X-ray and infrared imaging has revealed a long-hidden painting beneath "Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto," providing researchers with new insights into the artist's blue period

A portrait of a mystery woman was found under one of Pablo Picasso’s earliest Blue Period paintings, revealed using imaging technology. Courtauld Institute of Art conservators took x-ray and infrared images of the 1901 painting “Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto‚” a portrait of Picasso’s Spanish sculptor friend.

One of Pablo Picasso's earliest Blue Period paintings contains another portrait hidden beneath its surface, specialist imaging technology has revealed. The big picture: The artwork of the mystery woman was discovered when Courtauld Institute of Art conservators "took x-ray and infrared images of Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto — a portrait depicting Picasso's sculptor friend painted in 1901,

A portrait of a mystery woman was found beneath Pablo Picasso's "Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto" by the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.

Nearly 125 years after Pablo Picasso painted one portrait, high-tech imaging tools have revealed a secret — another, earlier portrait concealed beneath.

Experts analyzing the painting have several theories about why this unidentified woman has remained submerged for more than a century.

Conservators at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London revealed a hidden portrait beneath Pablo Picasso's 1901 painting "Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto," adding a new layer of complexity to one of the artist's Blue Period iconic works.