Vincent Van Gogh self-portrait discovered hidden behind another painting

A painting that is “most certainly” a previously unknown self-portrait of Vincent Van Gogh has been discovered by the National Galleries of Scotland.

The extraordinary find is believed to be a first for a UK institution and was discovered by an x-ray taken of Van Gogh’s Head of a Peasant Woman (1885) ahead of the forthcoming exhibition.

Hidden from view for over a century, the portrait was found on the back of the canvas, covered by layers of glue and cardboard that are believed to have been applied ahead of an exhibition in the early 20th Century.

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