts said , because the original masterpiece has been dulled by layers of cracked varnish and there are no known plans to restore it as well . `` This copy is now one of the most important sources of information for working procedures in Leonardo 's studios , '' the Prado said in a statement . `` The first thing to notice is that the copy is in remarkably good condition and we think that it 's a rather faithful rendition of the original , '' Gabriele Finaldi , the Prado 's deputy director told CNN . `` I think it has a lot to offer regarding the understanding of the original in the Louvre , particularly in the landscape and in the head dress , and details of the face and hands . '' The copy will be on display at the Prado through March 12 , when it will be sent to the Louvre to be shown in an exhibition on Leonardo , starting March 29 . Both the original and the copy were painted 500 years ago , but what art experts consider to be the exciting details about the copy occurred only recently . The copy has been in Spanish art collections for centuries , first in the royal collection , and then in the Prado 's collection starting in 1819 , when the museum opened , the Prado statement said . At a packed news conference at the museum , Prado officials said the `` Mona Lisa '' copy underwent a big change in the 18th century , when someone ordered the colorful background landscape to be painted over in black . Art historians know that some other paintings underwent similar transformations , with backgrounds being obscured . In the case of the `` Mona Lisa '' copy , the painted-over version left just the young woman in view , with none of the tell-tale background that could link it more closely to the masterpiece . This portrait was actually on display for years at the Prado , without anyone realizing what was hidden , museum officials said . Two years ago , the Louvre asked the Prado to study this portrait with the aim of getting it on loan for the Leonardo exhibit to start late next month , Prado officials said . The Prado restoration workshop began a series of painstaking tests on the copy , including chemical analysis and infrared imaging , which suggested the black paint was covering up some earlier part of the painting . The painting was cleaned of oxidized varnish and then very small portions of the black were removed at the edges , and those sections were compared to the original masterpiece in the Louvre . As positive matches occurred -- sections of landscape in the original matching newly uncovered sections of landscape in the copy -- more of the black was removed , until it was finally revealed to be a contemporary copy . Prado officials said much more study will now be done on the copy , including trying to figure out exactly who painted it . There are few likely candidates -- people who were working in Da Vinci 's workshop at the time -- but art experts are not yet sure which one might be the artist . The copy will go to the Louvre as part of the `` Leonardo 's Final Masterpiece '' exhibition , which focuses on his work , `` The Virgin and Child with St . Anne . ''
The painting is believed to be the earliest known copy of the `` Mona Lisa '' Evidence shows it was painted at the same time and in the same studio as the original . The background was painted over with black during the 18th century . The restored copy has background details linking it more closely to the original .