THE MOST valuable painting in the National Trust's collection of 12,500 works of art is now taking pride of place in Buckland Abbey. The self portrait of Dutch Old Master Rembrandt, valued at £30-million, has been scientifically verified as a genuine original and will belong to the abbey, the former home of Sir Francis Drake, in perpituity. Excitement is tangible at the trust's property where the painting, created in 1635, and bequeathed to the trust in 2010, has returned after eight months of painstaking investigative work at the world-famous Hamilton Kerr Institute in Cambridgeshire. Buckland Abbey property manager Jez McDermott said it had been a long wait to find out if the Rembrandt was genuine — the authenticity of the portrait had previously been thrown into doubt by the Rembrandt Research Project in 1968 — but now he could finally say: 'Yes!' Jez said: 'People keep asking me, "Is it or isn't it?" — there has been so much interest. 'If you ask people if they can name five painters, the chances are Rembrandt would be amongst them, so to have the only Rembrandt in the National Trust's collection and the only one in the South West right here is very exciting. 'Now it is clear cut we expect the footfall here to increase and bring Buckland Abbey even more alive. 'It has definitely put us on the map and we can appeal to a much wider audience. It is not just art enthusiasts we are expecting but people interested in the story or the journey of how we got to this point. 'The Rembrandt Revealed exhibition is very interactive and we are very much looking forward to sharing the story with everybody.' The painting, which originally stood in the Georgian dining room of Buckland Abbey, was left to the trust with four other paintings by Harold, Lord Samuel of Wych Cross, a property developer and keen art collector. It is one of between 40 and 50 self portraits by the Dutch master who in 1635, at the age of 29, was at the height of his fame. Paintings conservation advisor Christine Sitwell said: 'We have paintings by Rubens, Canaletto, Stubbs and El Greco, but this is the most valuable painting in the trust's ownership right now,' she said. 'This poor little painting has finally been given back its true attribution. It looks beautiful and it will never be sold. It will always belong to the National Trust and Buckland Abbey.' David Taylor, paintings and sculptor curator at the National Trust said: 'The debate over whether this is or isn't a Rembrandt has been on-going 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.' To enable the public to see the intricate detail of the artwork, there is no glass border around it. Visitors will be asked to contribute their own 'selfie' at Buckland to an interactive display that changes during the life of the exhibition, helping mark the importance of self-portraits in the history of European art and culture and celebrate the return of this remarkable find to Buckland. The Rembrandt Revealed exhibition opens to the public tomorrow (Friday).