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A 379-year-old Rembrandt 'selfie' has finally been verified as being painted by the Dutch Old Master's own hand.

The authenticity of the famous self-portrait has previously been in doubt, but following eight months of tests, scientists are now certain it is a genuine Rembrandt masterpiece.

The work of art, which has an estimated value of £30 million ($50 million), is now back on display at the National Trust's Buckland Abbey, near Tavistock in Devon.

Tina Sitwell, Paintings conservation advisor, (left) and Patricia Pertnyk, House Steward, are pictured with the self-portrait of Rembrandt. The painting has been returned to Buckland Abbey, Devon, after scientific analysis confirmed it was painted by Dutch Old Master's own hand

The painting was given to the National Trust in 2010 as a gift from the estate of the late Edna, Lady Samuel of Wych Cross, and is now the first Rembrandt in its collection of 13,500 paintings.

As the National Trust cares for items for public benefit forever, it could never be sold.

In the 31-inch by 28-inch (91 x 72cm) portrait, Rembrandt is wearing a black velvet cap with two ostrich feathers, a gorget - a decorative metal band worn round the neck and originally part of a military outfit or armour - and a short, decorated velvet cape.

Eight-year-old Harry Dempster looking at the self-portrait of Rembrandt. The painting was given to the National Trust in 2010 as a gift from the estate of the late Edna, Lady Samuel of Wych Cross, and is now the first Rembrandt in its collection of 13,500 paintings

Painted in 1635, the authenticity of the portrait had previously been thrown into doubt by Rembrandt specialist Horst Gerson and the Rembrandt Research Project in 1968.

At the time they felt that certain areas of the painting were not accomplished enough to be by Rembrandt, that the date and painting style did not correlate, and the panel type was unusual.

In 2005 Dr Ernst van de Wetering, one of these experts, concluded that the painting may well be a genuine Rembrandt when confronted with an X-radiograph of the painting and other circumstantial evidence.

In 2012 he had a chance to study the painting at Buckland Abbey where his theory was further confirmed.

His assurance led the conservation charity to send the painting away to the world famous Hamilton Kerr Institute in Cambridgeshire for further scientific analysis.

Christine Slottvedd Kimbriel, a paintings conservator at the Institute, explained the scientific work that was carried out to confirm it as a Rembrandt.

'The self-portrait went through a series of investigate analyses to include close visual examination under magnification, infra-red reflectography, X-radiography, raking light photography and pigment and medium analysis,' she said.

'Careful cleaning and removal of several layers of aged and yellowed varnish which had been added to the painting much later, revealed the original colours and painting style beneath.

'What was revealed was a true depth of colour, much more detail and a three-dimensional appearance to the fabric in Rembrandt's cloak which had previously been obscured and detracted from the quality of the work in the eyes of the Rembrandt Research Project.

Careful cleaning and removal of several layers of aged and yellowed varnish, which had been added to the painting much later, revealed the original colours and painting style beneath

'Next, it was close investigation of the artist's signature that gave us one of the biggest clues as to its true authenticity.

'The signature and date of 1635, inscribed both on the front and back of the panel, had been considered problematic in previous assessments as it was thought that the style and composition was much more akin to the artist's style slightly later in his career. 

'But, the cross-section analysis left no reason to doubt that the inscription was added at the time of execution of the painting.

'The infrared reflectography and X-ray photography gave further insight into the compositional changes that took place at various stages during the execution of the portrait.

'For example a white figure-of-eight cuff could be seen in the X-ray, showing how Rembrandt's left hand was at one stage included in the composition.

The self-portrait of Rembrandt has been carefully hung at the National Trust's Buckland Abbey, near Tavistock in Devon.  Painted in 1635, the authenticity of the portrait had previously been thrown into doubt by Rembrandt specialist Horst Gerson and the Rembrandt Research Project in 1968

'Changes to the outline of the figure, carried out at a late stage and without much care to perfectly match the surrounding paint, were also present, and again, such alterations are present in many of Rembrandt's own works, suggesting a dynamic process of painting typical of Rembrandt.'

David Taylor, paintings and sculptor curator at the National Trust, said: 'The debate over whether this is or isn't a Rembrandt has been ongoing for decades.

'The key element for me has been the cleaning. The varnish was so yellow that it was difficult to see how beautifully the portrait had been painted.

'Now you can really see all the flesh tones and other colours, as well as the way in which the paint has been handled - it's now much easier to appreciate it as a Rembrandt.

'With the technical analysis backing up Ernst's claims, we are obviously very excited.

'Caring for the work of one of the great Dutch masters, although in itself quite daunting, will also give us a great story to tell as we bring the mystery of its authorship to life for our visitors to enjoy.'

Dr van de Wetering, a Dutch art historian who is considered the leading world expert on Rembrandt, examined the painting before it returned to Buckland Abbey.

'Although I was pretty certain the painting was a Rembrandt when I saw it in 2013, I wanted to further examine it after cleaning and see the results from the technical analysis as this had never been done before,' he said.

'With all this additional scientific evidence, I am satisfied it is by Rembrandt.'