The National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) discovered a previously unknown self-portrait of painter Vincent van Gogh on the back of the “Head of a Peasant Woman” painting.
Right before an exhibition, NGS experts x-rayed the painting, and to their surprise, they discovered the hidden self-portrait, covered by layers of glue and cardboard.
The newly discovered painting shows Van Gogh’s distinctive hat, neckerchief and of course, his famously cut-off left ear. He frequently re-used canvases to save money, turning them over and then working on the back.
Art conservators are trying to separate the two paintings to restore the hidden portrait. The process of removing the glue and cardboard requires delicate work and attention.
The original painting, Head of a Peasant Woman, had quite a journey before reaching its current destination, Scotland.
Evelyn St Croix Fleming first acquired the painting back in 1923, before it entered the Alexander and Rosalind Maitland collection in 1951, who later donated it to the NGS.
The incredibly rare find can now be viewed as an X-ray image through a specially crafted light box, in the “A Taste for Impressionism” exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh.
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