‘Exceptionally rare’ painting — dating back 300 years — found in plain sight in the UK
A large painting hanging in Oxburgh Hall, a lavish manor in the English countryside, has long concealed a secret.
Affixed beneath a staircase, the portrait — which depicts three children — has been unidentified for centuries.
But now, during conservation work, it’s been revealed to be an “exceptionally rare” work by a famous 18th century artist, according to a May 6 news release from the National Trust.
The portrait, it turns out, was made by Jacob Christoff Le Blon, the creator of color printing, around 1721.
His “revolutionary” method involved using separate plates inked with primary colors to create complex pieces of work using the entire color spectrum.
Le Blon’s portrait is a copy of a celebrated work by Sir Anthony van Dyck, which is housed in the Royal Collection. It depicts the oldest children of King Charles I, a renowned patron of the arts, who reigned from 1625 to 1649.
In 1718, King George I granted Le Blon access to Kensington Palace in London, where he made replicas of the paintings inside, including the portrait of the royal children.
“The demand for his works was initially high and they were considered collectable enough to be listed in his wills,” according to the National Trust.
It’s not clear when exactly the portrait was brought to Oxburgh Hall, though it’s possible it arrived soon after its creation. Old inventory records indicate it had been hanging in the same place for over 100 years.
“Only three Le Blon prints of it were known to survive so to have a discovered a fourth is really exciting, especially as it is the only version that remains hanging in its historic setting,” Jane Eade, a National Trust curator, said in the release.
It’s also likely that the artwork held a special significance for the estate’s owner, a suspected Jacobite — a member of a political movement that supported restoring the House of Stuart to the British throne.
One of the children depicted in the painting was the father of James Francis Edward Stuart, who attempted to usurp the throne in the Jacobite rebellion of 1715.
“Copies of this painting are known to (have) been popular with those sympathetic to the Jacobite cause,” Ilana van Dort, the manager of the Oxburgh Collections, said in the release. “It would have been quite feasible that the print has spent its whole life at Oxburgh, although we lack enough evidence to prove it.”
The portrait, which will remain on display at the estate, will be the subject of a BBC news series on hidden treasures.
Oxburgh Hall is located in Oxborough, about 100 miles northeast of London.
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