Algorithms and authenticity: using AI to evaluate a painting by Raphael. From the article:

The mystery surrounding a long-debated Raphael masterpiece that hangs in the Prado, Madrid, may have been solved by an artificial intelligence algorithm developed in Bradford.

The Madonna della Rosa (Madonna of the Rose) has intrigued art connoisseurs and experts for centuries.

The painting depicts Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus, with the infant John the Baptist. It is something of a showstopper and was regarded as being all the work of Raphael until doubts were raised in the 19th century….

The painting has now been tested by AI developed by Hassan Ugail, professor of visual computing at the University of Bradford.

Its conclusion is that most of the painting is by Raphael but the face of Joseph is by a different hand. The lower portion is “most likely” by Raphael….

“The computer is looking in very great detail at a painting,” said Ugail. “Not just the face, it is looking at all its parts and is learning about colour palette, the hues, the tonal values and the brushstrokes. It understands the painting in an almost microscopic way, it is learning all the key characteristics of Raphael’s hand.”

In the case of the Madonna, the initial testing showed that it was 60% by Raphael. The computer then looked at the painting by section and concluded that it was the face of Joseph that was not by Raphael.

For the scholarly article by Ugail and his team, see here.

For related postings, see here.