New research using advanced imaging techniques suggests that the hidden male portrait beneath Johannes Vermeer's 'Girl with the Red Hat' (c. 1664-69) at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., may have been painted by Vermeer himself, rather than an unidentified artist as previously thought. Earlier studies had dismissed the underpainting as the work of another hand due to its loose brushwork, but recent analysis indicates Vermeer's initial paintwork was typically looser and quicker. The male figure's costume dates the composition to 1650-55, which would make it Vermeer's only known male portrait and predate his earliest known work, 'Christ in the House of Mary and Martha' (1654-55).
If confirmed, this discovery would significantly expand understanding of Vermeer's early career, suggesting he may have painted portraits before turning to religious subjects. It also raises the possibility that other early Vermeer portraits survive but remain unidentified. Alternatively, the underpainting could be by Carel Fabritius, Vermeer's fellow Delft artist, as a 1676 inventory shows Vermeer owned two male heads by Fabritius. If so, it would add a major work to Fabritius's tiny surviving oeuvre of about a dozen paintings.