Science

A 16th century painting of a nativity scene found hidden under another work of art


A 400 year old painting of a nativity scene has been discovered hidden under another work of art, just weeks before Christmas.

Experts from Northumbria Unviversity were examining a badly damaged painting of John the Baptist when they found what looked like a baby in an X-Ray of the work.

They were trying to determine the extent of the damage to the centuries old work of art owned by the Bowes Museum in County Durham.

The original artwork depicts the beheading of St John the Baptist and would have been painted on top of that piece, researchers confirmed.

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Researchers spotted the image of a baby within the X-Ray of the painting
Researchers spotted the image of a baby within the X-Ray of the painting then highlighted it in orange

A 400 year old painting of a nativity scene has been discovered hidden under another work of art, just weeks before Christmas. Researchers spotted the image of a baby within the X-Ray of the painting and have highlighted the outline in orange to make it clearer

The late Medieval nativity scene – which would have been white washed in order to allow the artist to re-use the canvas – also features the outline of what appears to be a stable building, according to Nicky Grimaldi from Northumbria University.

‘It was such a lovely surprise to see the nativity scene revealed underneath the painting we see today’, the art conservation expert said.

‘It really is quite unusual to find paintings hidden in this way and to discover a nativity scene in this detail and just before Christmas was really incredible.’

The nativity scene probably formed part of a larger altar piece which was typical of the era, according to Ms Grimaldi.

Art experts from Northumbria Unviversity were examining a badly damaged painting of John the Baptist owned by the Bowes Museum in County Durham. Nicky Grimaldi pictured with The Bowes Museum panel painting

Art experts from Northumbria Unviversity were examining a badly damaged painting of John the Baptist owned by the Bowes Museum in County Durham. Nicky Grimaldi pictured with The Bowes Museum panel painting

It is painted onto a piece of canvas spread over a large panel made from planks of wood, usually oak, pine or even chestnut.

This wooden structure had deteriorated over the years, with curators at The Bowes Museum turning to experts from Northumbria to assess the damage.

The team, including forensic scientist Dr Michelle Carlin are now examining the painting to determine its age, background and history.

The panel behind it is made up of several pieces of wood and where these join together there has been significant paint loss over the years’, said Ms Grimaldi.

The team, including forensic scientist Dr Michelle Carlin are now examining the painting to determine its age, background and history. The Bowes Museum panel painting depicts the beheading of John the Baptist and is in very bad condition

The team, including forensic scientist Dr Michelle Carlin are now examining the painting to determine its age, background and history. The Bowes Museum panel painting depicts the beheading of John the Baptist and is in very bad condition

‘Our initial aim was to understand why this is occurring and recommend solutions to ensure the painting can be protected for years to come.

‘The first stage of most investigations of this kind is to carry out an x-ray to understand what is going on underneath the layer of paint we see on the surface.’

The x-ray showed up several figures, including the outline of what appears to be one of the three wise men, or Magi – his hands outstretched as if holding out a gift.

A picture of a baby with a halo around his head is also clearly visible, depicting the baby Jesus at the nativity. 

The Bowes Museum panel Xray appears to show a close up of a King or wise man offering a gift
The Bowes Museum panel Xray appears to show a close up of a King or wise man offering a gift - it is highlighted in orange here

It is painted onto a piece of canvas spread over a large panel made from planks of wood, usually oak, pine or even chestnut.. The Bowes Museum panel X-Ray appears to show a close up of a King or wise man offering a gift

Researchers say it was common practice to apply gold leaf to these type of religious paintings and in the x-ray we can see that gold is present in the halo.

‘Incredibly we can see lines over the x-ray image which we believe to be preparatory drawings, showing where the painting was probably copied from an original’, according to Ms Grimaldi.

‘Those lines were subsequently filled with another paint layer such as lead white which allows them to be visible on the x-ray.’

This image shows what is possibly a shepherd in the X-Ray, according to researchers
This image shows what is possibly a shepherd in the X-Ray, according to researchers who highlighted in orange the outline of the figure

This wooden structure had deteriorated over the years, with curators at The Bowes Museum turning to experts from Northumbria to assess the damage. This image shows what is possibly a shepherd in the X-Ray, according to researchers

The team now plan to carry out a chemical analysis of the paint used in the artwork to find out more about how it was painted and the materials used.

The discovery of a 400 year old nativity scene under one of their works of art has pleased the Bowes Museum.

‘We’re simply delighted and astounded to discover that this 16th century work was hiding such a wonderful secret and to find out at this time of year is really quite fortuitous’, said Dr Jane Whittaker, head of collections.

‘It’ll be really interesting to find out more about it as Northumbria University continue their investigations.’ 



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