National Galleries of Scotland senior conservator Lesley Stevenson holds Vincent Van Gogh's "Head of a Peasant Woman" and views an X-ray image of the hidden self-portrait. (Photo by Neil Hanna | Courtesy of National Galleries of Scotland) EDINBURGH, Scotland - Art experts in the United Kingdom have discovered a previously unknown self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh on the back of another painting by the artist.
The self-portrait had been hidden from view for more than a century.The National Galleries of Scotland this week announced that an X-ray of Van Gogh's Head of a Peasant Woman revealed the mysterious image.
The self-portrait was on the back of the canvas, covered by layers of glue and cardboard, the galleries said. Conservators had been examining the painting ahead of a forthcoming exhibition.
Frances Fowle, a senior curator of French art at the National Galleries of Scotland, said these discoveries are "incredibly rare.""We have discovered an unknown work by Vincent van Gogh, one of the most important and popular artists in the world.