The portrait depicts a fisherman with a white beard smoking a pipe while repairing a net. In the top right corner, there is an inscription "Elimar".
According to experts at LMI Group's analysis – which took four years – the weave and color of the work indicate that it was created by van Gogh during his stay at a psychiatric hospital in France in 1889.
The motif is based on a painting by the Danish artist Michael Ancher.
A hair strand found in the canvas has been DNA-tested against van Gogh's relatives. However, the only thing that could be established is that it comes from a man.
The painting was bought by a collector in 2016 and has belonged to LMI since 2019, according to CNN.
Ultimately, it is up to the Vincent van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam to determine whether the work can actually be attributed to the Dutch artist.
When the previous owner contacted the museum in 2018, the museum dismissed the idea that the painting was a van Gogh.
