Hidden Portrait Found In Painting Of Jesus

NBC-4 ^ | May 11, 2006 | Staff

[DaveLoneRanger]

HAGERSTOWN, Md. -- It's not exactly the DaVinci Code, but a scholar at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts is thrilled with what was found by X-rays of one of the museum's 16th-century paintings.

The painting by Italian artist Gerolomo Bassano depicts the preparation of Jesus Christ's body to be placed in the tomb. X-rays at Washington County Hospital revealed a hidden portrait.

Beneath the painting is a man's face, his upper body and his hands clasped at his waist.

Researcher Mary Pixley said it was common for artists in need of a canvas to paint over their work. She plans to research the Bassano family's artwork to try to determine the identity of the man.

Bassano lived from 1566 to 1621.

[DaveLoneRanger]

[martin_fierro]

Art meta-ping

[SquirrelKing]

Look mama, it's the debbil.

[Charles Henrickson]

[airborne]

...it was common for artists in need of a canvas to paint over their work...

[pillut48]

Pentimento.

[hole_n_one]

Didn't you have some sort of a paranormal experience involving Bea Arthur and an etch-a-sketch once?

[blam]

I wonder who it was?

[Revolting cat!]

Please, please, let me be the first to say it"

It's FICTION, people!

[trashcanbred]

What is news to me is why is this coming out of Hagerstown, MD? I never thought there was any "fine art" in my old neck of the woods.

[lexington minuteman 1775]

They found Jimmy Hoffa!!!

[Sofa King]

That was my first thought.

[edpc]

Hard to say what's the bigger story here.....

The fact that Hagerstown has a fine art museum or that the hospital has one of "those there newfangled" X-ray machines.

[airborne]

Saw it on the Discovery Channel! ;^)

[Joe 6-pack]

I wonder what happens if you put the painting on a turntable and spin it backwards...?

[kinoxi]

awe come on now, y'all are famous for your seafood ain't cha

[maine-iac7]

LOL

[HisKingdomWillAbolishSinDeath]

The world doesn't need more pictures or movies or stories about Christ, we have plenty of those. What the world is dying for is a perfect church full of animated beings in the EXACT image and likeness of Jesus Christ. That will change EVERYTHING. You talk about superheros!

Colossians 1
26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

[DannyTN]

he looks sort of like Vigo, scourge of Carpathia, sorrow of Mondathia

[trashcanbred]

Well I used to lived just south of there and I can not recall it ever being famous for seafood. Little too far from the Chesapeake. Now we used to hang around on the Eastern shore and the seafood there can be great. "Them is good eatin's"

[edcoil]

OK, if true, that's cool.

[A CA Guy]

Bob Dole.

[Revolting cat!]

Here it is!

[Nik Naym]

"I wonder what happens if you put the painting on a turntable and spin it backwards...?"

[kinoxi]

was sarcasm, been traveling from the coast through 70, quite a bit in past few years. usually based near baltimore though. got a bad oyster in cumberland that i will take to my grave (mountain oysters i guess :p).

[WSGilcrest]

that was funny

[Charles Henrickson]

She plans to research the Bassano family's artwork to try to determine the identity of the man.

Actually, I think the artist Bassano (short for "Bobrossano") put his OWN image into the painting:

[jamaly]

Now that is fine art!

[martin_fierro]

Sunday on the Pot With George
Acrylic on canvas by Unknown (I wouldn't 'fess up, either)
22" x 37"

Somewhere buried under this mess is a beautiful, pristine, white canvas.

[KellyAdmirer]

Looks like they finally found Martin Bormann.

[Nik Naym]

Where is the happy little cloud?

[SunkenCiv]

Researcher Mary Pixley said it was common for artists in need of a canvas to paint over their work.

If the customer wouldn't pay, that was the first canvas to be reused. L'arn 'em.

Da Vinci also supposedly gave used canvasses of his own (or unfinished works) to students to paint over.

[woofie]

Art Ping

If you want on or off the Art Ping List check in with Republicanprofessor,Sam Cree, or me

[Yossarian]

OMG, it's Dan Rather sitting on the pot!

[Sam Cree]

"Researcher Mary Pixley said it was common for artists in need of a canvas to paint over their work"

I still see this done quite a bit, not that it's a good idea, IMO.

[Charles Henrickson]

And you're pointalist?

[mikrofon]

One might think that Mary Pixley would appreciate pointilism...

[Denver Ditdat]

Black velvet Ward Churchill!

[FrPR]

Hagers-Ping

[bird4four4]

I'm sure you've probably seen this one...

[Denver Ditdat]

That's Sofa King, we Todd did.

[capitalist229]

Sounds like the plot of a movie called 'Uncovered'.

While restoring an old painting showing a woman and two men playing chess, Kate Beckinsale discovers the text "Who killed the knight" underneath the paint...

BUMP

[Kenny Bunk]

...why is this coming out of Hagerstown, MD?

Obviously, Ms. Pixley is not a NASCAR fan. That is clearly a portrait of Dale Earnhart that previously graced the chipboard walls of the ticket shack at the Hagerstown Speedway. It was painted over after he shuffled off his mortal coil.

On my last trip throught this interesting region, I noticed that worship of Dale had obviously replaced previous religious expressions. But that trend may be over.

BTW, that track ought to be a tourist destination. It is pure late-40's blood-and-guts dirt racing at its best! It's nestled into the woods along a beautiful river crossed by an ancient stone bridge on the old National Pike. Quite a sight. Big old restaurant alongside to serve Chesapeake Crabs and beer. I am not allowed to eat crabs because of my contract with the Maine Lobster Board. But some people like them. Hell, some people like Ted Kennedy.