Close Examination: paintings index

Close Examination: Fakes, Mistakes and Discoveries showcases some of the most intriguing stories behind paintings in the Gallery, exploring the ways in which advances in scholarship and technology can reveal the misconceptions of the past.

The paintings are presented here by century. Explore the paintings by theme

15th century
16th century
17th century
18th century to 20th century

15th century

The Virgin and Child before a Firescreen

Portions of this painting are the work of a 19th-century restorer – can you tell which ones?

Portrait of Alexander Mornauer

This portrait was given a complete makeover in the 18th century. But why, and by whom?

Saint George and the Dragon

How did scientific examination eliminate doubts about this painting's authenticity?

Saint Francis of Assisi with Angels

Discover how a forgotten Botticelli was brought to light by a new restoration

The Virgin and Child with Two Angels

Find out how investigation of this beautiful picture led to a startling new discovery

Christ Crowned with Thorns

Follow the changing fortunes of this 15th-century painting

Being Botticelli

Find out how a painting, once thought to be by Botticelli, cost more than a genuine work by him

A Dominican, with the Attributes of Saint Peter Martyr

Modern technology reveals Bellini's original painting – hidden for 400 years

The Painter's Father

Was this portrait, presented to Charles I, an original by Dürer, or a copy?

16th century

Being Botticelli

Find out how a painting, once thought to be by Botticelli, cost more than a genuine work by him

The Death of the Virgin

Unpick the intricate relationship between this painting and a lost work by Hugo van der Goes

The Madonna with the Iris

Uncover the complex origins of this 16th-century work

Scenes from Tebaldeo's Eclogues

Find out about the scandal that erupted following the purchase of these two dramatic panels

The Madonna of the Pinks

Find out about the techniques used to re-establish the authenticity of a lost Raphael

Il Tramonto (The Sunset)

Have interventions by 20th-century restorers deepened the mystery of Giorgione's painting?

Woman at a Window

After 300 years, this seductive beauty was transformed into a demure lady. Find out why

A Man embracing a Woman

Discover how a circular ceiling painting was cleverly transformed into a rectangular gallery picture

The Virgin and Child

What amazing surprise was awaiting restorers of this tiny painting?

A Man with a Skull

Uncover the dramatic tale of the Gallery’s first ‘Holbein’

The Rape of Europa

Find out how a prized canvas by Veronese was rediscovered under layers of dark varnish

The Baptism of Christ

Are two almost identical versions of Perugino's 'The Baptism of Christ' fakes or respectful copies?

17th century

Landscape: A River among Mountains

From Italy to the Netherlands and back again – where does this painting really belong?

The Baptism of Christ

Are two almost identical versions of Perugino's 'The Baptism of Christ' fakes or respectful copies?

The Plague at Ashdod

Find out about the intriguing origins of this faithful Poussin copy

Four Figures at a Table

Which Le Nain brother painted this simple scene? And who painted the mysterious portrait hidden beneath its surface?

The Adoration of the Shepherds

What light can scientific investigation shed on this intimate nocturnal scene?

An Old Man in an Armchair

This painting shows Rembrandt’s profound influence on his contemporaries. But who painted it?

A Man with Dead Birds

De Hooch never intended a still life of dead birds – who transformed this painting and why?

A Woman in a Red Jacket feeding a Parrot

Two nearly identical paintings exist – can you spot the difference?

Who painted this powerful depiction of a dead soldier?

18th century to 20th century

Edzard the Great, Count of East Friesland

Find out about the unmasking of an 18th-century copy

Venice: Entrance to the Cannaregio

What new light can scientific investigation shed on this Venetian view?

Winter Landscape

Two versions of this frozen landscape are known – which is the original?

The Roman Campagna, with the Claudian Aqueduct

Find out about a puzzling pigment in Corot’s vivid sketch

Portrait of a Man (Victor Considérant?)

Will scientists and connoisseurs ever determine who painted this mysterious portrait?

Discover how recent research has challenged the authorship of this small self portrait

The Virgin and Child with an Angel

Is this mysterious work a Renaissance original or a clever fake?

Follow the story of this sophisticated 20th-century forgery

Madonna of the Veil

Is this Madonna an authentic Botticelli or a skilful forgery?