An N.C. Wyeth rediscovered, right under their noses

In one spot, the scientists could detect chromium in the paint that Wyeth used for the round green bottle in the family portrait. Beneath it, they detected a brownish, iron-based pigment that Wyeth used in the background of the earlier illustration.

Other techniques were used to round out the analysis.

Cornell physicist Sol Gruner, director of the synchrotron facility, praised Mass for being equally fluent in the languages of art and science. She "is one of an emerging, growing group of scientists who have a foot planted in both worlds," Gruner said.

Andrew Wyeth died in January, before the reconstruction of his father's work was complete. But he knew it was under way and was intrigued. He also had seen the faint black-and-white X-ray from the 1990s.

In 2005, the younger Wyeth told The Inquirer that his father might have been surprised at the care taken to detect his covered-up illustrations, believing they were "a bunch of rubbish."

N.C. Wyeth preferred to be thought of as a fine-art painter, not an illustrator, though it is his illustrations, such as the powerful images he created for an edition of Treasure Island, that have earned him the most acclaim. Those, at least, are almost all intact - some of them in the Brandywine museum's own collection.

Wyeth did more than 1,300 illustrations, of which about 400 are known only by their reproductions in magazines or elsewhere. Some of the originals for those 400 are known to have been destroyed, while others were painted over. For some, the exact fate is unclear.

Podmaniczky, the museum curator, is sure there are more hidden works waiting to be found. 

Contact staff writer Tom Avril at 215-854-2430 or tavril@phillynews.com.