Hidden Van Gogh self-portrait found behind painting in Scotland

LONDON — A self-portrait of Dutch post-Impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh has been uncovered hidden behind one of his paintings.

National Galleries of Scotland said on Thursday art conservators made the discovery, believed to be a first for a UK institution, during an X-ray examination of Van Gogh’s 1885 artwork “Head of a Peasant Woman” for an upcoming exhibition.

It said the X-ray showed “a bearded sitter in a brimmed hat with a neckerchief loosely tied at the throat. He fixes the viewer with an intense stare, the right side of his face in shadow and his left ear clearly visible.”

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The Head of a Peasant Woman by Vincent Van Gogh is pictured in Edinburgh, Scotland, June 21, 2022.Photo by Neil Hanna /Handout via REUTERS

The image was hidden behind cardboard and layers of glue.

“When we saw the X-ray for the first time of course we were hugely excited,” senior paintings conservator Lesley Stevenson said in a video shared by National Galleries of Scotland.

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X-ray image of Vincent Van Gogh’s self-portrait hidden beneath glue and cardboard is pictured in Edinburgh, Scotland, June 21, 2022.Photo by Neil Hanna /Handout via REUTERS

“Such a major discovery happens once, twice in a conservator’s lifetime… To have an image, as elusive as it presently is, is something very, very special.”

Van Gogh is known to have often re-used his canvases, working on their reverse as well.

We have made a truly incredible discovery. A previously unknown self-portrait by Vincent Van Gogh has been found in our collection. Yes, you read that right! 🖌️👇 pic.twitter.com/NQ3zaZBqUS

— National Galleries of Scotland (@NatGalleriesSco) July 14, 2022

National Galleries of Scotland said its experts were looking at how to remove the glue and cardboard covering the self-portrait without damaging “Head of a Peasant Woman.”

The X-ray image will feature at the July 30-Nov. 13 exhibition, called “A Taste for Impressionism,” at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh.