Revealed one of the mysteries of the paintings of Sandro Botticelli's "Portrait of Smeralda, Brandini" (about 1475) from the collection of the Victoria and albert Museum. For over a hundred years, experts believed that the artist pre-Raphaelite brotherhood Dante Gabriel Rossetti, in whose collection this painting for some time were, could paint in the red hair of the model in the portrait. However, the latest research, conducted on the eve of the great exhibition of Botticelli in the Victoria and albert Museum, proved that Rossetti hardly touched hairstyles Smeraldi@

Rossetti purchased "Portrait of Smeralda, Brandini" in 1867 at auction Christie's for £ 20, and £ 4 spent on cleaning. There were many facts testifying in favor of the version that Rossetti could significantly change the hair color of the model in the portrait of Botticelli. First, the artist was attracted to red-haired girls, they were invited to pose him for portraits, which was not typical for that time. Since the middle ages red-haired people were associated with the forces of evil, —  says the curator, Department of painting of the Victoria and albert Museum, Anna Debenedetti (Ana Debenedetti).

second, preserved the Rossetti letter to its Secretary within three days after the purchase of the portrait, in which he writes that he was restoring hair but don't want to go into details. 

All this supported the myth that Rossetti significantly changed the hair color of the model. However, having removed during the restoration of a thin layer of yellowed varnish, the experts saw that the original colorful layers of almost the same depth. However, Smeralda, perhaps, still not pure red, but rather a strawberry blonde that was typical in Venice in vremeni@

"Portrait of Smeralda, Brandini" will become one of the main works in the exhibition dedicated to Botticelli, held by the Victoria and albert Museum in conjunction with the Berlin art gallery. At the end of September 2015 this exhibition opens in Berlin, and in the spring of 2016 in London. The exhibition will feature 55 works by Sandro Botticelli, and inspired works of art subsequent eras, including works by such contemporary authors as Andy Warhol, Cindy Sherman and David LaChapelle@

Material was prepared by Maria Onuchin, AI

Источники: theguardian.com, artnet.com, artinvestment.ru