6 Masterpieces That Hide Very Different Paintings Underneath
Thanks to modern technology, we can learn much more about art than merely what we see on the surface. Over the centuries, many artists repurposed and reused canvases, painting over previous pieces. In this article, we explore six of the most famous examples.
1. An Old Man in Military Costume — Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn
Like other painters, Rembrandt had a habit of painting over older pieces. Hundreds of years after his death, researchers are still discovering the Dutch painter’s ‘ghost paintings.’
Exhibited in the J. Paul Getty Museum, An Old Man in Military Costume was studied by scientists using imaging techniques that revealed a second hidden portrait, rich in mercury and copper pigments.
Researchers were able to reconstruct details of the underlying painting. It depicts a mysterious young man in a cloak and is believed to be an early self-portrait. Scientists believe that Rembrandt turned the canvas upside down when he repurposed it for An Old Man in Military Costume, the latter painting reputedly depicting Rembrandt’s father.
2. Lady with an Ermine — Leonardo da Vinci
French engineer Pascal Cotte is credited with discovering that da Vinci’s painting Lady with an Ermine did not originally feature the animal. Experts now believe that the artist added it later, although nobody really knows why.
Some believe that the subject may have been pregnant and that da Vinci added the ermine to cover her bump, as the creature traditionally symbolizes purity. Some theorize that the painting depicts the lover of the Duke of Milan, whose insignia was the ermine, while others contend that the animal is not an ermine at all, but a white ferret.
The portrait is one of just four paintings by Leonard da Vinci to depict a woman, and it is insured for almost $330 million.
3. The Crouching Beggar — Pablo Picasso
With the benefit of imaging technology, art historians now know that Pablo Picasso frequently painted over his own work, as well as that of other artists. Experts believe that underneath The Crouching Beggar lies the work of another Spanish painter.
Conservator Sandra Webster-Cook was the first to notice textures and colors peeking through cracks in the painting’s surface that did not quite marry up. She and curator Kenneth Brummel sought expert intervention, relying on noninvasive imaging techniques to find out what lay beneath. They discovered a mountain scene by another hand. The artistry is believed to have inspired other works by Picasso.
4. Patch of Grass — Vincent van Gogh
This vivid painting epitomizes van Gogh’s characteristic style. However, it is only through scientific advancements that we now know it was painted on top of a portrait of a Dutch peasant woman.
In the late 1800s, van Gogh painted several portraits of peasant models while he was living in the Netherlands, trying to gain his mastery over color and light. Experts believe that the woman beneath Patch of Grass could be part of this series.
The discovery illustrates Vincent van Gogh’s rapid evolution in terms of artistic style and use of color. Though both paintings are believed to have been painted within just two years, artistically, they are worlds apart.
5. L’Angelus — Jean-François Millet
The mystery of L’Angelus was stumbled upon by none other than Salvador Dali. He found the painting of a forlorn-looking couple standing in a field perplexing, saying it never left him satisfied. Sketching the figures in Jean-François Millet’s painting more than 60 times himself, Dali said he could not comprehend why the man and woman in the painting looked so sad.
Dali asked experts at the Louvre to take a look at the painting. A hidden layer was subsequently detected, revealing that the couple had originally been depicted burying a child in the field.
Connecting the dots, art historians found references in Millet’s diary to the painting, originally called Funeral of a Child in the Field, discovering that he had altered and renamed it to make the painting more saleable. Commenting on the discovery, Dali said he had always felt death in the painting.
6. View of Scheveningen Sands — Hendrick van Anthonissen
Donated to Fitzwilliam Museum in 1873, View of Scheveningen Sands depicts clusters of people gathered on a beach on a calm winter’s day. The picture appears perfectly normal, although the reason why so many people might have gathered at such a seemingly innocuous scene mystified many until a student conservator made a remarkable discovery.
On the horizon appears a shape resembling a sail. An investigation by conservators revealed that the sail was actually a whale’s fin, the stranded whale having been painted over hundreds of years before to make the picture more saleable since pictures of dead animals were considered highly offensive in the 18th and 19th centuries.
