The Painting and Giampietrino: Structural Comparison
This page offers a first comparison by superimposition between The Painting and the versions attributed to Giampietrino. Two groups can be distinguished: a first group, formed by London, Budapest and Turin, very close to The Painting in its overall structure; and a second group, formed by Vienna and Milan, larger in format and secondary in the present analysis.
See the dedicated page: Giampietrino: Christ Carrying the Cross.
Visible-Light Superimpositions: Method of Reading
Works compared: The Painting, London, Budapest and Turin. The superimposition of the visible-light images makes it possible to include the four versions of the first group in a single comparative reading.
Infrared imaging remains essential, however, for a finer examination of the preparatory tracings. At this stage, the infrared comparison concerns only The Painting, London and Budapest, since no infrared image is available for Turin.
The aim is not to obtain a perfect match, but to test the stability of the structural lines: head, crown of thorns, shoulder, masses of the bust, axis of the arm and relation to the cross.
Common reference points: B, C, D and E serve as observation points. Their regular alignment is the strongest indication of a shared initial scheme.
For further details, see sheet 33: methods and parameters of the superimposition.
First comparison group
The Painting and the three versions of the first group
Transfer of the Preparatory Drawing
In The Painting, infrared imaging shows clear traces of spolvero, particularly for the head and the right hand.
In the London and Budapest versions, the transfer appears more standardised, using carbon transfer, a procedure documented for Giampietrino by the National Gallery, with no visible pentimento. Turin belongs to the same structural group, but cannot be assessed here on this precise point, since no infrared image is available.
Second Group (Vienna/Milan)
Vienna and Milan, which are larger in format, appear to derive from a model transposed to a larger scale.
The correspondences remain perceptible, but less regular. The simplest hypothesis is that of a more indirect line of descent, from a model close to London and Budapest.
Second group
Vienna and Milan, larger format
Conclusion
The superimpositions show a strong structural proximity between The Painting and the first group formed by London, Budapest and Turin. This proximity is compatible with the hypothesis of a shared cartoon.
Infrared imaging refines this reading for London and Budapest, by revealing preparatory tracings and modes of transfer. The comparison does not, by itself, identify the author; above all, it helps to distinguish what belongs to the model from what belongs to the execution.