Culture A Dutch art detective claims to have recovered one of the most sacred relics stolen from the Church
An
unpublished self-portrait of Vincent Van Gogh
, with his ear intact, has been found behind another canvas by the Dutch painter, the
National Gallery of Scotland
in Edinburgh has reported.
The work was discovered thanks to
an X-ray study
of the canvas "Portrait of a Peasant Woman", made in 1885 by
Van Gogh
, before an exhibition on Impressionism at the Scottish Museum.
The portrait was found
on the back of the canvas
, covered in layers of glue and cardboard, which appeared to have been placed before an
exhibition in the early 20th century
.
"When we
first saw the X-ray
, of course we were very excited," said Lesley Stevenson, Senior Curator at the
National Gallery of Scotland.
"Moments like these are
incredibly rare
," said Frances Fowle, curator at the National Gallery of Scotland.
"We have discovered an
unpublished work by Vincent Van Gogh
, one of the most important and best-known artists in the world," he added.
Van Gogh
is known for having reused fabrics to
save money
.
This self-portrait shows a seated
bearded man
wearing a hat and a neckerchief.
His left ear
, which the painter cut off in 1888, is perfectly visible.
At the
exhibition in Edinburgh
, from July 30 to November 13, visitors will be able to see the work, reproduced by radiography.
The
conservators
now have to study how to remove the glue
to separate the two paintings without damaging them
.
Conforms to The Trust Project criteria
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