Work by Velázquez found at MET in New York

Following a thorough cleaning and technical examination, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has declared that the painting formerly ascribed to the workshop of Velázquez is actually a work by the Spanish master himself. The painting ¿ part of the Museum¿s collection since 1949 ¿ could very well be a self-portrait, according to experts, given that the subject in the work, a man dressed in XVI and XVII Century clothing, strikes a very close resemblance to the bystander ¿ also rumored to be the artist ¿ appearing at the far right of Velázquez¿ masterpiece, The Surrender of Breda. In 1963, Portrait of a Man ¿ the title given to the work ¿ was cataloged by the expert José López-Rey as a canvas created in the Sevillian Master¿s workshop by someone other than Velázquez. Nevertheless, MET Restoration Department staff decided to completely remove the thick layer of discolored varnish and heavy retouching that obscured the work. It was then possible to state with certainty that the work was indeed by Velázquez. This great discovery was made possible by the collaborative efforts of Keith Christiansen, the MET¿s Chairman of European Painting, and of the MET¿s Head of Painting Conservation, Michael Gallagher.