NEW YORK (REUTERS).- Experts at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art have determined that a 1624 portrait previously attributed to a follower of the Spanish painter Velazquez was done by the master himself. The museum said the portrait of King Philip IV, which went on display on Tuesday, is authentic, reversing a 1973 finding that it had been done by an assistant to Velazquez. The experts reached their conclusion after removing paint and varnish that had had been added to the damaged canvas over the years, the museum said. The Met had downgraded the picture, determining it was likely done by an assistant or follower studying under Velazquez in his workshop, the Met said, confirming a story first reported in the New York Times on Tuesday. Quite large at 6.5 feet tall by more