An anonymous painting that was tucked away in a museum safe for decades has been confirmed as a Vincent Van Gogh original.
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam says art researchers have authenticated the piece, called
Man In A Red Beret
.
It is a portrait of Van Gogh's friend and fellow artist Paul Gauguin working in his studio.
Researchers from the Art Institute of Chicago and the Van Gogh Museum identified the 19th century Dutch master's telltale strokes.
They also traced the paint and jute canvas and found references to the work in letters from the artist to his brother Theo, a Paris art dealer.
The painting was crafted when the artists lived together in southern France in 1888.
Gauguin was not recognised easily because he is portrayed from a rear angle, with his moustache and pointed beard in deep shadow.
"We found several elements that left no doubt about the authenticity of the work," said Ms Heidi Vandamme, a spokeswoman for the Van Gogh Museum.
The painting was one of hundreds of canvases, drawings and letters transferred from the artist's relatives to the museum, which has been in charge of the Van Gogh heritage since it opened in 1973.
Gauguin shared a house in Arles with Van Gogh until December 1888 when the Dutchman suffered a psychotic breakdown and cut off a part of his own left ear. He shot himself in July 1890 and died from his wound two days later at the age of 37.