Unknown Virgin Mary Painting Discovered as an Original Botticelli Artwork by Scientific Analysis

An unknown religious painting, previously thought to be a copy of one of Sandro Botticelli's masterpieces, was recently discovered by a scientific analysis with a shocking revelation.

According to ART News, the analysis showed that the unknown religious painting, a much older piece from Botticelli was created at the same time as the original copy. The artwork, possibly inspired by Virgin Mary, Infant Christ, and St. John the Baptist in 1490, shows Virgin Mary with young John the Baptist and baby Jesus.

This revelation came after art historian, Matteo Gianeselli figured out a few similarities between a work from Botticelli and the said Virgin Mary painting. Fast forward to 2023, a restoration has been made and French researchers applied micro-sampling and X-ray, which showed that it was done around the 1500s.

However, Botticelli died in May 1510, which means he possibly contributed to the piece but was not the one who completed it.

Lost Botticelli Virgin Mary painting

Art Net News shared that the scientific analysis was made possibly by comparing the lost Virgin Mary painting to the studio version of Botticelli's original work. All tests confirmed that the pieces are all created using similar materials and techniques, including egg tempera, two layers of gesso for the base, and oil paint. Even the bound canvas panels were similar.

X-ray analysis further concluded that Botticelli's studio version used a pouncing technique. This method uses carbon powder to transfer the paint to another canvas, which helped maintain the quality of the artwork, hence, why there are now two similar paintings of the Virgin Mary.

In the same report, it was shared that an upcoming exhibition, 'Botticelli: Two Madonnas at Chambord,' will display both the original Virgin Mary painting and the newly authenticated one. The exhibit will be at the chapel of Château de Chambord in the Loire Valley, starting on October 19.