In the UK Kingston Lacy estate in Dorset opened to display a large-scale painting of the famous Venetian Tintoretto, which is almost 30 years lay in storage, awaiting restoration.

This work in 1849, acquired in Italy, owned the estate - a collector and researcher William Banks (William Bankes). For a long time painting graced the interior dining Kingston Lacy, and by 1981, when the manor and all its contents transferred custody of the British Charitable Foundation National Trust, she was kind of lost because it was dirty and darkening of varnish. The canvas was so obscure that even the experts doubted that this is indeed the creation of Tintoretto. But at that time National Trust, unfortunately, lacked the means necessary for the restoration work, so it was decided to remove the canvas in the repository.

money for restoration - 36,000 pounds - was found only recently. Specialists from the Institute Hamilton Kerr (Hamilton Kerr Institute) at Cambridge University to remove dirt, darkened varnish and later faded colorful layers, and also studied painting with the help of X-ray and infrared radiation. Thanks to these studies and clean-up has become abundantly clear that this is indeed the work of Tintoretto and established it was probably in 1560-70-ies.

Nevertheless, experts did not manage to understand in the plot of this mysterious picture. When Banks bought it in 1849, it was called "Apollo and the Muses. But this name, apparently, was given to her in error, because the canvas instead of nine Protecting the arts and sciences is for all seven characters, male and female. Now experts temporarily stopped on the name "Apollo (or Hymen), crowning the poet and his betroth a wife, but it probably is not likely to freeze completely. After all, the plot of this film remains a mystery.

central character - this is probably the Apollo. But maybe it hymeneias, Greek god of marriage bonds? The figure on the left in the blue drapery - maybe a poet. But what the book he holds in his hands? Images in X-rays showed that the original artist wrote the poet almost naked, and then "dressed up" him. Why was this done? The woman at the top right of the green drapery - maybe the wife of the poet. But who is she? And what plants she and Apollo holding in their hands? The man at the top left - most likely, Hercules, because it hides a lion, and in his hands he holds a spear and a bow. But what he does in this picture? What a woman is shown at the bottom right in red drapes? Could this be the goddess of Fortune? And what is the value of a die with five points at the feet of this woman? What is the value of gold objects at the feet of Apollo (or Hymen): bowls, dishes with coins, jewelry boxes and towers? What characters are depicted on the left at the feet of the poet? And why does the head of one of them a wreath?

answers to all these questions from the experts yet. But they are hoping that will help them find the visitors who come to see the painting at Kingston Lacy. Try to solve this puzzle can anyone - for this site Guardian even placed a convenient chart with tooltips, which can be viewed here.

material prepared Ekaterina Guseva, AI

Sources: artdaily.com , guardian.co.uk , artinvestment.ru