IT MIGHT sound like a tale from the pages of Dan Brown’s best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code, but a St Andrews University researcher believes he has helped to unlock the secrets of one of the most mysterious paintings in the world.

Philip Esler, professor of biblical criticism at St Andrews University, and artist Jane Boyd believe they can shed new light on a famous work by Spanish master Diego Velazquez.

The 17th century painting Kitchen Scene with Christ in the House of Martha and Mary hangs in the National Gallery in London, where it is classed as a “puzzling painting.”

By recreating the layout of the artist’s studio and using a mirror, the researchers believe they have cleared up many misconceptions about the famous piece of art.

Central to their study was the Martha and Mary painting. With Boyd’s experience as an artist and Esler’s biblical knowledge, the pair looked at factors such as the biblical context and the layout of the artist’s studio.

One reason the painting is so well-known is because it places Christ in the background while a servant takes centre stage. It has been analysed by art historians for centuries who have wondered what—if any—link the artist was making between Christ, the servant and the viewer.

In the famous image the story related in Luke 10, of Christ visiting Martha and Mary and rebuking Martha, is depicted in the background while an unhappy servant girl appears to be rebuked by her elder in the foreground.

Central to critical comment has been the question of why Christ was depicted raising his left hand to Martha, since this would have been in breach of Spanish custom. Since the 11th century, many artists have depicted the visit of Christ to Martha and Mary but they correctly show him with his right arm raised.

In their detailed study of the painting, Esler and Boyd recreated how the artist’s studio was arranged, and deduced this “error” was made because Velazquez must have used a mirror and painted the reflection of his model as he stood behind her. They believe he would also have painted the reflection of the painting of Jesus with Martha and Mary on the wall behind him—explaining why Jesus was holding up the “wrong” arm.

Ms Boyd, who has lectured in fine art practice for many years, explained, “Since the model was facing the mirror she was able to hold the disconsolate expression on her face, which is very difficult for a sitter to do if she cannot see herself. Our solution also works in the dimensions of the small studio you would expect for such a young artist.”

The pair further believe the image of Christ is a mental image in the mind of the servant girl. Previous scholars believed the scene was a mirror or a window.

Professor Esler explained, “We suggest that the girl is from the painter’s time—she is a distressed servant with the unhappy memory and mental image of Jesus devaluing another serving woman, Martha.

“The old woman in the painting appears to be telling her to ‘get on with it’ as Martha might have felt when Jesus rebuked her. Here we have an interpretation of the Bible text in which a 17th century servant girl feels devalued because of what Jesus said in a biblical narrative. The artist is subtly criticising the Bible in this work.”

The pair also documented the influence of the painting on more recent art.