Van Gogh self-portrait discovered hidden on back of painting in Edinburgh
During preparations for the exhibition 'A Taste for Impressionism', set to open on July 30 in Edinburgh, restorers at the National Galleries of Scotland uncovered an unknown self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh hidden on the back of his 1885 work 'Head of a Peasant Woman' through X-ray imaging. This self-portrait, concealed beneath glue and cardboard since 1905, features a bearded man with a distinct left ear. The Van Gogh Museum validated this discovery using documents from 1929 that mentioned restorer Jan Cornelis Traas. Van Gogh frequently repurposed canvases, and this self-portrait is believed to originate from his Paris period. After his passing in 1890, it changed hands multiple times before being donated to the National Galleries of Scotland in 1960.
Key facts
- Self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh discovered on back of 'Head of a Peasant Woman' at National Galleries of Scotland
- Found via X-ray during preparations for exhibition 'A Taste for Impressionism' opening July 30 in Edinburgh
- Hidden under glue and cardboard likely applied in 1905 for Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam exhibition
- Van Gogh Museum confirmed with 1929 documents referencing restorer Jan Cornelis Traas
- Van Gogh often reused canvases due to financial constraints
- Self-portrait likely painted after van Gogh moved to Paris, influenced by Impressionists
- Work passed from Jo van Gogh-Bonger to Evelyn St. Croix Fleming (mother of Ian Fleming), then to Alexander and Rosalind Maitland, donated in 1960
- X-ray image displayed in lightbox until self-portrait can be separated from backing
Entities
Artists
- Vincent van Gogh
- Jan Cornelis Traas
- Jo van Gogh-Bonger
- Evelyn St. Croix Fleming
- Ian Fleming
- Alexander Maitland
- Rosalind Maitland
- Frances Fowle
Institutions
- National Galleries of Scotland
- Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
- Van Gogh Museum
- Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
- Kunstmuseum Den Haag
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
Locations
- Edinburgh
- Scotland
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Hartford
- Connecticut
- Den Haag
- New York
- Paris
- France
- Zundert
- Auvers-sur-Oise