Yet while it has always been recognised as a work of high quality and associated with the artist, further assessment and definitive attribution was hindered by its darkened condition.

By the twentieth century, gradual discolouration of the varnish, overpaint and a heavy layer of surface dirt (shown left) had masked the quality of the work, leading scholars to discount the original attribution and describe the painting simply as 'Genoese School'.

The conservation and cleaning process, undertaken in the lead up to this painting going on display at The Queen's Gallery, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, as part of the exhibition, Castliglione: Lost Genuis, revealed a painting that it is technically and stylistically very much the work of the master himself.

One of only a few paintings by Castiglione to be found outside Italy, and with many more prints and drawings surviving by the artist than paintings, this reattribution is of particular importance.

Read about the conservation process