In 2008, the Irish Times reported the discovery of a hidden landscape painting found beneath the known portrait of Hugh Lane by John Singer Sargent. The painting was completed by Sargent in 1906 and is now in the collection of the Dublin City Gallery. The head conservator had initiated her study to address the significant amount of cracking. When investigating the surface layer, the conservator noticed unusual impasto.

The painting was then taken to the National Gallery, who offered their X-ray lab. The X-ray images soon revealed traces of a rural landscape with trees and a lake. The discovery has helped to reveal Sargent’s process, as allegedly Hugh Lane had paid a discounted rate for a portrait. This led Sargent to work over an existing canvas.

Find out now if you have an authentic John Singer Sargent painting or drawing: