The National Galleries of Scotland said on Thursday that they had found a self-portrait of Van Gogh hidden on the back of a painting.
The x-ray image of Van Gogh's self-portrait is being viewed by a senior Conservator.
The self-portrait was found beneath layers of cardboard and glue on the back of another Van Gogh painting after it was X-rayed ahead of an upcoming exhibition.
The self-portrait is thought to have been hidden for more than a century after being covered before an exhibition in the early 1900s.
Van Gogh was known for painting on the reverse side of canvases to save money.
The portrait shows a bearded man wearing a brimmed hat and a neckerchief that was tied at the throat with his left ear.
The painting is believed to be one of Van Gogh's earlier works and one of his first self-portraits.
Visitors to an upcoming exhibition in Edinburgh will be able to see the X-ray image of the self-portrait hidden under layers of glue and cardboard.
An X-ray of a painting.
"Discoveries like this are incredibly rare and happen maybe once or twice in a person's lifetime." The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has a collection of works by the Dutch artist on the backs of other canvases. New ways for experts to look at artwork without damaging it have arisen from advances in science and technology. More discoveries will be made as a result of this, as well as helping experts preserve orauthentic artwork. There are other works hidden under the paintings of the Man of Sorrows and theMona Lisa.
The self-portrait needs to be removed. The experts don't know if the portrait can be safely uncovered or if it's in a state of disrepair. The research is ongoing to figure out how this can be done without hurting the head of a Peasant Woman. It is likely that the painting was made during a formative part of the artist's career.
The Head of a Peasant woman is a painting by Van Gogh.
Three previously unknown sketches by Amedeo Modigliani were discovered by curators at an Israeli museum. The X-rays of the artist's "Nude with a Hat" led to the discovery of the other works.
There are hidden details in artworks.
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