Hidden Van Gogh Portrait

July 31, 2008: A previously unknown Vincent Van Gogh portrait was revealed beneath the Dutch painter's 1887 nature study Patch of Grass.¹ The portrait of a peasant woman was uncovered by scientists using advanced X-ray technology.²

Up to a third of Van Gogh's works are believed to contain hidden images discarded and painted over by the artist.³

Fast Facts

1. Patch of Grass ("Grasgrond") painted in Paris in 1887⁴
2. Housed at Kröller-Müller Museum in Netherlands
3. Technology used: "synchrotron radiation induced X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy"¹
4. The portrait was painted in reds and browns

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