AI finds Raphael did not paint one of his masterpieces alone

An international group of scientists from the United States and the United Kingdom, utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) tools, has determined that the painting "Madonna with a Rose" by the Italian Renaissance master Raphael was only partially created by him, with some elements contributed by other individuals. The study has been published in the scientific journal Heritage Science (HS).

For over 100 years, art scholars have been intrigued by "Madonna with a Rose," housed in the Prado Museum in the Spanish capital, Madrid. Some researchers of Raphael's works speculated that the master received assistance from his students in crafting this masterpiece. The painting depicts the Virgin Mary with Christ in her arms, John the Baptist, and Saint Joseph.

To test these hypotheses, British researchers from the University of Bradford developed an algorithm capable of recognizing authentic works by Raphael with an accuracy of 98%.

The neural network analyzed the painting and concluded that the face of Saint Joseph was likely not depicted by Raphael but by someone else. Researchers believe that a possible co-author of "Madonna with a Rose" could be Raphael's disciple, Giulio Romano.

Previously, AI has assisted in revealing that the Dutch artist Rembrandt was the first among his contemporaries to use a special lead-based ground in creating the painting "The Night Watch."