But while the Trust recognized that the portrait was a high-quality work, it was not put on display at Buckland Abbey, in Devon, southwest England, immediately.

CNN: Mystery masterpiece revealed as Rembrandt self-portrait

"It's amazing to think we might have had an actual Rembrandt hanging here on the walls at Buckland Abbey for the past couple of years, " Jez McDermott, property manager at Buckland Abbey, said in a statement.

CNN: Mystery masterpiece revealed as Rembrandt self-portrait

The self-portrait, the only Rembrandt in the National Trust's huge collection of 13, 500 paintings, will remain on display at Buckland Abbey until the end of the tourist season -- where it is expected to attract plenty of visitors -- and will then be sent for further tests to help confirm its new identity.

CNN: Mystery masterpiece revealed as Rembrandt self-portrait