Scholars had already changed their minds about the Italian Renaissance painting ‘Woman at a Window’ several times. Was it a portrait by Palma Vecchio, showing the artist’s daughter? Or even a painting by Lorenzo Lotto? In 1978 a routine restoration revealed a secret lying underneath the paint. Suspected damages to the under-layer in the woman's brown hair prompted further investigation. But as the subsequent conservation report found, this was not a damaged under-layer at all. It was the original painting.
It was now clear that ‘Woman at a Window’ had been covered with a later repainting. Conservators removed the repainting stage by stage, revealing a woman with a radically altered appearance. Far from being a demure brunette, she was a seductive blonde. Her jawline had been softened, her breasts less discreetly veiled, and even her eyes had lost their sultry edge. The painting that was revealed was hardly a likely portrait of an artist’s daughter. It might even be a courtesan. Nor does the painting look much like a work by Palma Vecchio. It is now attributed to an unknown Italian artist.
[Oil on wood, 51.4 x 41.6 cm]
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