The Van Dyck painting was bought for £400. Photo: PA WireA painting bought for £400 that was revealed to be a Van Dyck portrait when it was taken along to an episode of Antiques Roadshow is expected to sell for around £500,000 when it goes under the hammer this year.
The work was bought 12 years ago by Fr Jamie MacLeod from an antiques shop in Cheshire and was identified after the show’s host, Fiona Bruce, thought it might be genuine.
Bruce, who was making a show about the artist with expert Philip Mould, asked him to look at it and after a lengthy restoration process the painting was verified by Christopher Brown, who is one of the world authorities on Van Dyck.
Fr MacLeod, who runs a retreat in the Peak District, “It has been a blessing to own this magnificent portrait which has given me great pleasure over the years. I will be sad to part with it, though the proceeds will be put to excellent use, going towards the acquisition of new church bells for Whaley Hall Ecumenical Retreat House in Derbyshire to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War Iin 2018.”
A beautifully observedhead study
The painting is believed to be a sketch for a work called the Magistrates of Brussels which hung in the city’s Town Hall until it was destroyed by a French attack in 1695.
Christie’s specialist Freddie de Rougemont said: “We are delighted to present this beautifully observed head study by Sir Anthony van Dyck for sale, particularly after its exciting rediscovery on the Antiques Roadshow.
“The picture is of great importance as it provides a fascinating insight into Van Dyck’s working method and also constitutes a significant surviving document for the artist’s lost group portrait of The Magistrates of Brussels.”
It is on public view at Christie’s New York until tomorrow, then in London from July 5 to 8 when it will be sold at the auction house’s London sale of Old Master and British Paintings.
Van Dyck was born in modern-day Belgium and came to England in 1632 at the invitation of King Charles I.