A man who bought a painting because he 'liked the frame' and then stored it in his attic ever since has been stunned to discover it could be a £40m masterpiece.

Auctioneers have examined the painting thought to bare the signature of renowned French post-impressionist master, Paul Cezanne.

If it is proved to be authentic, it will be the earliest known work to have been created by the painter and could be worth a fortune, experts claim.

'It wasn't until I was reading an art book [the owner said] that I started to compare it to Cezanne and then I carefully unravelled it so I could see the markings. I realised that I could be looking at the first-ever Paul Cezanne painting.'

'I'll be keeping it very safe until an expert can confirm what I believe.'