Ghostly self-portrait of Van Gogh accidentally discovered on the back of his painting

London, July 16: The National Galleries of Scotland announced on Thursday that a previously undiscovered self-portrait of Vincent Van Gogh had been found behind another of the artist's paintings.

When Art conservators at the Edinburgh gallery were examining Dutch post-Impressionist's 1885 work 'Head of a Peasant Woman' using X-ray machine, they accidentally discovered the self-portrait of Van Gogh.

Upon examination, it is believed that the work to have been hidden for over a century, covered by layers of glue and cardboard when it was framed in the early 20th century.

It shows a bearded sitter in a brimmed hat with a neckerchief tied loosely at the neck. His left ear, which the painter famously cut off in 1888 after tempers flared with Paul Gauguin, is clearly visible.

Van Gogh was known for turning canvases around and painting on the other side to save money. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, most of which date from the last two years of his life.

'Head of a Peasant Woman,' which is of a local woman in the town of Nuenen in the Netherlands, was given to the gallery in 1960. It is believed that when it was placed at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam 1905, the canvas was stuck to a piece of cardboard before it was framed, hiding the portrait from the naked eye.

Professor Frances Fowle, a senior curator of French art at the National Galleries of Scotland, said the discovery was "thrilling."

"We have discovered an unknown work by Vincent van Gogh, one of the most important and popular artists in the world. What an incredible gift for Scotland, and one that will forever be in the care of the National Galleries," he said.

The gallery said experts are evaluating how to remove the glue and cardboard without harming "Head of a Peasant Woman."

Visitors to an upcoming Impressionist exhibit at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh can see an X-ray image of the self-portrait through a lightbox.

"A Taste for Impressionism" runs from July 30 to Nov. 13.