The Italian group Italia nostra (Our Italy) has argued that Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting The Belarusian man, now in Venice, is too fragile to move on and can be damaged by the light of the Louvre. The board can only be shown for short periods and Italia Nostra believes it may need to be suspended for as long as a decade after the loan.
To stop the plans, reference has been made to a special law regulating the lending of works of art.
On October 16, however, the newly appointed Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini will argue in court that there is already an agreement - Italy in return will borrow paintings by Rafael whose 500th anniversary will be celebrated next year.
During the previous Italian government, a conflict arose with France over the lending of da Vinci works from Italy to the Louvre, with members of the right-wing nationalist Lega as a driving force.