In a remarkable discovery, Belgian art dealer Klaas Muller may have acquired an overlooked masterpiece by Peter Paul Rubens during an online auction three years ago. What makes this find even more intriguing is the unexpected revelation of a hidden second image within the artwork.
Muller purchased the piece, initially identified solely as a study by an unknown artist from the “Flemish school,” from a lesser-known auction house in northern Europe. Despite uncertainties about its origins, Muller was captivated by its Rubens-like quality and decided to investigate further. “I wasn’t certain it was a Rubens; it was just a strong hunch,” Muller shared with the Guardian.
Upon first glance, the painting portrays an elderly man with a prominent beard, his bald head highlighted against a dark backdrop. However, turning the artwork upside down reveals a young woman’s face cleverly concealed within the man’s beard. This duality adds a captivating layer to the potential Rubens piece.
Muller’s curiosity was fueled after recognizing the elderly man’s likeness to figures in Rubens’s famous series, “The Twelve Apostles,” housed in Madrid’s El Museo del Prado. He noticed a striking resemblance between his find and Rubens’s St. Thomas, as well as other figures in Rubens’s works like Saint Amandus, the Pharisee in “The Tribute Money,” and King Melchior in “The Adoration of the Magi.”
Encouraged by these connections, Muller secured the painting for under €100,000 ($115,000), a bargain considering its potential significance. The artwork is set to debut at the BRAFA Art Fair in Brussels this month, where Muller, who also chairs the event, hopes to catch the interest of museums for a long-term loan.
Dated between 1610 and 1612, the oil-on-panel painting suggests it may have served as a prototype for Rubens as he experimented with various physiognomies. To verify his suspicions, Muller consulted with art historian Ben van Beneden, formerly of the Rubenshuis in Antwerp. “It’s very plausible,” Van Beneden remarked to the Guardian, highlighting the piece’s lifelike quality despite it being a working material rather than a market-ready product.
Nonetheless, caution is advised. Nico Van Hout from the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, and an expert on Rubens’s study heads, refrained from authenticating the painting without personal examination. “Requests for opinions on unauthenticated paintings are frequent,” he noted. “Many hope they possess a masterpiece, but such occurrences are rare.”
Van Hout’s research did mention a Rubens study for the old man listed in the studio’s catalogue, raising the possibility that Muller’s purchase aligns with this missing work. While the authenticity of the painting as a genuine Rubens remains unconfirmed, the juxtaposition of images suggests it wasn’t intended as an optical illusion. The woman’s portrait was likely painted first, later overlaid by the elderly man’s visage.
The BRAFA Art Fair, held at Pl. de Belgique 1, Brussels, will feature this intriguing piece from January 25 to February 1, 2026.
