8 Paintings Concealing Hidden Secrets

Beneath the visible layers of many artworks—whether renowned or lesser-known—lies another hidden painting that could have been. At times, these hidden images are visible to the naked eye if you inspect closely. More often, however, they are uncovered through restoration techniques, X-ray scans, and the meticulous work of art historians and conservation experts.

In some instances, scandal prompted artists to revise controversial elements of their paintings; in other cases, the artist simply changed their mind. During difficult periods, some artists would paint over earlier works they weren’t satisfied with, often because they couldn't afford new canvases.

The term pentimenti describes instances where earlier versions of a painting are exposed, derived from an Italian phrase meaning “to repent,” as the artist has effectively “regretted” an earlier decision in the creative process. A pentimento could be seen in altered details, such as the repositioning of a hand, the extension of a tablecloth, or the downsizing of a hat. These subtle changes are common in artworks and are particularly prevalent among artist workshops or those with assistants. The distinct nature of pentimenti has even been used to identify lost masterpieces by legendary artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, sparking major controversy in the process.

Regardless of the situation, thousands of artworks feature intriguing omissions, adjustments, and clever alterations. Here are just a few examples.

1. The Fifth Season // Rene Magritte

The Fifth Season (1943) isn’t considered one of the Belgian Surrealist’s masterpieces—some have even described it as a poor painting. However, curators at the Royal Museums of the Fine Arts of Belgium recently uncovered a hidden image beneath the otherwise unremarkable scene of two men exchanging artworks in a street: a faint portrait of a woman, possibly Magritte’s wife, Georgette. Magritte had previously concealed earlier works under newer ones at least once. In 2013, experts revealed parts of a 1927 painting titled The Enchanted Pose, which was thought to be lost, under a 1935 piece called The Portrait.

2. Monsieur de Norvins // Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

This 1811-12 portrait of Napoleon’s chief of police in Rome, painted by the French Neoclassical artist Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, contains a hidden trace of another face. If you look closely, within the folds of the left curtain, you can spot the unmistakable features of a child’s head bust, visible even to the naked eye. Art historians have also remarked on the odd placement of the bust of Minerva on the right side, which seems so far off-center that it appears to be an afterthought.

Due to the awkward omission on the left side, it is believed that the hidden figure is a bust of Napoleon’s son, known as the King of Rome. Following Napoleon’s downfall in 1814, aligning oneself with him became politically unwise for portrait artists. This concealed image, which might not have been directly painted by Ingres, is thought to be a politically motivated alteration. You can see the painting for yourself at the National Gallery in London.

3. The Old Guitarist // Pablo Picasso

During Pablo Picasso’s “Blue Period” (1901-1904), funds for materials were scarce. In times of extreme need, Picasso would often use cardboard as a substitute for canvas. When he had access to actual canvas, it was sometimes repurposed. One of the most famous works from this period, The Old Guitarist, was actually painted over the image of a woman.

When you view the painting in person at the Art Institute of Chicago, you might notice what seems to be another face hiding behind the bent neck of the guitarist. X-ray scans have revealed that the mysterious woman is actually nursing a small child and appears to be in a pastoral setting, accompanied by a bull and a sheep.

4. The Blue Room // Pablo Picasso

Picasso’s 1901 Blue Period masterpiece, The Blue Room, housed in the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., shares more than just its somber palette with The Old Guitarist. Using infrared imaging, experts discovered another portrait hidden beneath the scene of the room. The bearded man, dressed formally with several rings on his fingers, is shown reclining thoughtfully when the painting is turned vertically. Much like the woman under The Old Guitarist, he was likely a casualty of Picasso’s limited canvas resources.

5. Madame X // John Singer Sargent

Madame X, painted by American artist John Singer Sargent, is an iconic piece at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with the subject’s simple black dress, statuesque form, and aloof expression becoming a symbol of style. When it was first revealed in the 1880s, the portrait was considered a scandalous affront to decency, having a disastrous impact on Sargent’s career in Europe.

The woman portrayed in the painting is Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, a New Orleans native striving to establish herself as a great beauty in Europe. Her pale skin, which caught the eye of critics (one even calling her “cadaverish”), was the result of consuming arsenic wafers. She would enhance this effect by applying rouge to her ears and darkening her hair with henna.

Sargent, seeking to capture her in a dramatic light, chose a striking black gown for her to wear. He painted her with a jeweled strap from her gown casually hanging off her shoulder.

When the portrait was first displayed in a salon exhibition, the dangling strap immediately caused an uproar. Critics deemed the attire “flagrantly insufficient,” and Gautreau’s embarrassed family demanded its removal. In a rare moment of self-doubt, Sargent reworked the painting, adjusting the strap to its now-iconic position on Madame X’s shoulder.

6. Woman at a Window // Palma Vecchio

At the National Gallery in London, the restoration process of a 16th-century painting by Venetian artist Palma Vecchio, depicting a woman at a window, revealed an extraordinary transformation. What had initially been thought to be varnish flaws in the woman's hair was actually the blonde strands of the original figure, visible beneath a later layer of paint.

The blonde woman, seen in the video above, beneath the modest brunette, is a far more intriguing subject. Her gaze is sharper, her expression more mysterious, and her chest significantly more detailed. At some point, she was repainted as a humble brunette with a modest demeanor and a subtle cleavage. Today, the artwork has been restored to its original version, and the Renaissance woman now stands out clearly at the National Gallery.

7. View of Scheveningen Sands // Hendrick van Anthonissen

When this 17th-century Dutch painting was donated to the Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge University, it initially appeared to be a simple beach scene. However, the conservator tasked with preparing it for exhibition found it curious that a large crowd seemed to have gathered by the sea in the distance, for reasons that were not immediately clear.

A bit of cleaning uncovered a figure that appeared to be standing on the horizon. Further cleaning revealed that the figure was actually standing on top of a whale on the shore, which had been meticulously painted over.

The repainting is believed to have taken place during the 18th or 19th centuries. Paintings were often considered decorative objects, as integral to a well-furnished living room as chairs and rugs. It is possible that a whale carcass was deemed an inappropriate image for a Dutch drawing room, despite the fact that the Netherlands dominated the European whaling industry at the time the painting was created.

8. Sir John Maitland, 1st Lord Maitland of Thirlestane // Adrian Vanson

A centuries-old portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots was unveiled beneath a portrait of Sir John Maitland, the former Lord Chancellor of Scotland. The queen’s likeness, believed to have been lost for nearly 450 years, had been hanging right under everyone's noses on the wall of a historic London residence. According to the Guardian, “her portrait may have been deemed dangerous, left incomplete, and then overpainted by the anxious artist during the political unrest following her execution in 1587.” The painting is typically displayed at Ham House, a Stuart estate in Surrey, UK.