The latest on the Colossus of Goya

Francisco de Goya's most dramatic and famous picture - At least it was until January this year - when an expert at the Prado Museum declared it was not painted by him. They now believe it was painted by one of his assistants, whose initials may appear in a corner of the canvass. The final decision to remove Goya's plaque attributing the painting to him would be changed , followed by a lenghty study by the Prado expert Manuela Mena, which the museum published on the 26th of January.

Manuela Mena said X-rays of the picture had allowed her to spot the top half of the faded initials " AJ " scribbled in the bottom left-hand corner, which she said may point to it being the work of one of his assistants, Asencio Julia, who is known to have been Goya's main assistant in the later part of his life.

The news has reignited the controversy that first raged when the museum made it known last year that it had begun to doubt that the Colossus could have been painted by Goya. The Prado's expert also claimed the quality of The Colossus was far below that of Goya's other masterpieces. The brushstrokes were deemed: " slow and insecure " According to the report, it revealed an insecurity in the artist which did not match the bold, direct approach normally taken by Goya himself. The painting will continue to hang in its place but the plaque attributing it to Goya, would be changed.