Image of the Month: Mutton Dressed as Lamb?

Matt Hallam | 02/28/2020

The restored (original) lamb's face

The lamb's face, as painted over in the 16th century

The “Adoration of the Mystic Lamb” (or the “Ghent Altarpiece”) is supposedly the most stolen painting in history. Almost 600 years after its completion in 1432, researchers applied X-ray fluorescence scanning to reveal the original face of the central lamb, believed to have been painted over in the 16th century. Here we see the restored version (photo one) and repainted version (photo two) of the painting. Some might say the elusive 16th century painter had the right idea – what do you think?

Image credit: @frajds (Twitter)

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Matt Hallam

I've always wanted a job that fosters creativity - even when I worked on the assembly line in a fish factory. Outside work, I satisfy this need by writing questionable fiction. The venture into science writing was an unexpected departure from this fiction, but I'm truly grateful for the opportunity to combine my creative side with my scientific mind as Editor of The Analytical Scientist.