Some say it is the last in the famous Dr Gachet paintings, others, however, contend that it is a picture of rather disconsolate man with a cheese sandwich draped nonchalantly upon his head. 

"Look at his eyes," declaims Professor Henryk Podpaski of the University of Cologne "it is clearly Gachet." 

The dissipating brushwork in the final open quadrangle of the painting, however, seems somewhat alien to the classic Van Gogh and opens up the possibility that this painting is not of the famous doctor, but of Van Gogh's great friend and drinking companion Claudius Braskenbochus.

"If we peer closely at what appears to be the hat" interjects Dr Max C Hammer of the East Timor Institute of Fine Arts "we can see the cheese, perhaps melted cheese, appearing between the white slice at the top and a brown (or crusted) slice at the bottom."

With the painting due to be auctioned today at Argos in New York this week, the controversy is set to play well to theatre goers following the decision of Kevin Spacey to write and produce a play entitled "The dilemma of Dr Gachet's sandwich". 

The author of this article wishes that he had had more time but on this occasion the foundation of my opportunity lay in a well outside the city walls.  A witch captured the mice and drove them to the next town.  The mayor paid a piper to find them, "he was lousy so I refused to pay and he took all the town's children away!  I spoke to the police, but they were not interested!"

Dr Gachet is 34.