Leonardo da Vinci's Krakow masterpiece was 'third attempt'

Changes apparently made by Leonardo da Vinci during the painting of Lady with an Ermine.Image: Lumiere Technology

French optical engineer Pascal Cotte spent three years studying the Renaissance portrait, which currently hangs in Krakow's Wawel Castle, using a novel technique called Layer Amplification Method (LAM).

The method involves shining bright lights on a painting and taking microscopic measurements of how the light is reflected.

“The LAM technique gives us the capability to peel the painting like an onion, removing the surface to see what's happening inside and behind the different layers of paint,” Cotte told the BBC.

“We've discovered that Leonardo is always changing his mind. This is someone who hesitates - he erases things, he adds things, he changes his mind again and again.”

According to Cotte, Leonardo's first version did not feature the famed ermine (stoat) at all, and the second attempt included the animal in a different pose.

In Leonardo's writings, the ermine is referred to a symbol of purity.

The painting was purchased by Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski in 1798.

The family had created Poland's first museum, but the country's stormy history meant that the masterpiece was destined to have many hair-raising adventures.

The portrait was smuggled to Paris by the Czartoryskis as a result of the anti-Tsarist insurrection of 1830-1831. Over a century later, Nazi governor Hans Frank confiscated the painting after Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939.

Lady with an Ermine remains the property of the Foundation of the Czartoryski Princes. However, with their Krakow museum undergoing extensive renovation, the portrait is being temporarily exhibited at the Royal Castle of Wawel. (nh)