The portrait, sent for auction, suddenly turned out to be Velazquez for three million

The painting arrived at an auction among the paintings of a forgotten British artist, valued at a hundred pounds apiece. But what was the owner’s surprise when the experts agreed - the portrait of a man in a high collar belongs to the brush of the seventeenth-century Spanish master Diego Rodriguez de Silva Velazquez.

As soon as the shipment arrived at Bonhams’ Oxford office, the researchers noticed that the work was very different from the rest, owned by Matthew Shepperson. Then, the London headquarters was activated as soon as possible, followed by months of research and consultations with experts in Dublin and Madrid. They confirmed the fact of a rare discovery - the work belongs to the brush of the Spanish court artist. All this is reported in the official Bonhams newsletter.

If the painting was sold, like the work of Shepperson, who in the nineteenth century worked as an artist at Buckingham Palace, it would hardly have been priced at £ 300. The information that opens will raise the price of a work of art to approximately 3 million pounds.

Andrew Mackenzie, Head of Bonhams’ Old Masters Department, notes: “Discovering this lost treasure is a unique experience and an opportunity to present it to the world.”

According to the representative of the auction house Bonhams, great interest is expected from collectors around the world, since the works of this master very rarely go to auction. The last Velazquez was sold in 2006. Now in the hands of private individuals are only four of his paintings.

It is possible that Shepperson himself was a middle-hand collector. “Undoubtedly, Shepperson had a trained eye and it is quite possible that he acquired the painting as an example of a portrait of the highest caliber,” says Mr. Mackenzie.

A spokeswoman for the auction house said that the owner of the collection, who wished to remain anonymous, inherited most of Shepperson’s work, among which Velasquez was “haunted”. “The upcoming auction“ will make a big difference in his life. ”

Dr. Peter Cherry from the University of Dublin, which is considered one of the most respected experts in the world of Velazquez, notes: “The style and technical superiority of the presented canvas betray its author.”

The person’s identity was not established in the portrait, but it could have been Juan Mateos, the senior ranger of the patron saint of Velazquez, King Philip IV of Spain.

The work will be auctioned by Old Masters at Bonhams on December 7th.

According to the newspaper London Evening Standard , author of the original text Louise Jury.