A previously unknown self-portrait by Vincent Van Gogh has been discovered hidden on the back of another painting. The hidden self-portrait was covered by layers of glue and cardboard on the back of an earlier work called Head of a Peasant Woman.
Experts at the National Galleries of Scotland made the find when the canvas was X-rayed before an exhibition. The gallery’s senior conservator Lesley Stevenson said she felt “shock” to find the artist “looking out at us”.
She said: “When we saw the X-ray for the first time, of course we were hugely excited. This is a significant discovery because it adds to what we already know about Van Gogh’s life.”
The Dutch artist often re-used canvases to save money, turning them over and then working on the other side. Several such self-portraits and other works have previously been found painted on the back of earlier canvases from the Nuenen period.
Head of a Peasant Woman entered the National Gallery of Scotland (NGS) collection in 1960, as part of a gift from a prominent Edinburgh lawyer. It shows a local woman from the town of Nuenen in the south of the Netherlands, where the artist lived from December 1883 to November 1885.
It is thought that Van Gogh later painted the self-portrait on the other side at a key moment in his career, after he moved to Paris and was exposed to the work of the French impressionists.
The painting changed hands several times and in 1923 was acquired by Evelyn St Croix Fleming, whose son, Ian, became the creator of James Bond.
It was not until 1951 that it came to Scotland, having entered the collection of Alexander and Rosalind Maitland, who later donated it to the NGS.
Why would anyone think of x-raying a painting though?
I know it said it was x-rayed before an exhibition, but what on earth for?
Are all paintings x-rayed before exhibitons, or did they suspect something odd with this one?
I thought X-raying of paintings was only done in films!
My nephew who is an artist did a wonderful painting of Tommy Cooper. I always admired it but he painted over it!
Maybe, an X-ray would show the original painting underneath?
Maybe it’s standard practice when a painting by a famous artist is moved, if it hasn’t been x-rayed before. It often reveals something interesting, if you happen to be interested in that sort of thing.
It’s always considered when a painting’s frame has a back covering that was obviously not contemporary to the painting. It has also become common practice for the authenticators.
I’m assuming he started a self-portrait. Didn’t finish it. Possibly had a commission or was desperate for money and didn’t have a medium to create a new painting so he just worked over an old canvas he had lying around.
And voilà- a new portrait was uncovered!
He’s my favourite artist of all time! Stunning discovery!
Minx Van Gogh never had a commission in his life . He only ever sold one painting ( to his brother Theo ) but as his brother supported him financially anyway this hardly counts. His brother was an art dealer and the brothers were very close .Theo Van Gogh died six months after Vincent . All Vincent’s paintings were inherited by to his ( Theo’s) widow . She was the person who promoted them and the eventual fame of Van Gogh .
Interesting to read about the hidden self portrait being found.
I’ve always liked Van Gogh paintings but it wasn’t until I went to an exhibition recently that I realised how many self-portraits he had painted!
The exhibition I went to was a bit out of the ordinary - it was in an old church in York. All Van Gogh’s works were projected onto the four walls around us, depicting the different stages of his life, with an accompanying narrative. It was very interesting - the best bit was the Virtual Reality tour at the end - it started off as if you are sitting on the chair in that “Bedroom in Arles” painting - then the chair whizzes you out of the room, down the stairs and outside - it feels like you are walking along the lane, listening to the rural sounds and birds singing, seeing the sights that Van Gogh would have seen in Arles, stopping at the points where he would have painted some of his famous paintings in Arles, to look at the view he would have seen.
There’s a lot of “artistic licence”, of course, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It is the first VR experience I’ve had and it did feel so realistic - I found myself gasping out loud at times. I was sitting in a swivel chair, and if I turned around, I could see the scenes all around me and behind me - and I was involuntarily moving my feet as if I was walking.
It was amazing.
If the exhibition ever comes round your way, I can recommend it.
hmmmm…
. This explains far better that I could 