A mysterious portrait hidden beneath Johannes Vermeer's famous "Girl with the Red Hat" could potentially be the Dutch master's earliest known work, according to new research conducted by the National Gallery of Art in Washington. The discovery, recently reported by The Art Newspaper, has emerged from extensive scientific analysis of the museum's four Vermeer paintings, revealing what experts now believe may be an unknown masterpiece by the renowned 17th-century artist.
The National Gallery had previously discovered that a portrait was concealed beneath the celebrated "Girl with the Red Hat" (circa 1669). Initially, researchers believed that Vermeer had simply reused a canvas painted by an unknown artist. However, recent complementary analyses have led specialists to reconsider this assumption, suggesting instead that the underlying painting may actually be the oldest known work by the artist known as the "Sphinx of Delft."
X-ray imaging has revealed a bust portrait of a man, oriented 180 degrees in relation to the current composition. The hidden figure wears a wide-brimmed hat and a large white collar, posed against a beige background painted with vigorous and fluid brushstrokes. This energetic painting technique initially led researchers to doubt Vermeer's authorship, as it seemed inconsistent with his typically refined style.
Recent studies have provided new insights into Vermeer's working methods, revealing that the Dutch Golden Age master's underpainting was often executed with rapid, expressive brushwork before he returned to refine and complete the final painting. This discovery has fundamentally changed how art historians understand Vermeer's creative process and has strengthened the case for his authorship of the hidden portrait.
The clothing and accessories worn by the male figure indicate that the portrait was created between 1650 and 1655. Until now, Vermeer's earliest known work was "Christ in the House of Martha and Mary" (1655), housed in the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh. If the hidden portrait is indeed by Vermeer's hand, it would become both his oldest known painting and his only known male portrait.
While "The Astronomer" (1668) in the Louvre and "The Geographer" (1668) in Frankfurt's Städelsches Kunstinstitut feature male subjects, these are not considered formal portraits in the traditional sense. The discovery would also provide valuable information about the context of the artist's early career, offering new perspectives on his artistic development during a previously little-known period.
However, nothing can definitively confirm this hypothesis at present. The National Gallery of Art teams continue their investigations and scientific analyses to determine the truth behind this intriguing discovery. Researchers are also exploring another equally exciting possibility based on an inventory compiled after Vermeer's death.
According to this archival document, the painter owned two male portraits by Carel Fabritius (1622-1654), who is known for his famous painting "The Goldfinch" (1654), one of the masterpieces of the Mauritshuis in The Hague. Only about a dozen paintings by Fabritius have survived to the present day. If it turns out that Vermeer painted over a portrait by Fabritius, this would also provide precious insight into the work of the Dutch artist, who is considered Rembrandt's most brilliant pupil.
The ongoing research represents a significant moment in art historical discovery, potentially reshaping our understanding of both Vermeer's early career and the artistic relationships within the Dutch Golden Age. As scientific analysis continues, art historians and the public alike await further revelations about what may be one of the most important discoveries in Vermeer scholarship in recent decades.
