The northern-Italy Renaissance in a panel by Defendente Ferrari: A complete study with a multi-analytical investigation

•Defendente Ferrari was one of the most important painters of the Piedmontese Renaissance.•Interesting traits of his painting technique were discovered.•IR reflectography at 1000-1700 nm highlighted a very rich underdrawing.•The study of the Virgin's blue garment shed light on possible causes of blackening.•GC–MS analyses showed that the artist mastered the use of different binders.