During a routine inspection of the papal residence in the Vatican, the painting 'The Savior' (circa 1590–1595) by El Greco was discovered, which had long been hidden beneath a later forgery. Restorers decided to study the work and found that an unknown forger had painted their own version of 'The Savior' over the original. After restoration, the original layer was successfully recovered.
A high-resolution visualization conducted by experts allowed the discovery of two rejected compositions beneath 'The Savior.' One echoes 'The Apparition of the Madonna to Saint Lawrence' (1577), while the other resembles 'Saint Dominic in Adoration of the Crucifix' (circa 1590). Four small holes at the edges of the painting indicate that the work likely served as part of a portable altar.
The painting arrived in the Vatican in 1967: it was gifted to Pope Paul VI by the Spanish official and writer José María Sánchez de Muniaín Gil. For decades, 'The Savior' was located in the ceremonial hall of the Apostolic Palace, never undergoing restoration research. The work is now part of the exhibition 'El Greco in the Mirror: Two Works in Dialogue,' opened at the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo.
