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A woman was left lost for words when she was informed that a painting that she hoped was by an esteemed artist was a genuine – and worth upwards of £100,000.
On the latest episode of Fake or Fortune, retired accountant Mary-Louise Wedderburn had the team behind the BBC series investigate a piece of art that she’d inherited from her late uncle in his will.
She explained that she believed it was by Read, a Scottish artist who lived in the 18th century, a distant relative of hers who was best known for her portraiture.
However, the painting in question, which depicts an elegantly dressed Indian woman, required close examination before a final assessment could be made.
One of the experts who assessed the artwork was Charles Greig, an art historian and scholar of Indian history. At first, he was dubious that the painting was by Read… but that was before further evidence was uncovered.
At the end of the episode, host Fiona Bruce joined Wedderburn as they heard the final verdict from Greig, alongside art dealer Philip Mould, about the artwork’s authenticity and value, having presented the art historian with a hefty dossier of research.
‘I’m very nervous about today because Charles Greig, when he first saw the painting, his reaction was, “It doesn’t look like a painting by Katherine Read.” And it does matter to me; it matters to me a lot whether or not it’s by Katherine Read,’ Wedderburn said.
When Mould asked her what she’d like to happen with the painting, Wedderburn explained that if it turned out to be by Read, she wanted it to go to a museum or a gallery, ‘preferably of course a Scottish gallery, because that’s where Katherine Read came from, where she belongs, which is in the public view’.
However, it all boiled down to whether Greig had changed his mind.
He began: ‘Well, let me start by saying this has been one of the trickiest paintings I’ve ever had to consider. I’ve read your dossier very carefully, and it’s incredibly impressive.’
He then concluded: ‘On the basis of all the evidence put together, I am entirely certain that this painting is by Katherine Read.’
‘Oh gosh! That’s just wonderful! Oh gosh!’ Wedderburn reacted in response, beaming from ear to ear. But that wasn’t all, as not only was this painting by an esteemed artist, but it is of great historical significance.
Explaining how he came to his final conclusion, Greig outlined: ‘The evidence from the dossier that to me was the strongest was the technical analysis done by the Courtauld. The similarity of the portrait of Helena Beatson, the pigments, the modelling of the figures, the brushwork, were very conclusive.
‘And more so, it is the first painting of an Indian by a European woman artist that is recorded, and that in itself is extraordinarily important.’
Wedderburn appeared lost for words as Bruce celebrated with her over the remarkable discovery.
‘It’s just wonderful. It’s unbelievable. Thank you so much. It’s just so important to me that it’s by Katherine Read because of the family connection but also because of who she was. I think the more that we find out about Katherine Read, the more I think she was a wonderful woman. She was just super,’ the owner of the painting shared.
In Greig’s view, it appeared likely that the subject of the portrait was a member of the Nawabs family in Madras, a family historically known as the Nawabs of Arcot who ruled in southeastern India in the 18th century.
The art historian explained that at that time, paintings of Indian women often depicted them as companions or as the wives of European men, which made this portrait stand out.
‘I can’t think of another portrait of an Indian lady of this period that is actually a part of a royal court, rather than a European’s household,’ he said.
‘So this is a properly significant painting?’ Bruce asked, to which he replied: ‘Yeah. That makes it enormously important.’
It was then Mould’s turn to chime in, with the art dealer revealing how much the painting would be worth today.
‘So in terms of value and importance, I think it’s worth clarifying, we have just witnessed a significant baptism in art historical terms. And now that we have a very significant artist and we also have a highly likely subject – admittedly not proven, but rare for that,’ he said.
‘Highly likely,’ Greig agreed.
Mould continued: ‘I think this is, well isn’t it Charles, it’s a hugely hot area in the art market.’
Greig confirmed: ‘There are few areas of the art market stronger than the Anglo-Indian paintings.’
At which point Mould dropped the incredible revelation: ‘So therefore we’re looking at £100,000 upwards.’
Wedderburn’s response to the value of the painting highlighted how much she cared about the artwork, as she told everyone that the amount of money ‘makes it a bigger responsibility than it was before’.
Admitting that she has no intention of selling the painting, she added: ‘The sooner she is somewhere safe as well as public, then I think the better.’
BBC viewers watching the programme were left in awe by the incredible art discovery.
‘I can honestly say I haven’t been so drawn in (pardon the pun) by a programme in a very long time. Well done, #BBC,’ MrHarrisKC wrote on X.
‘Oh how wonderful! I hope the painting does end up in a gallery for all to see,’ JadelynS added.
Fake or Fortune is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.