A missing portrait of King Henry VIII has been spotted in the background of a photo shared on social media. Art historian Adam Busiakiewicz, a consultant for Sotheby's auction house, saw the piece in a photo shared by Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, reported New York Post. The image was taken during an official reception held inside a government building, the Shire Hall.
Delighted to host a reception for Lieutenancy ambassadors to thank them and my Deputy Lieutenants for all they do across #Warwickshirepic.twitter.com/gJOssu2Zj5
— Warwickshire Lieutenancy (@Warkslieutenant) July 4, 2024
The painting is believed to be a part of Sheldon's portrait series of monarchs, queens, and other significant historical individuals. The artwork is thought to be one of the 22 portraits a local politician and tapestry manufacturer commissioned in the 1590s. The original location of these paintings was Sheldon's Warwickshire residence, Weston House, in the Long Gallery.
In a blog post shared last month, Mr Busiakiewicz pointed out the unusual arched top and parallels with other Sheldon commission portraits still in existence. He wrote, "Seeing this round-topped portrait immediately reminded me of a famous set of likenesses commissioned by the local politician and tapestry maker Ralph Sheldon (c. 1537–1613) for his home Weston House, Warwickshire, during the 1590s."
"Consisting of twenty-two portraits, mostly images of Kings, Queens and significant contemporary international figures, only a handful are known today.1 They are notable for each having arched tops, as they were once incorporated into an architectural frieze of the Long Gallery at Weston," he added.
Following his visit to Warwick Shire Hall, Mr Busiakiewicz detailed the proof and identified the portrait in a follow-up blog post. He wrote that the portrait was large, and completely in line with the other Sheldon portraits (measuring approximately 84 cm tall), much more imposing than other bust-length Elizabethan corridor portraits of the period. "Henry VIII's face commands a particularly strong presence in the composition, and its considerable size is suggestive perhaps that a cartoon from the Holbein mural (like the Petworth painting) is likely to have been used in its creation," he further said.
The portrait was credited to an artist working in the style of Hans Holbein the Younger when it was purchased by the Warwickshire County Council in 1951 from Madingley Hall, now a part of the University of Cambridge, mentioned Adam Busiakiewicz in his blog. It is uncertain where the picture was between 1908 and 1951 as well as its entire origin.
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