New advanced imaging techniques make it easier to see what lurks beneath, at least from an art-historical perspective.

in preparation until To mark the 350th anniversary of Johannes Vermeer’s birth, the Rijksmuseum has unveiled a new, hitherto unknown undercoat by the Dutch master beneath his most famous work. milk maid.

State-of-the-art imaging technology has revealed to experts two previously unknown objects in the underlining of the photograph, a jug holder and a fire basket that the artist drew from the final version of the work.

Short-wave infrared reflectance image of milk maid (False color) by Johannes Vermeer.

To complete the survey, The Rijksmuseum enlisted a multidisciplinary team of conservators and scientists to analyze a number of Vermeer paintings using advanced macro XRF and RIS scanning techniques.

The technique is essentially an X-ray that allows researchers to see early strokes on a canvas that may have been covered by successive layers, allowing them to pinpoint the underpainting. was completed.

Jug holders would have been a popular item in many 17th-century Dutch kitchens, according to a Rijksmuseum press release.

but in multiple A knob that could have held several ceramic jugs with its handle would have added a level of confusion that Vermeer would have thought twice and painted over.

short-wave infrared reflectance image of milk maid (False color) by Johannes Vermeer.

The fire basket is thought to be made of woven willow stems, and is also called a fire basket. togetheris a type of basket found in the inventory of Vermeer’s own mansion, according to the Rijksmuseum.

The discovery isAudiences will be closer than ever to this most mysterious and beloved artist,” said Tako Divitz, director of the Rijksmuseum, in a statement.

The museum’s Vermeer exhibition, scheduled for 2023, It includes at least 27 of Vermeer’s 35 surviving works, many of which have been borrowed from the world’s most prestigious museums.

The Rijksmuseum itself houses a world-class collection of Northern Renaissance masterpieces, including four works by Vermeer in the mid-17th century.

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