Because the gentleman looking at the viewer is probably Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) in a self-portrait. “We have almost certainly discovered a previously unknown self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh,” the Scottish National Gallery announced in a broadcast on Wednesday. The drawing came to light when Van Gogh’s Head of a Peasant Woman in a White Cap (1885) was being X-rayed in preparation for an exhibition in Edinburgh.
The self-portrait is on the back of the canvas, covered with several layers of glue and cardboard. It is well known that Van Gogh repeatedly used the back of paintings for new sketches and pictures. It is said to be one of the first attempts at self-painting. The discovery is to be presented to the public at the end of July. The gallery wants to enable visitors to take a look at the sketch with the help of a light box.