Scientists doubted the authorship of Vermeer's The Girl with the Flute

Scientists have found that the painting "Girl with a flute," previously attributed to the Dutch painter Jan Vermeer, belongs to the brush of another author. About this reports The New York Times.

Art historians questioned the authenticity of certain works of Vermeer and earlier. To determine the true authorship of paintings, scientists conducted a study using microscopic analysis of pigments and advanced technology. Specialists have paid attention to the fact that the approach to the application of colors in the painting "Girl with a flute" is different from other paintings by Vermeer. Thus, the artist was known as a master of smooth painting. The new author, on the contrary, noticed coarser strokes. Thus, as scientists have determined, the painters were distinguished by their different handling of paint.

The identity of the new author of The Girl with the Flute has not yet been established. It has been suggested that it could be a student of Vermeer, a member of his family, an amateur painter who paid the master for lessons, or a freelance artist hired for a specific project. Another version says that the work was painted by two people. Thus, Vermeer may have sketched the image and the second author may have completed the composition.

"Girl with a Flute" is part of the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, along with three other paintings by Vermeer. The museum has already changed the attribution of the painting, however, from the exhibition it has not been removed.