A painting of the famous Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh was discovered in an attic. The painting was suspected to be a fake and thus remained hidden for decades.

The painting called "Sunset at Montmajour" was painted around 1888. This was ascertained by the Van Gogh Museum. The museum asserted that the painting was original by examining the style, paint, canvas, technique and depiction. The letters of Van Gogh and the ownership history were also said to have been studied.

The painting is from a period which many consider to be the culmination of Van Gogh's artistic achievement. It was during this time that he painted the now world famous "Sunflowers," "Yellow house" and "The bedroom" paintings.

The research to check the authenticity of the painting was done by Louis van Tilborgh and Teio Meedendorp. Both of them are the top researchers at the Van Gogh Museum.

They said that there are parallels between the new painting, in terms of style and technique, and the other paintings of Van Gough from the summer of 1888. The records showed that the painting belonged to Theon Van Gogh in the 1890 and was subsequently sold in the year 1901.

The location depicted in the painting was also identified. It is near Montmajour hill and close to the city Arles. The landscape of the area conforms to the painting. There were also two letters by Van Gogh with reference to the painting.

Van Gogh is said to have mentioned in the letter that he had not succeeded in the painting. The painting also shows some weaker elements compared to the strong characteristics of a typical Van Gogh painting.

The canvass used by the painting was found to be similar to at least one of Van Gogh's previous paintings. The pigments used in the painting correspond to his palette from Arles. The style of the painting can be compared to "The rocks" which is housed in the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston.

The painting is relatively large with dimensions of 93.3 cm x 73.3 cm. The technical analysis of the painting was done by the restorer at the Van Gogh Museum - Oda van Maanen in cooperation with the Cultural Heritage Agency of Netherlands.

The discovery of the painting is the biggest in the history of the Van Gough Museum, according to Director Axel Ruger of the museum. The painting was unveiled on Sept 9 and will be available for public viewing from Sept 24.