Raphael changed his mind as he painted. There is a purple paint layer (invisible except by microscopic investigation) underneath the green curtain, which reveals that Raphael changed his mind about the colour after beginning the painting.

Another change can be seen in the landscape visible through the window where the line of the hill passes through the distant architecture. Dr Nicholas Penny's observation of this feature was one of the first clues that led to the painting's rediscovery. The presence of such changes in the course of a painting's execution are part of an original creative process and would not be present in a copy. A copyist would be unaware of the hidden changes beneath the paint layer.

Find out more about how the painting was attributed:

 Back to Raphael home page