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| Photo Credit: AP. |
A portrait of Vincent Van Gogh has been discovered behind another painting of the artist, the National Galleries of Scotland said Thursday, The Associated Press reports.
The
previously unknown self-portrait was found on the back of Van Gogh’s “Head of a
Peasant Woman” when experts at the Edinburgh gallery took an X-ray of the
canvas ahead of an upcoming exhibition, according to the outlet.
The painting
was covered by layers of glue and cardboard when it was framed in the early
20th century and is believed to have been hidden for over a century.
The portrait shows a bearded sitter in a brimmed hat and is thought to be from the artist’s early work.
“Moments
like this are incredibly rare,” Frances Fowle, a senior curator at the National
Galleries of Scotland said, The Associated Press reported. “We have discovered
an unknown work by Vincent Van Gogh, one of the most important and popular
artists in the world.”
The gallery
reportedly said experts are evaluating how to remove the glue and cardboard
without harming “Head of a Peasant Woman.”