Category: Discoveries
Prime Version of Caravaggio's Boy Peeling Fruit?
June 6 2025
Picture: Finestresullarte.info
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Both finestresullarte.info and elpais.com have reported on news that Gianni Papi, an Italian scholar on the 17th century who focuses on the works of Caravaggio (widely consulted in the art trade too), has found the original or prime version of Caravaggio's much repeated Boy Peeling Fruit. The work was apparently sold at auction 'in northern Europe' in 2024 and new x-rays purport to show that the artist had originally painted in a small dog to the scene (near where the boy's hands, fruit and shirt meet) which was later covered over. Follow the links for the full story.
For a backstory regarding this composition, here is Bendor's blog post from 2015 regarding a version that was offered for sale at Christie's (but didn't sell).
Update - A reader has very kindly been in touch with the following sale of an 'after' Caravaggio copy that made €135,000 at Horta in Belgium back in January 2024. Might this be the resurfaced picture?
Another Autograph Version of Guido Reni's David and Goliath Discovered
June 5 2025
Picture: Turquin
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The French art press have reported on news of the reappearance of another autograph version of Guido Reni's David and Goliath (of which many versions are known). The picture has been linked to a commission from the Duke of Modena (a provenance which was also claimed by this version which failed to sell at Sotheby's in 2012) which was later acquired by Eugene of Savoy and was eventually came into the collection of General Dupont at the end of the eighteenth century (click on the link above to read the full story). The discovery was unveiled by Turquin & Associates today.
The work will be offered for sale in November carrying an estimate of €2m - €4m.
Latest Burlington Edition
June 4 2025
Picture: burlington.org.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
June's edition of The Burlington Magazine is filled with quite a few interesting discoveries this month.
Here's a list of the main article contained within:
Art and diplomacy: the embassy of Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich, to Spain and Portugal (1666–68) - By Angela Delaforce
Ribera’s philosophers from the Alcalá collection - By Florent de Vernejoul
Two royal portraits by Reynolds rediscovered in Kassel - By Justus Lange,Martin Spies
A rediscovered painting by Sofonisba Anguissola - By Michael Cole
An unpublished letter by Sir Joshua Reynolds - By Giovanna Perini Folesani
Guardi and the English tourist: a postscript - By Francis Russell
A newly discovered early photograph of Camille Claudel - By Sue Bucklow
Howard Burns (1939–2025)
Drawing by 11-year-old Joseph Wright of Derby Rediscovered
May 28 2025
Picture: The Art Newspaper
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Art Newspaper has shared news of this rather interesting rediscovered drawing by the 11-year-old Joseph Wright of Derby. The work on paper, which features within the Derby Museum's recently opened Joseph Wright of Derby: Life on Paper show, was unearthed in a private collection and is currently in the care of dealers Lowell Libson & Jonny Yarker.
According to the article:
The head of Silenus is proudly inscribed “Jos Wright 11 Years”, and may have been copied from a print in a book from his father’s library—or, curator Lucy Bamford thinks, possibly from an inn sign in the city.
The exhibition, which contains no fewer than 50 works on paper by the artist, will run until 7th September 2025.
$78.8m in New York and a John Vanderbank in Wolverhampton
May 23 2025
Picture: Wolverhampton Art Gallery via. ArtUK
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
This was quite a week for the sale of Old Master Paintings. Totting up the recent four big sales in New York shows that $78.86m of art was sold during the past five days. Although less than forecasts had projected, this is still a rather colossal amount for a period which is usually considered 'mid-season' (not to mention the breaking of several artist records also). With lots of exciting announcements made for the July season in London, and surely many more to come, will 2025 be a record year for our small corner of the art world?
In less significant news, I've had the pleasure to spend quite a bit of time in the early-eighteenth century recently (for reasons I'll explain another time). One of the accidental 'finds' on my journey has been this beautifully painted head study by John Vanderbank (1694-1739). The Wolverhampton Art Gallery, where the picture has been since 1887, had catalogued it as by 'an unknown artist'. Vanderbank's vigorous brushwork, which he may have picked up whilst studying at Kneller's academy, is very distinctive along with the rather pointy face pattern he uses. It's quite possible this is a preliminary study for the full-length portrait of James, 2nd Duke of Hamilton, dated 1732, which was sold from Hamilton Palace in 1919 (2). An example, perhaps, that some artists really couldn't rise to the challenge of scaling up sometimes.
Wishing readers of AHN a very good weekend ahead.
Research on Rediscovered Medieval Panel from Hexham Abbey
April 18 2025
Picture: newsroom.northumbria.ac.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Northumbria University that a medieval panel, discovered in the triforium in Hexham Abbey back in 2017, has been the subject of a research project. Work undertaken by Dr Charis Theodorakopoulos, a heritage scientist at Northumbria University who was commissioned by the Abbey to look into the matter, will be unveiled in an online presentation on 30th April 2025 (more details via the link above).
Online Lecture on Paulus Potter Rediscovery
April 4 2025
Picture: icon.org.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Institute for Conservation (ICON) are hosting an online lecture on 5th June 2025 entitled Uncovering a Lost Masterpiece: The Hidden Story Behind Paulus Potter’s The Abduction of Europa.
According ot their website:
A long-lost monumental painting by Dutch master Paulus Potter has been rediscovered - thanks to a 1664 newspaper announcement!
Research has now linked Head of a White Bull, a fragment in the National Gallery of Ireland, to this forgotten work. Technical analysis has uncovered Europa herself, hidden beneath layers of overpainting. Once a grand mythological scene, the painting was cut down and altered over time, obscuring Potter’s rare foray into mythology.
This discovery not only expands his known oeuvre but also challenges the long-held belief that his genius was confined to animal depictions.
Non-members are welcome to join and booking details are available via the link above.
Lavinia Fontana discovery at Musée de la Chartreuse
March 27 2025
Picture: Smithsonian Magazine
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I'm a little slow to news that the Musée de la Chartreuse in France has rediscovered a work by Lavinia Fontana in their collection. Here's the write up from the Smithsonian Magazine website, which explains the picture will soon be undergoing a full restoration project before being redisplayed to the public.
Rediscovering Edith MacDonald-Brown at the MSVU Art Gallery
March 21 2025
Picture: MSVU Art Gallery
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Interesting news from Canada that the MSVU Art Gallery in Halifax, connected to Mount Saint Vincent University, opened an exhibition last month dedicated to Edith MacDonald-Brown (1886-1954). Believed to be Canada's first black female artist, Edith was born in Africville, a historic African Nova Scotian enclave in Halifax, and produced many of her paintings throughout her teenage years. The show will run in Halifax until 26th April 2025 and click on the link above to read more about her life and career.
Reattributed Mantegna Displayed in Vatican Museums
March 18 2025
Picture: finestresullarte.info
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Finestre sull'arte has published news that a painting, reattributed to Andrea Mantegna, has gone on display in the Vatican Museums for a special display. The work was discovered in Pontifical Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Holy Rosary in Pompeii and has been subject to a conservation and research project looking into its attribution and physical properties. Click on the link above to read the full story.
A Guido Reni uncovered at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Libourne?
March 14 2025
Video: lalibre.be
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Interesting news from France that a conservation project undertaken on a painting in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Libourne may have uncovered an autograph work by Guido Reni. Donated to the museum in 1949, and long thought to be a copy, conservation work undertaken by the Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France (C2RMF) has concluded that it may in fact be earlier than the two other autograph versions known in Madrid and Naples.
The work has gone on display today at the Chapelle du Carmel in Libourne so that the public may go and have a look for themselves.
Bellotto not Canaletto
March 14 2025
Picture: The Wallace Collection
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Artnet have published news that a painting in The Wallace Collection, London, which had been thought of as a Canaletto for many years, has been reattributed to his nephew Bernardo Bellotto. The discovery is part of the revelations encountered in new research for the aforementioned book on the collection's Venetian vedute. In fact, the work is now thought to be one of Bellotto's earliest works produced around the time the artist was 16 years old.
Tudor Portrait rediscovered on 'X' to be redisplayed in Museum
March 7 2025
Picture: Warwickshire County Council
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A small plug that I'm helping the Warwickshire Museum Services fundraise for the conservation and redisplay of Ralph Sheldon's Lost Portrait of Henry VIII, which I accidentally rediscovered on social media last summer. Alongside repairs to the oak panel, frame, followed by reglazing, the painting will have its rather clumsy and discoloured retouchings removed and replaced to allow the obvious quality of the picture to shine through.
Due to the fact that funds are being raised through the Warwickshire County Council, it is not possible to set up a 'go-fund-me' style page alas (more details of how to get in touch to donate via the link above). Any donations are gratefully received as ever!
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As an aside, do get in touch if you ever hear of any similar fundraising projects that are worth posting here on AHN.
Update - Here's the BBC's article on the fundraising campaign.
Update 2 - Here's an interview I gave for BBC Midlands Today on the painting, including pointing out some interesting pentimenti etc.
Titian in the Burlington
March 6 2025
Picture: Burlington
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I'm excited to get my hands on this month's edition of The Burlington Magazine, which appears to have a very interesting selection of fresh research on many intriguing paintings. This includes new technical analysis on the Titian portrait illustrated above, which is preserved in a private collection.
Here's a list of the other articles in March's edition:
Cristoforo de Predis at the Sforza Court - By Jeffrey Schrader
A portrait of an unknown woman by Titian - By Peter Humfrey and Paul Joannides
A Safavid ambassadress in Rome: the last testament of Teresa Sampsonia Shirley - By Alexandria Brown-Hedjazi
Additions to Ter Brugghen in Italy: ‘Christ bound to the column’ and ‘St John the Baptist in the wilderness’ - By John Gash
‘Two boys with a bladder’ in the J. Paul Getty Museum and Joseph Wright of Derby’s early candlelights - By Julia Siemon
Paul Sandby and Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn revisited - By Oliver Fairclough
Observations about the abandoned portrait beneath Gainsborough’s ‘Blue boy’ - By Christina Milton O'Connell
Joan Carlile Sleeper!
March 2 2025
Picture: lawsons.com.au
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A reader of this blog has kindly been in touch to let me know of this intriguing picture catalogued as 'Circle of Peter Lely' which made 45,000 AUD (the equivalent of £22,200) over its 2,000 - 3,000 AUD estimate at Lawsons in Australia today. It seems rather clear that this is a lost work by Joan Carlile (see here for another example), and a very beautiful one at that. I'm sure the picture will turn up somewhere interesting in due course!
Update - Thierry at @auctionradar made a good observation on Instagram yesterday that it appears the composition was inspired by Titian's Portrait of Laura Dianti (last recorded in the Kisters collection). The engraver Aegidius Sadeler made a print of the painting when it was in the collection of Rudolf II in Prague, which is probably how Joan Carlile came to know this particular Titian.
Wheelie bin Romney up for sale
February 21 2025
Picture: Roseberys
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Amusing news that a drawing by George Romney, that was discovered in a wheelie bin in upstate New York, is going to be featured within an upcoming sale at Roseberys. The drawing is said to depict Henrietta Greville, 2nd Countess of Warwick.*
According to the article linked above:
The collector, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "When I first found it buried in the wheelie bin it looked interesting but I had no idea it was nearly 300 years old.
"After taking it home and doing some research I couldn't believe it. How did this mid-18th century drawing from England end up in the trash in upstate New York?"
The drawing will be offered for sale on 12th March 2025 carrying an estimate of £600 - £800.
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* - As it happens, the Earls and Countesses of Warwick are one of my pet subjects. The identification comes from what appears to be a much later inscription on the mount and is curious since the work does in no way resemble Romney's portrait of the Countess and her children (now in the Frick) or a lost portrait of her that was engraved. Was the identification made at some point in the 20th century by someone who had knowledge of the Frick collection painting, which happened to have been acquired in 1908? A mystery.
Restored 'Botticelli' Teased before Redisplay in Naples
February 18 2025
Picture: ilcorrierino.it
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Regular readers might remember a story from November 2023 regarding the rediscovery of a lost 'Botticelli' by the Italian police. The painting (left) was found in a private home in Naples and had at the time been connected to a work which went missing from Santa Maria delle Grazie over half a century ago. The Italian press (spotted via. @Mweilc) have just shared very blurry images of the now-restored work (right) before it goes on display in an unspecified museum in Naples. The work was undertaken by Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence. More news and photos when they appear...
Courtauld scan reveals figure under Picasso
February 13 2025
Picture: courtauld.ac.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Courtauld Institute in London has shared news that x-ray and infra-red scans undertaken within its conservation studios have revealed a figure (or 'mystery woman') underneath Pablo Picasso's 1901 Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto.
According to the institute's website:
Conducted in collaboration with the Oskar Reinhart Collection, ‘Am Römerholz’, Switzerland, the unknown artwork was discovered when The Courtauld took x-ray and infrared images of Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto – a portrait depicting Picasso’s sculptor friend painted in 1901 and one of the earliest examples of the artist’s Blue Period – ahead of its display as part of the upcoming The Griffin Catalyst Exhibition: Goya to Impressionism. Masterpieces from the Oskar Reinhart Collection, opening 14 February.
The Courtauld’s analysis of the painting reveals it played an important role at a crucial stage in the young Picasso’s stylistic development, at a time when he was moving away from colourful, Impressionistic paintings towards a distinctly more melancholy artistic style which became the defining phase of his career known as his Blue Period.
Horace Walpole's Fontana Miniature on display at Strawberry Hill
January 30 2025
Picture: Period Portraits / The British Museum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Strawberry Hill House, the marvellous former home of the collector Horace Walpole, will be displaying a recently rediscovered miniature by Lavinia Fontana which had once formed part of its celebrated collection. The miniature was acquired in a provincial US auction by the dealer Nick Cox and subsequent research revealed its attribution and illustrious provenance. The work will be on display there until 23rd April 2025 and there will be a special lecture by V&A curator Adriana Concin-Tavella (who made the connection to Walpole) on 12th February delving further into this rediscovery.
Blog On...
January 30 2025
Picture: Witt Library
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Apologies for the delay in restarting AHN these past few days. I have been rather tied up with various lecturing and research projects. There's been lots of news developing recently, so it is about time I got going!
As a fun aside, here's a rather nice (as far as I can tell) unrecorded painting by Joan Carlile (c. 1606–1679) that I recently spotted thanks to the digitization of the Witt Library at the Courtauld Institute. The picture, which was given to Adriaen Hanneman many decades ago, was last recorded with the Ehrich Galleries in New York. I wonder where it is now?
