A British couple may have purchased a rare lost portrait of Vincent Van Gogh online for only 1,500 pounds, reports the
Daily Mail.
The painting, a pastel drawing of the likeness of Van Gogh, is believed to be the only full-length portrait of the painter and could be worth millions more than what the couple paid if authenticated.
A female artist who lived next door to Van Gogh in Paris is thought to have painted the portrait.
The auction website touted the painting as simply ‘portrait of a man.’ Buyers of the painting Michael and Mandy Cruickshank believe, after extensive research, that Van Gogh is indeed the subject of the painting.
Facial recognition experts at the University of Dundee believe that the painting has a four out of six chance of being Van Gogh.
“We have scale for matching up likenesses running from no support to powerful support. We rated the painting as having support which is just below strong support which is second highest,” Caroline Erolin, lecturer in medical and forensic art said.
“We compared the painting with a well-known self portrait, two other portraits and a photo of Van Gogh from the period. We were hampered slightly because it was a pastel drawing which is less clear, but there is a good case for it being Van Gogh.”
Louis Van Tilbourgh, curator at the Van Gogh Museum in Paris, has reach out to the Cruickshanks to determine whether the painting is of the impressionist master.
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