The Young Figure at Right
The presence of a young figure placed to the right of Christ is one of the most distinctive features of The Painting. Absent from the known versions by Giampietrino and from the traditional Milanese variants of Christ Carrying the Cross, this figure introduces a new dimension, both iconographic and technical. Long hidden beneath a black layer, it was only fully taken into account after its revelation by scientific imaging.
Appearance and Status within the Composition
The figure to the right of Christ was revealed in the twentieth century by X-radiography after having been concealed beneath a black overpaint, probably applied during the sixteenth century. This layer, composed of bone black and natural earth pigments, was removed during a restoration carried out in the 1960s. Its rediscovery profoundly changed the interpretation of the Painting.
In his report, Professor Seracini describes the figure as a “female figure”, a wording that draws attention to the character’s ambiguity.
A Leonardesque Expressive Type
Formal parallels may be proposed with certain figures from the Leonardesque and Milanese milieu: The Rape of Proserpine from Giampietrino’s workshop, John in Plautilla Nelli’s Last Supper, and Raphael’s Saint Catherine (see also the page Iconography).
These comparisons concern the oval of the face, the soft curls, and the inclination of the gaze. They do not allow the figure to be identified with certainty, but place the Figure within a shared Leonardesque expression: idealized youthful types and ambiguity of features.
The image results from the superimposition of a multispectral LAM image (LAM 1033 – 2021) and a visible-light image, in order to make the hair more legible. According to our observations, the visible part of the hair corresponds to later overpainting. See also the Overpainting page.
Morphology of the Figure
– Androgyny, curly hair
– Perceptible sfumato (eyes)
– Textile frieze similar to the Uffizi drawing
A Graphic Comparison with Windsor
The green band of the Figure features a frieze composed of chevrons and small branching forms, oriented upwards or downwards. This arrangement has been compared with that visible on the garment of the Portrait of a Young Man in the Uffizi, inv. 566 E.
A further graphic comparison can be made with a sheet by Leonardo da Vinci in the Royal Collection at Windsor, RCIN 912349. It contains several small branching structures formed by converging lines, oriented upwards or downwards. In this technical drawing, these forms correspond to channels intended for the flow of molten metal during the casting of the Sforza monument.
The comparison therefore concerns only the graphic construction of these forms, not their function. It does not constitute an independent attributional argument, but provides an additional comparative element.
See the detailed study: Portrait of a Young Man and the Figure in the Painting.
The Figure and the Initial Cartoon
Technical analyses suggest that the Figure was not present in the preparatory cartoon for Christ.
- The technical analyses carried out by Maurizio Seracini suggest that the Figure was added later, during execution ;
- The transfer method appears to differ: spolvero for Christ, at least for the head and right hand; carbon transfer for the Figure ;
- The Figure may have been painted over a light grey ground laid directly on the preparation.
These elements suggest an addition during execution, transforming an image centred on Christ into a scene with two protagonists.
The Figure: addition during execution?
– Christ: spolvero; Figure: carbon transfer
– Addition during execution? Shift in the composition
The Question of Contact
One detail reinforces the hypothesis of contact: the direction of the folds of the tunic on the side of Christ’s hand.
On the left, the folds show an unusual upward movement, as though slightly lifted. On the right, the drapery follows a more regular logic. This asymmetry could be explained by pressure exerted by Christ’s hand.
Textile historian Mary Harlow considers this hypothesis coherent and plausible, without it being possible to demonstrate it definitively.
If this contact is indeed suggested, the Figure would no longer be a mere secondary presence. It would enter into direct interaction with Christ, reinforcing both the narrative force and the iconographic singularity of the image.
Contact with Christ’s hand?
– Atypical upward folds
– Contact hypothesis considered plausible
Conclusion
The figure on the right is one of the most distinctive features of The Painting. Through its youthful and androgynous type, it refers to Leonardesque visual types disseminated in the Milanese milieu, without allowing secure identification.
Technical observations suggest that it may have been integrated during execution. Its presence changes the reading of the image: it no longer shows Christ alone, but a relationship with a figure who accompanies him and seems to interact with him, thereby reinforcing the narrative dimension and iconographic singularity of The Painting.