Missing painting 'worth up to £1.5 MILLION' found hanging under the stairs
CHRISTMAS came early for one UK homeowner after a missing painting worth up to £1.5 million was found hanging in their staircase.
The painting was spotted hanging under the staircase
Eagle-eyed expert Julian Gascoigne spotted that the oil sketch of Waterloo Bridge was a genuine Constable, worth between £1 million to 1.5 million and is the missing piece in the development in one of his famous works.
At first sight, the work appeared to be nothing more than a pleasant painting.
However, on closer inspection, the item is now considered to be a genuine work by John Constable.
The piece has been “rediscovered” by Mr Gascoigne, an auctioneer Sotheby’s specialist who noticed it during a visit to the home.
Fake or Fortune viewers STUNNED by Constable valuation
This is what you live for
As Mr Gascogine left the house, he said: “That’s a very nice Constable,” to which the owner replied: “What Constable?”
It is now known that the painting was part of a treasure trove of works owned by Camille Groult, who established the most significant collection of British art in 19th century France, and passed to his descendants.
The current owner of the painting, who does not want to be named, was completely unaware that it was such a prestigious piece.
With the owners’ permission, Mr Gascoigne took the painting back to the office where it underwent a thorough examination.
The painting is up for auction at Sotheby's today
Several months later, specialists confirmed that they believed it to be a genuine Constable: the first preparatory sketch for his The Opening of Waterloo Bridge.
Mr Gascoigne said: “We can now see what Constable’s first thoughts were.
“It’s very exciting. Working in the commercial art world, this is what you live for: the lure of finding something previously untraced.”
Now, the painting hangs in Tate Britain and is famous for being the Constable work hanging beside JMW Turner’s seascape in the 1832 Royal Academy exhibition.
The sketch was included in a 1984 Catalogue Raisonne, but its whereabouts was unknown.
The painting is estimated to sell for between £1-1.5m when it is offered at Sotheby’s, London today.