ANTWERP, Belgium, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- An unfinished self-portrait by the Dutch master Rembrandt has been discovered under another painting, using advanced technology, European art experts said.
X-ray scanning was used to detect the pigments in hidden layers of paint under another painting attributed to Rembrandt, called Old Man with a Beard, the BBC reported Friday.
A leading Rembrandt expert said similarities in painting convinced of him of its authenticity. Art historian Ernst van de Wetering said he noted key technical similarities in painting style between the self-portrait and authenticated works by Rembrandt that date to the 1630s.
The self-portrait was revealed when Old Man with a Beard was scanned at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York and in Grenoble, France.
"The portrait is considered to be an early work," Koen Janssens of the University of Antwerp, Belgium, said. "So this documents a little bit better how Rembrandt in his early period was functioning in his workshop.
"Which projects did he start? Which ones did he finish? How many are there that he changed his mind about and started over?"
