Tuesday 29 April 2008

Another X-ray Find

Left: Elizabeth Vernon, Right: X-ray of Henry Wriothesley (16th Century)This is at least the third time I've covered news of an X-ray discovery of a painting overpainted with a different or revised work, but this is the first time we can clearly see what the X-ray revealed. Art historians from Bristol University believe that the "ghost" on the right is a portrait of Henry Wriothesley, Shakespeare's only known patron. The portrait on the left - the overpainting - is of his wife, Elizabeth Vernon, the Virgin Queen's maid of honour. I've expanded the image and enhanced it slightly, for a clearer picture.

2 Comments:

At 30/4/08, Blogger drew said...

as a radiographer in bristol I have been involved in similar studies. I would be grateful to hear about any future work of a similar nature

 
At 1/5/08, Blogger Unknown said...

Hi, Drew

Watch this space. If I spot anything interesting with a halfway decent graphic, I usually cover it.

Last year I wrote posts on The National Gallery's infrared reflectogram of Leonardo da Vinci's The Virgin of the Rocks and Boston's Museum of Fine Arts' X-ray of van Gogh's Ravine, which found Wild Vegetation underneath.

Type "x-rayed" (small x) in my Blogger search box to read them. The NG link may still be active.

 

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