Despite being studied by academics and admirers for ages, Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece Virgin of the Rocks had lots to teach scientists and art scholars at Imperial College London and the National Gallery.Using a blend of X-ray scanning and a new algorithm, the researchers unveiled da Vinci’s original drafting sketches on the canvas, which included an angel and the Infant Christ. Researchers at the National Gallery had already discovered the partial drawings via infrared imaging. Recently, researchers used macro X-ray fluorescence (MA-XRF) scanning to retrieve more details. Researchers believe the new method of art analysis could help to extract more hidden information from paintings and letting data be accessed more easily by art students and galleries.
