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English Heritage
Preservatives have removed dirt and yellow varnish to reveal the true colors of the painting
Cleaning experts from a supposed imitation of a Botticelli painting discovered that it had been created in the master's own studio of the Renaissance.
It was thought that the work was a later copy of the Virgin of Granada, painted by Sandro Botticelli in 1487.
But conservatives of English heritage have changed their minds after removing the thick yellow varnish from the painting.
Extensive tests have shown that it actually came from the Botticelli workshop of the fifteenth century in Florence.
English Heritage said it had consulted experts from the Victoria & Albert Museum and the National Gallery to confirm the origins of the painting.
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English Heritage
Painting being restored
Rachel Turnbull, Chief Curator of Collections at English Heritage, said, "Stylistically, it was too similar to be an imitation, it was a good time, it was technically correct, and it was painted on black and white. poplar, a material commonly used at the time.
"After removing the yellowing varnish, X-ray and infrared examination revealed a sub-design, including unusual final composition changes in straight imitations."
The painting had been supposed to be a later copy by an unknown artist, as it varied in detail from the larger original, exhibited at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
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English Heritage
Although smaller than the original, the painting is still very detailed, with a gold leaf in Mary's halo and the wings of the angels at her side.
"Botticelli, like other contemporary Florentine painters, had an active studio that published versions and adaptations, probably at lower prices, of popular works," according to Professor Paul Joannides, Emeritus Professor of Art History at the University of Cambridge.
"It is only relatively recently, with more developed technical examination methods, that the state of these images can be – at least to some extent – determined."
It is now thought that the photo of the English Heritage Ranger's House in Greenwich, London, is the closest version of Botticelli's 1487 masterpiece, which depicts a melancholy Virgin Mary holding a baby Christ and a pomegranate, flanked by angels.
It was bought by diamond magnate Julius Wernher in 1897 and kept with his art collection at the Georgian villa in Greenwich.
The Madonna of Grenada will be exhibited at the House of Rangers from April 1st.
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