Unknown Vincent Van Gogh Self-Portrait Uncovered Under X-Ray

Art experts found a familiar face staring back at them when they X-rayed a Vincent van Gogh painting, ahead of an exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh.

Sitting beneath the canvas of the dark and somber Head of a Peasant Woman—and obscured by layers of glue and cardboard—was the image of a hatted, bearded figure with a neckerchief. Here, Van Gogh’s left ear is depicted to still be intact.

The Head of a Peasant Woman, painted in 1885, represents the struggling post-Impressionist’s earlier, duller works before he’d developed his signature art style with brighter colors.

The canvas was loaned to the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam 15 years after the artist’s death, before moving into the collection of Alexander and Rosalind Maitland in 1951 and ending up in its current home at the National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) as a donation, the BBC reports.

Experts at the NGS ran an X-ray analysis of the work to prepare for the Royal Scottish Academy’s upcoming exhibition, A Taste for Impressionism, and were astonished by the surprise appearance of one of the greatest figures of art history.

While unforeseen, the discovery wasn’t too out of the blue for works of Van Gogh. To stretch his budget, the painter would often reuse canvases by adding to their backs.

For what is believed to be the first time ever, members of the public will be able to view the X-rayed portrait through a special lightbox during the showcase, which will run from July 30 through November 13.

Recovering the self-portrait isn’t impossible, but conservators will have to be especially delicate in tearing off the glue and cardboard. They are now looking into how this can be achieved without damaging the main artwork.

[via BBC and The Independent, images via various sources]