Overview
- Researchers working with the Museo Convento San Francisco de Lima and the NGO Wanna Film published early results on Monday that report multiple indicators compatible with El Greco, including pigments, working method and a compact format.
- The team applied infrared reflectography, ultraviolet fluorescence, chemical pigment analysis and paleographic comparison with El Greco autographs to examine the canvas and layers.
- Analysts found no preparatory underdrawing beneath the paint, measured the canvas at 128 by 101 centimeters, and argue the small size could have allowed the master to paint fine details himself rather than delegate them to workshop assistants.
- A nearly imperceptible Arabic micro‑inscription was identified on a painted Bible within the scene and a filological read links its words to the Islamic call to prayer and an ancient Arab tribe, a detail researchers say fits El Greco’s cross‑cultural background but requires more study.
- The work, titled Meditación y Estigmatización de San Francisco de Asís, was traced to a Miraflores antiques shop in the mid‑20th century, is under museum custody after preventive conservation, remains formally presented as attributed to El Greco, and will undergo full restoration and further verification before any definitive attribution is made.