Portrait of a Gentleman, His Daughter and a Servantat the Musede la Chartreuse in Douai, France Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP via Getty ImagesImagine walking down a street and running into a childhood friend you havent seen in decades. Despite the years and the changes that come with them, you know just who youre looking at.Thats what happened withPhilippe Costamagna, whose eye is so well trained that he can recognize an artists signature style, saysPierre Bonnaure, director of the Muse de la Chartreuse in Douai, France, perIcis Sophie Morlans.Last year, Bonnaures museum called on experts like Costamagna, who specializes in Florentine and Roman art, as part of an effort to study and restore its collection of Italian paintings.As Costamagna perused the museums storage rooms, a dark piece calledPortrait of a Gentleman, His Daughter and a Servant caught his expert eye. It gave him that feeling of recognizing an old friend.Originally attributed toPieter Pourbus, aFlemish Renaissance artist who worked in Bruges during the 16th century, the painting depicts an austere man and his young daughter in matching ruffs. The girl passes flowers to her father, who is sitting in a chair. In the background, a servant peels back a curtain to deliver a basket of fruit.Costamagna thought he saw something elsesomething strangely familiarin the 16th-century painting, which had been bequeathed to the museum in the 1850s.People told me, Its a northern painting, says Costamagna to Agence France-Presse (AFP). He disagreed. Its an Italian painting, Bolognese in spirit from A to Z. Everything is reminiscent of it: the little girl with the little flowers, the strokes on the collar and on the sleeve.Portrait of a Gentleman, His Daughter and a Servantis now attributed to Lavinia Fontana, one of the first professional female artists. Claude Thriez / Muse de la Chartreuse de DouaiOver several months, Costamagna worked quietly to confirm his hunch. Finally, he delivered his verdict to the museum: Portrait of a Gentleman, His Daughter and a Servant was not the work of Pourbus. Instead, it belongs to the oeuvre ofLavinia Fontana, a Renaissance painter widely considered to be one of thefirst professional female artists.Born in Bologna in 1552, Fontana learned to paint under the guidance of her father,Prospero Fontana, aMannerist with a prominent reputation in the citys art scene.At age 25, she married Gian Paolo Zappi, an artist who gave up his own career to work as her agent, helping her secure major commissions from the popesGregory XIII andClement VIII.Though she was a mother of 11 children, she found time to paint portraits, mythological scenes, some femalenudes and major altar pieces for churches across Italy. She also earned a living from her work, which was an incredibly uncommon feat for women at the time. Before her death in 1614, she became the first woman accepted to the elite ranks of RomesAccademia di San Luca.Despite these accolades, Fontana isnt as well-known as some of her male Renaissance counterparts. In France, her work rarely shows up in public collections. FontanasPortrait of a Pregnant Woman, Possibly a Self-Portraitmay depict the artist herself, who gave birth to 11 children. Public domain via Wikimedia CommonsIts obviously a major discovery, like finding a treasure in your attic, Bonnaure tells Ici.Bonnaure hopes it wont be the last treasure to come out of his museums archives. The Muse de la Chartreuse displays around 750 artworks, but it has almost 70,000 in storage.While Portrait of a Gentleman, His Daughter and a Servant was briefly on view at the museum in Douai, it will undergo a complete restoration before entering the permanent collections.The painting is in excellent condition, Costamagna tells AFP. It hasnt been badly restored in the past, so it hasnt been distorted. The restoration will enhance it.The remarkable discovery will also help enhance Fontanas reputation, in Douai and beyond.Were hearing more and more about her, Auriane Delbarre, Douais deputy mayor for culture, tellsBFM Lilles Franois Wasson and Juliette Moreau Alvarez. Shell help attract a new audience that will be curious to come discover her work.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Archives, Art, Art History, Artists, Arts, Cool Finds, France, Italy, Museums, Renaissance, Renovation and Restoration, Visual Arts, Women's History