The particular balance and contrast of warm and cool colors seen throughout the painting appears to be an effect the artist strove for from the inception of the painting process, as evidenced by the particular paint layering system. As is seen in the layering of the light blue sky, an underlying warmth is also echoed in the Madonna’s blue mantle which was entirely underpainted with a bright red paint layer. This particular layering structure is not a result of the artist’s changes made during the painting  process as the red underpaint  is  present  under the areas of the blue mantle that do not extend over the earlier or final painted versions of the Madonna’s red robe. Stereomicroscopic examination of the wide drying cracks present throughout the blue mantle, especially in the darker blue shadows, reveal the underlying red paint.

Photomicrograph of drying cracks in the blue paint of the mantle reveal the red underpaint. Click image to enlarge

Photomicrograph of the proper right edge of the blue mantle. The red underlayer is visible along the edge of the robe and within the interstices of cracks. Click image to enlarge

A cross-section sampled from the lighter blue outer lining of the mantle shows its paint stratigraphy, with the red paint underlayer, comprising a mixture of vermilion and red lake pigments, applied on top of the lead white upper ground layer.  A thick, medium-rich, blue paint layer containing azurite and lead white pigment particles was painted on top of the red layer, followed by a thin lighter blue paint layer containing ultramarine and lead white pigments. The pinkish fluorescence of the uppermost blue layer, seen under ultra violet light, suggests the presence of a lake pigment. The lack of a defined interface between the underlying red layer and the blue azurite containing layer above it suggests that the red layer was still somewhat wet when paint was applied over it. This, combined with the fact that the upper-lying azurite containing layer was particularly rich in medium, likely attributes to the wide drying craquelure.

Glossary

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