The hidden drawing is of a kneeling woman (presumably the Virgin Mary) with her face in near profile and one hand across her breast.
In fact, two sets of underdrawings were found - one for the abandoned picture (Composition A) and another for the current one (Composition B). These have given art historians a new insight into Leonardo's working technique.
In order to obtain the clearest possible image of the hidden design, the Gallery contacted an expert team in Florence through the European Union EU-ARTECH project. The team from INOA (Istituto Nazionale di Ottica Applicata) and the OPD (Opificio delle Pietre Dure) brought to London a high-resolution digital infrared scanner which forms part of the EU-ARTECH project's mobile laboratory. Intensive collaborative study yielded spectacular images of Leonardo's concealed drawing beneath the paint layers.
Take a closer look at the infrared reflectogram
