SECRETS hidden under a painting linked to an Italian Renaissance master have been uncovered in Dorset.

Omina Vanatis has been the focus of extensive restoration work at the Kingston Lacy country estate.

Now the painting is taking centre stage at a new exhibition called 'Off the Wall', which will feature a number of other works from the National Trust-managed property which have also undergone recent restoration and conservation work.

Omina Vanatis (all is vanity) has been the subject of state-of-the-art technical analysis following a suggestion by two art scholars that it could be the work of Titan, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest painters of sixteenth century Venice.

Kingston Lacy house and collections manager Jonny Scott said: "Omnia Vanitas is one of the more mysterious paintings in our collection. Distance from view and a dark, aged varnish meant this painting was often overlooked and, at over 400 years old, it was in need of restoration.

"The opportunity to send it to the experts at the Hamilton Kerr Institute allowed us to see into the many layers of the painting, learn more about its life and how it was created."

The Hamilton Kerr Institute, a branch of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridgeshire, was established in 1976. Part of the University of Cambridge, the institute is dedicated to the study and conservation of easel paintings.

What experts from the institute discovered, by using infrared and x-ray analysis, was the presence of a female head to the side of the female nude, a mirror above the thigh and what is possibly a hand behind her head.

None of these are viewable when looking at the picture today but can be seen in earlier compositions hidden underneath the final artwork.

Paint analysis showed that the paint pigments used in Omnia Vanitas are similar to those used by Titian and are of the same time period.

However, the general conclusion, says the National Trust, is that the artwork was not produced by Titan – but it was painted in his studio. The trust also says the compositional changes revealed indicate he (Titan) may well have had a hand in deciding the final composition of the painting.

Christine Sitwell, paintings conservation adviser at the National Trust, said: "Omnia Vanitas can now been seen as it was intended with wonderful colours and details which were obscured by the discoloured varnish.

"What is also exciting is that the painting was copied by other artists as there are two other versions of the painting now in Glasgow and Rome. This would indicate the importance of our painting in the 16th century."

Off the Wall is on display at Kingston Lacy House, near Wimborne, daily, 11am-5pm, from now up until November 1,

Visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/kingston-lacy for more information.