By Harry Howard, History Correspondent For Mailonline
Published: 08:08 EDT, 30 August 2022 | Updated: 10:18 EDT, 30 August 2022
A 'hidden' portrait of two half-naked wrestlers that was painted over by Vincent Van Gogh 135 years ago has been brought to life by British scientists.
In 2012, art historians used x-rays to find the depiction of the wrestlers underneath a work - titled 'Still life with meadow flowers and roses' - that had initially been attributed to an unknown artist.
Knowledge of the painter's period at a Belgian art academy led researchers to conclude that both the wrestling depiction and the painting on top of it was by Van Gogh.
The work, on a 100 centimetre by 80 centimetre (40x31in) canvas, had already been x-rayed five years previously but it only revealed an indistinct image of the wrestlers.
The 2012 X-ray showed the wrestlers in more detail, along with the brush strokes and pigments used. But the image was still in black and white and relatively unclear.
Now, three UK-based researchers have used X-rays, artificial intelligence (AI) and 3-D printing to re-create the original colour composition.
Neuroscientist Anthony Bourached and physicist George Cann, who are both PhD candidates at University College London, worked alongside mathematician Jesper Eriksson.
All three are part of a company called Oxia Palus, where they work to bring 'dormant' pieces of art that are hidden underneath other works back to life through their technology.
Van Gogh shot himself dead in 1890, two years after he had infamously cut his left ear off.
A 'hidden' portrait of two half-naked wrestlers that was painted over by Vincent Van Gogh has been brought to life by British scientists. In 2012, art historians used x-rays to find the depiction of the wrestlers underneath a work - titled 'Still life with meadow flowers and roses' - that had initially been attributed to an unknown artist. Above: The 2012 X-ray and the new depiction
Neuroscientist Anthony Bourached and physicist George Cann, who are both PhD candidates at University College London, worked alongside mathematician Jesper Eriksson to create the work. Above: Van Gogh's Still life with meadow flowers and roses
Mr Bourached told The Telegraph that his team used a computer algorithm to analyse Van Gogh's brushstrokes in hundreds of his paintings, before using that data to simulate how the original wrestlers depiction may have looked.
Van Gogh shot himself dead in 1890, two years after he had infamously cut his left ear off
'How much it is like the original painting is impossible to tell at this point because the information doesn't exist,' he said.
'I think it's very convincing - by far the best guess we can get with current technology.'
The recreated wrestlers are set to be exhibited this week at Paris's Louvre museum, where the Focus Art Fair is being held. It is expected to fetch offers in the region of tens of thousands of pounds.
Van Gogh referenced his covered-up work in a letter to his brother Theo in 1886, writing: 'This week I painted a large thing with two nude torsos — two wrestlers […] and I really like doing that.'
The re-creation is the researchers' latest attempt via Oxia Palus to re-create lost works, through a project they have called 'NeoMasters'.
On their website, the scientists say: 'With potentially thousands of works of art hidden dormant beneath existing paintings… resurrecting the world's lost art has only just begun.'
The team are exhibiting three other re-created works at the Louvre. They include another Van Gogh painting, 'Standing female nude', which the artist is believed to have produced in 1886.
He then painted over it to create his landscape scene 'La Crau with a View of Montmajour'.
It comes after a new self-portrait by Van Gogh was discovered on the back of his Head Of A Peasant Woman masterpiece in July.
It was discovered after an X-ray was carried out in the run-up to a new exhibition in Edinburgh. The new work showed a bearded man in a brimmed hat wearing a neckerchief.
It comes after a new self-portrait by Van Gogh was discovered on the back of his Head Of A Peasant Woman masterpiece in July. It was discovered after an X-ray was carried out in the run-up to a new exhibition in Edinburgh. The new work showed a bearded man in a brimmed hat wearing a neckerchief
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It was similar to his Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat, finished in 1888.
In 2008, a new X-ray technique found the face of woman beneath Van Gogh's Patch of Grass work, which was completed in 1887.
The picture was subjected to what is known as X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, a technique that allowed experts to map the chemicals on it.
Previous research had discovered the vague outline of a head beneath the work.
Over the course of two days, scientists scanned the picture with a pencil-thin beam of very energetic X-rays generated by a synchrotron, a machine that accelerates sub-atomic particles
The powerful bombardment caused atoms in the picture's layers of paint to release 'fluorescent' X-rays of their own which could be used to map the chemicals they originated from.
In this way the scientists, led by Dr Joris Dik, from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, and Professor Koen Janssens from the University of Antwerp in Belgium, were able to reconstruct the hidden portrait in unparalleled detail.
Elements from specific paint pigments allowed a 'colour photo' of the concealed work to be produced.
The woman's head, which was looking slightly to the left, filled a square area measuring 17.5 by 17.5 centimetres.
In 2008, a new X-ray technique found the face of woman beneath Van Gogh's Patch of Grass work, which was completed in 1887
By Harry Howard, History Correspondent For Mailonline
From abandoned works by Picasso that were buried beneath new layers of paint, to a mysterious figure hidden in a Rembrandt painting that could be a long-lost self-portrait.
They are the hidden, half-finished works that might have been lost forever if not for modern technology.
News today of the discovery of a self-portrait by Vincent Van Gogh on the back of his Head Of A Peasant Woman painting has set the art world alight.
But the find, revealed by an X-ray, is not the first work that Van Gogh covered up.
Conservators in 2008 found the face of woman hidden in his 1887 work Patch of Grass, and in 2012 a painting of two wrestlers was discovered underneath a canvas that was later found to be by him, 'Still life with meadow flowers and roses'.
Yet Van Gogh is not the only artist to have had second thoughts about a work, or to have repurposed an existing canvas for a painting totally different to the original.
In 2014, conservators found a painting of a man in a bow tie hidden beneath one of Pablo Picasso's first masterpieces, The Blue Room, using advanced infrared imagery.
Four years later, new x-rays found that a depiction of a landscape in a completely different style lay underneath his 1902 oil painting The Crouching Beggar.
Even Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, possibly the most famous painting in the world, bears a hidden portrait of another woman beneath it - according to a French scientist who used new technology to make the discovery in 2015.
That same year, analysis of Dutch master Rembrandt's famous work An Old Man in Military Costume revealed a second ghostly portrait hidden beneath.
In 2017, conservators discovered what they believed to be an unfinished portrait of the executed Mary, Queen of Scots underneath a 16th-century painting.
Below, MailOnline delves into the works that have been found in recent years beneath some of the world's best-known paintings.
News today of the discovery of a self-portrait by Vincent Van Gogh on the back of his Head Of A Peasant Woman painting has set the art world alight. But the find, revealed by an X-ray, is not the first work that Van Gogh covered up. Above: The original work and the newly-discovered self-portrait
Face of a woman beneath Vincent Van Gogh's Patch of Grass
In 2008, a new X-ray technique found the face of woman beneath Van Gogh's Patch of Grass work, which was completed in 1887.
The picture was subjected to what is known as X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, a technique that allowed experts to map the chemicals on it.
Previous research had discovered the vague outline of a head beneath the work.
Over the course of two days, scientists scanned the picture with a pencil-thin beam of very energetic X-rays generated by a synchrotron, a machine that accelerates sub-atomic particles
In 2008, a new X-ray technique found the face of woman beneath Van Gogh's Patch of Grass work, which was completed in 1887
The picture (seen above) was subjected to what is known as X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, a technique that allowed experts to map the chemicals on it
The powerful bombardment caused atoms in the picture's layers of paint to release 'fluorescent' X-rays of their own which could be used to map the chemicals they originated from.
In this way the scientists, led by Dr Joris Dik, from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, and Professor Koen Janssens from the University of Antwerp in Belgium, were able to reconstruct the hidden portrait in unparalleled detail.
Elements from specific paint pigments allowed a 'colour photo' of the concealed work to be produced.
The woman's head, which was looking slightly to the left, filled a square area measuring 17.5 by 17.5 centimetres.
Half-naked wrestlers found beneath Van Gogh's 'Still life with meadow flowers and roses'
In 2012, art historians found what they believed to be a work by Van Gogh after scanning a work that had initially been attributed to an unknown artist.
The scan of the canvas, 'Still life with meadow flowers and roses', uncovered an image of two wrestlers painted underneath.
In 2012, art historians found what they believed to be a work by Van Gogh after scanning a work that had initially been attributed to an unknown artist. The scan of the canvas, 'Still life with meadow flowers and roses', uncovered an image of two wrestlers painted underneath
The painting, on a 100 centimetre by 80 centimetre (40x31in) canvas, had already been X-rayed five years previously but it only revealed an indistinct image of the wrestlers. The 2012 X-ray showed the wrestlers in more detail, along with the brush strokes and pigments used. They all pointed back to Van Gogh
Knowledge of the painter's period at a Belgian art academy, led researchers to conclude that both the wrestling depiction and the painting on top of it was by Van Gogh.
The painting, on a 100 centimetre by 80 centimetre (40x31in) canvas, had already been X-rayed five years previously but it only revealed an indistinct image of the wrestlers.
The 2012 X-ray showed the wrestlers in more detail, along with the brush strokes and pigments used. They all pointed back to Van Gogh.
Painting of a man in a bow tie found beneath Picasso's The Blue Room
In 2014, scientists revealed a hidden depiction of a man beneath Picasso's 1901 masterpiece The Blue Room.
The man, whose identity is unknown, was discovered in a vertical composition beneath the landscape work.
Conservators had long suspected that there might be something under the surface of The Blue Room.
It was not until the 1990s that an x-ray revealed a fuzzy image of something underneath it. Improved infrared imagery then revealed the detail of the man in 2008, before a clearer image was developed over the next five years.
The discovery was made by conservators at The Phillips Collection, National Gallery of Art, Cornell University and Delaware's Winterthur Museum.
In 2014, scientists revealed a hidden depiction of a man beneath Picasso's 1901 masterpiece The Blue Room
The man, whose identity is unknown, was discovered in a vertical composition beneath the landscape work
Landscape scene hidden beneath Picasso's The Crouching Beggar
In 2018, a team of scientists and curators discovered a landscape in completely different style to that of Spanish master Pablo Picasso that was hidden underneath his 1902 oil painting The Crouching beggar.
The work was analysed at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Canada, where conservators noticed it had unusual textures.
In 2018, a team of scientists and curators discovered a landscape in completely different style to that of Spanish master Pablo Picasso that was hidden underneath his 1902 oil painting The Crouching beggar
The work was analysed at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Canada, where conservators noticed it had unusual textures
They used technology known as reflectance imaging spectroscopy to see the underlying images beneath every paint layer and x-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging to map out the composition of the pigments.
The experts discovered a horizontal landscape by a different and unknown painter.
Picasso tipped the artist's canvas 90 degrees to the right and used some of the landscape forms to shape the woman's slouching posture.
Second portrait of a woman under Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa
In 2015, French scientist Pascal Cotte claimed to have found a second portrait beneath da Vinci's Mona Lisa using a technique called reflective light technology.
He said the woman may have been an entirely different person to the woman that famously is depicted, or it could have been an earlier attempt at capturing the muse's likeness.
Cotte created a digital reconstruction of what the original depicted woman looked like. She had a slimmer appearance to the famous Mona Lisa, whilst her clothes were also different.
The Mona Lisa is believed to depict Lisa del Giocondo, an Italian noblewoman whose husband commissioned da Vinci to paint a portrait of her.
Cotte told MailOnline at the time: 'The one we discovered is compatible [with fashion at the time]' and better matches descriptions of the original portrait.'
In 2015, French scientist Pascal Cotte claimed to have found a second portrait beneath da Vinci's Mona Lisa using a technique called reflective light technology. He said the woman may have been an entirely different person to the woman that famously is depicted, or it could have been an earlier attempt at capturing the muse's likeness
Mysterious figure discovered beneath Rembrandt's An Old Man in Military Costume
Analysis of Rembrandt's An Old Man in Military Costume, painted around 1630-1631, which the Dutch master painted in 1631, revealed a second ghostly portrait underneath in 2015.
The previously unseen painting was of a mysterious young man wrapped in a cloak.
Experts believed the figure could have been a self-portrait of the artist when he was still a young man.
Researchers used advanced imaging techniques to make the discovery. Rembrandt is believed to have turned the wooden panel featuring the original work upside down before painting over it with his more famous portrait.
Analysis of Rembrandt's An Old Man in Military Costume, painted around 1630-1631, which the Dutch master painted in 1631, revealed a second ghostly portrait underneath in 2015. The previously unseen painting was of a mysterious young man wrapped in a cloak
Dr Karen Trentelman, senior scientist with the Getty Conservation Institute, said at the time: 'Our ability to image the underlying painting has greatly benefited from recent technological advances.
'Researchers are always limited by the tools available to them, and over the years the study of this painting – and the underlying image – has progressively advanced with the introduction of each new tool.
'With this latest study, our scans reveal the distribution of specific chemical elements, from which we can infer the pigments used in the first composition, providing us with the most detailed image of the underlying painting to date.'
Unfinished sketch of Mary, Queen of Scots found beneath portrait of Scottish official
In 2017, conservators at the National Galleries of Scotland and the Courtauld Institute of Art in London discovered what appeared to be an unfinished portrait of Mary.
The image of the woman, which the researchers said had 'compelling similarities' to other depictions of the queen, was discovered after a portrait of Sir John Maitland, the Lord Chancellor of Scotland between 1586 and 1595, was x-rayed.
The work was by Dutch portrait artist Adrian Vanson.
The researchers believed that the original portrait may have been covered over or abandoned due to the fact that Mary was executed in 1587, two years before the inscribed date on the painting.
In 2017, conservators at the National Galleries of Scotland and the Courtauld Institute of Art in London discovered what they believed to be an unfinished portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots underneath a 16th-century painting. The image of the woman, which the researchers said had 'compelling similarities' to other depictions of the queen, was discovered after a portrait of Sir John Maitland, the Lord Chancellor of Scotland between 1586 and 1595, was x-rayed
Face of murdered Renaissance princess found beneath portrait of Italian heiress
In 2014, experts discovered that a portrait that was purported to depict famed beauty Eleanor of Toledo in fact had a depiction of her daughter hidden beneath it.
The daughter, Isabella Medici, was the favourite child of Cosimo de Medici, the first Grand Duke of Florence.
Experts found that her strong nose, steely star and high forehead had been obscured beneath layers of paint applied by a Victorian artist to make the work more saleable in the 19th century.
In 2014, experts discovered that a portrait that was purported to depict famed beauty Eleanor of Toledo in fact had a depiction of her daughter hidden beneath it. The daughter, Isabella Medici, was the favourite child of Cosimo de Medici, the first Grand Duke of Florence. Experts found that her strong nose, steely star and high forehead had been obscured beneath layers of paint applied by a Victorian artist to make the work more saleable in the 19th century
Ellen Baxtor, a conservator at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, had noticed that the painting purporting to depict Eleanor of Toledo had a face 'like a cookie tin box lid', even though her clothing was accurate.
On the back of the work, the stamp of Francis Needham was discovered. Research revealed that Needham had worked in the National Portrait Gallery in London in the mid-1800s transferring paintings from wood panels to canvas mounts.
X-rays then revealed that the painting of Eleanor of Toledo was in fact that of her daughter. The layers of paint were removed to reveal the original.
Isabella de'Medici is known to have been murdered after the painting was completed.
I don't think a painting by Van Gough is worth muc...
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