The La Gioconda painting in the Portland Museum of Art in Portland, Maine. (AP)

Portland (Maine), June 23 (AP): Is the painting an authentic Leonardo? Or is it a copy?

The answer may never be known about a work called La Gioconda that now hangs in the Portland Museum of Art. The painting, which bears a striking resemblance to Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, was put on display last month, the day before The Da Vinci Code movie began showing at theatres.

In the weeks since then, the painting has created a buzz among the curious. Museum officials think the painting, alongwith record rains, helped fuel a new attendance record for May.

Some experts suggest that Leonardo painted it as a preparatory study for the Mona Lisa, while others said it was more likely painted by a Leonardo follower after the Mona Lisa was done, the museum says. There was evidence of left-handed brush strokes ? Leonardo was left-handed ? but it will probably never be positively known who painted it.