Hidden images found in gothic painting

Jose María Pardo, who is restoring the Gothic painting of St George by Pere Nicard, said yesterday that the work has images which are imperceptible to the human eye, but have been found thanks to infra-red techniques. Pardo was speaking at the presentation of the restored painting, which he has been working on for the past 15 months. He said that the canvas also had a portrait of the artist, which served as his signature. Work has cost five million pesetas and it has been financed by Sa Nostra's social and cultural department. The painting, which belongs to the Diocesan Museum, was painted between 1468 and 1470 and has been restored on many occasions. The last was in the Sixties by Arturo Cividini. It has deteriorated to such an extent that the restorers have had to use innovative techniques and materials. The paint has been peeling off in recent years, and this presented one of the chief difficulties. During restoration, more than 60 infra red reflectographs were made, enabling the restorers to study the work milimetre by milimetre.