Scientists have X-rayed Leonardo’s painting “The Lady with Ermine”. They found a shocking secret beneath the animal

Some famous paintings hide other secrets beneath the foreground painting. For example, X-rays revealed a painting hidden beneath Leonardo’s magnificent Lady with an Ermine.

Scientists have discovered a painting hidden beneath Leonardo da Vinci’s Lady with an Ermine, a stunning discovery that may also answer the question of why Leonardo da Vinci really struggled with each painting he completed. The artist is known to have constantly improved and repainted his works and was rarely satisfied.

Surprising research

Housed in the Louvre in Paris, The Lady with the Ermine has long been admired for its extraordinary composition and use of light and shadow. However, the discovery of another painting hidden beneath its surface by French scientist Pascal Cotte has given this iconic work of art a new dimension and meaning. Until now, the composition was thought to be mainly about a woman and an ermine, but Cotte discovered three years later that the Italian inventor, scientist and artist actually painted the work in not one, but three distinct phases.

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Discovering a hidden image that was long lost

The discovery of the hidden painting was made possible thanks to the use of X-ray technology. Scientists at the Louvre used a portable X-ray machine to examine the painting and discovered that another image was hidden beneath the surface. And not one, but two.

At first the painting revealed only a simple portrait without an animal. In the second attempt, da Vinci painted a small gray ermine on the figure, and only in the third stage did he appear in the final white ermine as we know it.

Martin Kemp, professor of art history at Oxford University, called the discovery “remarkable” because he sees in it the process by which the master created.

At the same time, his famous painting embodies the portrait of Cecilia Gallerani, holding in her hands an ermine, a type of weasel.

Why ermine?

That white ermine is the key to understanding the painting and its creator. The square plays an essential symbolic role in the work. Cecilia Gallerani was a seductive young woman from the Milanese court.

Although Lisa was, as she was called, a Gherardini, the wife of a Florentine merchant, she was also the favorite lover of Ludovico Sforza, the married Duke of Milan.

As a wealthy man, he was da Vinci’s protector and lawyer for 18 long years. Moreover, it was he who was nicknamed the “white ermine” at court!

The progress of the painting, especially the representation of an animal, may indicate the couple’s growing desire to affirm their relationship in a more public way. The transformation of the ermine – from small and dark to muscular and white – may also indicate the Duke’s desire for a more flattering “portrait”.

What do we know about the “Lady with ermine” technique?

The painting is notable for its use of chiaroscura, a technique that uses light and shadow to create a sense of depth and texture in an image.

The woman in the painting holds a crystal prism that reflects light and creates a dazzling effect. The painting was admired for its masterful use of light and shadow, as well as its impressive composition.

The painting is believed to have been completed in the early 16th century and has been in the Louvre since 1800.

The technology Cotte used to unravel the mystery of the image is called the “Layer Amplification Method” (LAM). Thus, the technique gradually, layer by layer, reveals the image using a series of intense lights. The camera then measures the reflexes and gives the ability to “peel the picture like an onion” to reveal what is hidden in the individual layers of the painting.

Thanks to Cotte, scientists discovered how Leonardo constantly changed his views and adjusted his “power” accordingly.

As the Master painted

The discovery of the painting hidden under the painting “Lady with Ermine” is an important event in the history of art. The use of X-ray technology has allowed researchers to uncover a lost masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci and provide insight into the techniques and methods used by one of the greatest painters of all time.

The discovery also underscores the importance of continued research and exploration of historical artifacts and the use of modern technology to uncover hidden details and data. The Lady with Ermine is considered one of the most important works of art in the collection of the Louvre Museum and continues to fascinate and inspire art lovers around the world.

news.artnet.com, www.latimes.com, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_with_an_Ermine