Art Detectives Unveil The Hidden Stories In Four Paintings | Fake Or Fortune Series 4 | Perspective

foreign [Music] the art world where paintings change hands for Fortune selling at 95 million but for every known Masterpiece there may be another still waiting to be discovered well that's it well that's it isn't it that is it that is our painting International art dealer Philip mold and I have teamed up to hunt for lost works by great artists we use old-fashioned detective work and state-of-the-art science to get to the truth science can enable us to see beyond the human eye isn't that incredible yeah the problem is not every painting is quite what it seems I paid about a hundred thousand pounds for it that is a lot if it's fake it's a journey that can end in Joy isn't that great or bitter disappointment they are declaring that your painting be seized and then destroyed in our first new investigation we take on one of the biggest names in 20th century art Lawrence Stephen Lowry [Music] we're on the trail of three small oil paintings by Britain's Best Loved modern artist bought by a self-made man with a passion for art it'd be worth a small fortune but uncertainty about their origin means they could be worth nothing at all yeah they are worthless the trouble is LS Larry is one of the most frequently faked artists his simple style making him a soft target for notorious forges I'm just going to kind of get this on as fast as you can especially if you want to do fake can we prove that these three paintings are genuine works there they are look that's it that's them or could there be a more Sinister explanation so we're dealing with a rogue pigment possibly Road painting [Music] we're heading to the north west of England to follow up a lead on a small collection of artworks thought to be by LS Lowry the Region's most celebrated artist best known for his Smoky industrial scenes of Northern life we come to see a man who has just inherited three works that he believes are by LS Lowry the problem is he can't quite prove that they are and the other problem is is that Larry as you know is one of the most faked artists around so it could be complicated we've arranged to meet property developer Stephen Ames in neston in Cheshire how are you very well very nice to meet you he's brought us to the home of his late father Gerald who died last year aged 87 leaving behind several artworks including a trio of possible Lowry's well this is a lovely collection isn't it these look great I think this is probably my favorite this lady here with the two dogs aren't they I mean it's a wonderful quirky image done in a slightly abstract form against that white background you know typical in a sense Larry and then the one above I mean I'm so pleased we've got a crowd scene back because he's so famous for that and all these little figures are all slightly separate one from the other yeah rather lonely slightly dislocated and what about this rather marvelous pair here yeah he loved quirky subjects I mean he had this Perpetual eye open for the opportunity one feels that this is this is based on on something if it is by Larry that the man encountered born in Lancashire in 1887 Larry became fascinated by the factories and everyday life of Manchester and Salford where he lived and worked as a rent collector often sneered at by the art establishment he painted for decades in obscurity before finding Fame in old age by the 1960s and 70s he was wildly popular a genuine people's artist and after he died even the subject of a chart-topping song many of Larry's admirers were new to Art buying and Keen to stay in touch with their Northern Roots just like Steven's father Gerald and this is your dad here is it let's have a look at these pictures he looks quite a character it was it was quite um and that's your mum is it with the Beehive it is yes and your dad looking like something out of Mission Impossible well that's right tremendous it is it was down to the 70s period piece isn't it really it really is the son of a nurse and Merchant Seaman Gerald Ames was a self-made man who became a successful company director able to afford the Finer Things in life and have you got another picture there what's that one underneath I think I think this is slightly earlier he bought this plane I'm sure in 1969 it was 1970 so it's all the same period what a dude your dad was great childhood you must have had I did Growing Up with all these boys toys we did we did have a fantastic childhood so he was a bit of a connoisseur himself he was yes he was a connoisseur himself he was he was a he was a quite a keen amateur painter himself and he was a great fan of Larry and other Northern artists you know he bought them really all within a year these three certain I actually think 18 months anyway did you do you know where your your father bought these pictures I mean were they from auction no they weren't from auction and that I do know I remember him going down uh with my mother and and going through them and looking at them in a gallery there's I do remember that he did he wouldn't have bought them at auction he wasn't that he bought them from a dealer Yes sounds like a man of taste yes the problem for Steve is there are no records to show where and when his father bought the Larry paintings so there's no real evidence to show that they are authentic lowrys so what's happened now you've tried to prove these pictures available well we had everything valued and because I couldn't find anything um you couldn't find any documentation no um I could have everything else but not on these three you've given us a horrific challenge because without the paperwork without the receipts without the proof that your dad actually bought these things yes I know look Philip I promise you I've been to thousands of pieces of paper and my brother has if anything more than I have and my my wife who's a lawyer and they're they're good at guys and she we can't find anything because so here we have a man who knew a bit about art bought three paintings in Larry's Lifetime and now you're stuck with them yeah I mean they are worthless without authentication you know at the moment Steve come on well Steve this is just going to really frustrate you because if we were to start with with with with the old couple I mean I could see that making forty fifty thousand I can see the the quirky lady in black with the dogs making 60 000 plus even a little bit more I mean it's it's so beguiling and as for the crowd scene well you know that could even touch a hundred thousand I mean you you you're looking at over 200 000 pounds worth of pictures here if and you haven't got it if you can get the paperwork yeah expensive paperwork yeah we're not the first to search for proof that the three paintings are genuine with several auction houses drawing a blank after months of inquiries the fact that they wouldn't they weren't authenticate or they wouldn't be authenticated sort of um sort of upset me a bit because it sort of it's not it's about his memory really and he wasn't the type of person who would be duped who might be particularly in this period of his life it's a point of family Pride for Steve to prove that the three pictures are genuine his father was passionate about the art of the north west of England buying works by Alan Lowndes and Pat cook a protege of lowry from reputable galleries a profitable spell in the early 70s allowed him to Splash out on quality works Steve thinks his father must have bought the lowrys but in the absence of a paper trail the only real evidence that these pictures might be genuine lies in how they look to find out how far they resemble authentic works by Ellis Larry Fiona and I have come to Salford keys home of the Larry Center where over 400 of his works are held this is arguably his most famous picture 1930 coming from the mill Larry said that he would start a painting by locking in the buildings and then the people afterwards looking at these buildings you get the sense that that's what he's done there don't you yeah very much so I mean I I see with Larry the the architecture which is incredibly important acts a bit like the the stage props and and the characters the actors who impart the emotion are the figures at the bottom and they you know by setting these figures against a light background there's conveying a sense of emotion a sense of thought and let's face it it's probably the most distinctive artist at work in Britain in the 20th century above all Larry's work is deceptively simple almost primitive a classically trained painter who presented being build an amateur Larry's work broke with convention he called them Dreamscapes and in the post-war years often filled them with quirky even grotesque characters and as these Works which have the closest resemblance to Steve's paintings the old woman in the funeral party painted by Larry in 1957 is uncannonly close to the woman in Steve's picture [Music] this painting figures in a street is strongly reminiscent in the skyline of the composition of Steve's crowd scene and Larry's trademark black dogs are everywhere sometimes looking almost cat-like just as they do in Steve's picture lady with dogs encouraged by the similarities between Steve's pictures and Lowry's genuine work we're meeting up with Dr Ben dor Grosvenor fake or fortunes specialist art researcher he's been hunting for information about the history of the paintings hi there well can I start with the picture I think is the most promising of R3 I think it's lady with dogs and I think as we always like to do I'd like to start on the back because we have what it looks like and rather promising stock number and I'm hoping that that's going to tie in with this label from the Lafayette Gallery down here now LeFevre is a very interesting name because LeFevre and Larry had a long and close connection LeFevre was the first gallery to mount a solo exhibition of Larry's work in 1939 and in fact I'm told none of the paintings sold and the federal bought some of them themselves as not to disappoint Larry too much but then by the time it came to 1960s it was a sort of event for the glitteratian and Larry's exhibitions would sell out on the first day and importantly the LeFevre Gallery is still around today well we need to know if they've got any archives and if so we need to get access to them one slight problem perhaps with lady with dogs is the signature which is written on in Biro did Larry do signatures in Barrow actually you're not the first to point that out and be worried about it the auction house who first checked out these pictures I said well they know why shouldn't it be painted or scratched in as he often did that was a question mark also [Music] when it comes to our other two pictures though there's precious little to go on so we've got an old couple dated 1957 and then an undated crowd scene looking at the back of these is potentially a bit less promising I mean there's two white stickers that leap out of this off from this auction house which which checked out the paintings nothing more yeah but if you look at the old couple on the left the inscription says Darby and Jones I think that's probably meant to read Derby and Joan So the old American exactly quite a common subject for artists at that point not fantastically Rich pickings is it we have got something else to go on because Steve mentioned a name to me Andrus calman who you will know was a well-known London art dealer who dealt in Larry amongst others so that's a possible connection yes well in fact his Gallery cream Kalman still exists and I'll go along and see what they have in their archives yeah we really need to crack the provenance on this but also the science I mean no one has really got to grips with with what Larry looks like as an artist up close it's about time we put him under the microscope [Music] I'm on my way to meet one of fecal fortunes experts in the scientific analysis of paintings Lily Sheldon he's been studying Larry's artistic techniques and is Keen to examine Steve's paintings up close to see if they bear any Hallmarks of the master or any ominous signs that they were created more recently first she needs to free them from there overpowering 1970s frames I mean this was a common way of putting pictures in their frames we don't do it so much so now you think isn't it yeah it's got some age anyway she looks a lot fresher than it did didn't it I mean it's probably because the glass was slightly discolored well this is a very interesting to see it without the glass because it looks to me as if there isn't a varnish on this and never has been and Laurie was very adamant that his painting shouldn't be varnished now onto Darby and Joe our old couple unlike the other two pictures this one is painted on a wood panel but does this make it more or less likely to be a genuine Lowry to me that the wood is a great thing because alari loved wood some slightly more difficult thing to get a piece of wood that's in good condition in order to create a fake that's interesting so so wood gives you a little bit more Comfort yes now oh yes fabulous God isn't that interesting you know you can now see the texture in a way that you couldn't before yes I mean it's applied really thickly isn't it yes and and also it tumbles over the edges look I mean if this is by Faker it's by someone who who knows their way around a pot of paint very competent yes Libby's taking tiny samples from the surface of Steve's paintings to find out precisely what pigments are present Lowry claimed that he only ever used five particular pigments I'm a simple man and I use Simple materials he said my colors are and always have been flake white also known as lead white Ivory black Scarlet Vermilion Prussian Blue and Yellow ocher just five colors and always for the Windsor and Newton company these should be the only ones Libby's tests reveal in Steve's paintings anything to the ordinary could spell trouble [Music] foreign for the results of Libby's scientific analysis I'm doing some research into the market for Lowry's works you just have to have a quick look on the internet to see quite how many Laris there are for sale here and it's just amazing there's some going for 3065 100 that's had four bids but there's one here for 340 pounds wonderful Northern art original oil painting LS Lowry now it says original painting and then it says Ellis Larry it doesn't say original painting by Alice Lowry but that's what you'd think and it's signed by LS Lowry no provenance for this one I'm afraid no surprise there gorgeous colors lots of figures we see in this painting oh listen to this I'm selling this beautiful painting from my LS Lowry collection no less very interesting it's staying on the right side of the law but only just that this is you know this is an industry you're seeing here the Art Market might be a wash with modern Lowry copies but I found troubling evidence that his work was being forged as early as the 1970s precisely when Steve's dad is thought to have bought his paintings I have managed to find somebody who was faking Larry as early as 1969. now he was a man called John Green and he lived appropriately enough on the Casa del Sol and he would say Larry's or a piece of cake to copy and to begin with he would sell them for a few hundred quid a few thousand pounds but after Lowry died suddenly John Green realized he could make even more money from Larry's and he would start to charge 40 000 pounds a time for his paintings this was serious money who knows how many fake Larry's by John Green are out in the market it's impossible to say I'm worried about how tainted the market for Larry's Works might be so I've arranged to meet James rawlin former head of Modern Art at Sotheby's to find out why Lowry became such a soft target for forges James how often would Larry's be brought to you and has a fake ever come across your desk and you've thought it was genuine there are pictures that come up that take a lot of thinking about is that a yes well it just shows how difficult it is it is but even you have been taken there it's very tricky to be able to pin something down categorically what should we be looking out for I mean you've seen lots of Larry fakes in your time what sets alarm bells ringing for you it's a fake alari successfully you need to be able to replicate the technique replicate the palette which of course was limited because you only use five colors but that in itself means you need to replicate the spirit of the pictures presumably with Lowry a fake is going to go after the more popular sort of Larry's subject so the Mills the crowdses that kind of thing yeah that's very much the the path that you're going to see most people following if they're going to fake alari because that's what he's known for it's the Street Scenes the chimneys figures with dogs that sort of thing and of course towards the end of his life those smaller panels with the one or two figure groups um I suppose probably because they're perceived to be a simpler kind of picture the apparent Simplicity of Larry's work has been exploited by forges to such an extent that there's currently no official body prepared to authenticate newly discovered works it occurs to me having talked to James that we are probably going to have to work even harder with Larry than we have with any other artists we've dealt with in the past because he is so widely faked we again have to put together an absolutely watertight argument for these larries and when it comes to the panel of people who ultimately will verify it even if they think it probably is a Larry unless they're a hundred percent sure they're going to err on the side of caution and say no [Music] if we're going to convince a specially assembled panel of experts to accept Steve's pictures as genuine we need provenance hard evidence that shows a chain of ownership beginning with Larry himself and ending with Steve's dad Gerald Ames we think he bought lady with dogs the most promising picture from the LeFevre gallery and our Research into the label on the back of the picture has suddenly borne fruit [Music] I've just had a fascinating email from my gallery staff they've come across a picture in Cheshire same county where Steve lives a painting by Larry fully authenticated and the fascinating thing is on the back of it is a number beginning with x very similar to the style of number we have on the lady with the two dogs I've come to write martial auctioneers in Knutsford 7003 now at 7003 seated at seven thousand three hundred with the sale already in progress I've persuaded them to let me have a sneak preview of the genuine Lorry and there's something remarkable about it this is the most extraordinary coincidence this picture a fully authenticated Larry it's got all the paperwork is about to be sold in fact downstairs in about an hour's time and we've managed to sneak it up here to have a look but just look at it it's exactly the same frame as that around Steve's carved gilded with a canvas slip but the best bit comes when you turn it over because not only have you got a label Affair of label exactly the same as the one on Steve's looks like the same typewriter move your eye up and this is The Knockout blow you've got the number x9102 another X number but just look at the number 9102 compare it to Steve's 9101 so we're left with the extraordinary conclusion that these two pictures must have hung together in the same exhibition probably at the fair they belong together now surely the most sophisticated Faker couldn't think of that one laws 11 25 the rather special LS Larry oil painting people in a street signed completely authenticated full bill of sale and provenance all the way back to its original purchase from the LeFevre Gallery 72 we got that all important Little X number on the back as well I'll start you straight off in at 50 000 pounds at fifty thousand I bid who's in next 51 52 53 at 54 55. not surprisingly bidding is brisk sixty thousand at sixty thousand pounds now any further bids going once twice three times at sixty thousand pounds all done now sir thank you it's sixty thousand pounds so with auction tax and commission that thinking made 75 000 pounds but make no mistake it wasn't just the picture I made that sum of money it was the all-important bill of sale that piece of paper that Steve doesn't have for his little picture Philips Discovery in Cheshire should help our quest to prove that lady with dogs is authentic but there's precious little information about the provenance of Steve's other two pictures crowd scene and Darby and Joan the only lead we have is that Steve's father Gerald Ames knew the founder of the crane Kalman Gallery who specialize in the sale of Larry's art in the 70s and bendor is Keen to find out whether they might have sold him the pictures spending more things the box of goodies today the gallery is headed by Robin light a leading expert on Larry and he's offered to show Bender what a genuine work sold through crane Kalman should look like as a rule I mean of course it doesn't happen with everything because labels fall off or they get changed by frame makers but we tend to always look for this very simple green camera label title artist date buyer and here we have Larry two people sold in December 1973. we reference The Ledger right we go to 73 and we here we have it the 13th of December 1973 two people sold for 2 500 pounds so that's that's the system working perfectly absolutely and we're a bit stuck here yeah with no labels on two of our paintings is there any evidence of a sale to Gerald Ames in the gallery's ledgers I've checked out the pages from 1969 through to 75 and cannot find any reference at all for a G Ames um Robin if I fail completely in my mission to find any Province for these two paintings at all would you ever feel confident enough about just making attribution on the basis of what you see there I think we would be very dismissive of selling something without a credit record especially with Larry I mean it was known in the 70s I think pictures were coming from Spain and probably all sorts of other places I think I could say hand on heart we wouldn't straight away say yes we'll buy these right I would have to say yes we'll buy these if we can corroborate the provenance okay all right with so little information about the origins of crowd scene and Derby and Joan how can we be sure they're not clever forgeries my research into Lowry fakes has turned up a disturbing case from 2007. [Music] for years George and Olive greenhouse and their son Sean Have Cheated Galleries and art dealers by passing off forgeries as treasured artifacts Greenhouse was sentenced to four years in prison for faking everything from Antiquities to Modern Art including the work of Ls Lowry today he's a reformed character and he's agreed to help our investigation he's offered to show us how he went about creating a fake Lowry and any warning signs we should look out for in our pictures Sean you successfully faked Larry's even while you're at school didn't you yes no 15 I think at first the first successful I managed to do when you say successful you manage to sell it you mean yeah through a dealer used to deal in in Lowry's work when he was alive yeah Sean's meticulous approach to painting a fake Larry showed just how difficult it can be to tell the difference between a forgery and the genuine article I just got to kind of get this on as fast as I can go and just slosh it on initially with the texture into it I use quite a lot of paint and then Windsor Newton and of course these five colors yeah it's just the five and especially if you want to do a fake you'd stick to the actual colors so you didn't have any any kind of controversy that'd be important when you saw art experts an eminent uh figures in the art World authenticate your paintings what did that make you think about their level of connoisseurship uh in a lot of cases I think it's found wanting and provenance is as we all know in the art World more important really than the actual work of art well to many people it is because of people like usual exactly yeah I mean if it wasn't for you chatting at your old Aries people wouldn't be placing the energy that's the point yeah so you know you are responsible for that maybe yeah yeah you do have a point it's painstaking work trying to precisely replicate a very spontaneous artist what I always found out today is to tick the right boxes in the experts Minds when they come to look at the painting or any other work about for that matter what are they actually looking for that says genuine or it isn't I think if you find out what those triggers are and tick those boxes to go further than most people might imagine even if they're relatively poor works there's one question I've been dreading to ask Shawn admits he faked his first Larry in the mid 70s could he be responsible for any of our pictures and just checking you didn't do any of these no I've never done any light stuff and that's reassuring at least I'm relieved and as Sean knows Larry's work intimately I'm Keen to know whether our pictures look real or fake to his eye what do you think yeah I'd have no trouble in saying that that's oh that's bilary okay this is undated crowd scene I'm a bit concerned with this area but it's hard to tell with not the real thingy this kind of looks like it's been painted over with thinners which Laurie never used looks very very thinly painted what about this one lady the dogs hmm that looks okay to me tomorrow especially yeah well it's not proof but it's very interesting to hear what you think of course Sean's endorsement of lady with dogs is heartening so bendor is chasing down the final piece of evidence we need for it to be accepted as a genuine work by Ellis Lowry he's come to the tape galleries underground vaults to examine the sales Ledges of the Lafave Gallery whose label appears on the back of Steve's picture these photographic ledgers were compiled by the Lafave gallery to record all the Laris that they ever sold so if we're going to back up the claim that one of Steven's pictures was sold through the Lafayette Gallery then we need to find it in these ledgers evidence is that stock number boldly written on the back what we need to do is match up the stock number on the back of Stephen's picture x9101 to one of the numbers in here now that X is quite an important number because the X numbers denoted paintings that were bought from Lowry himself that is the picture of the sold auction of sixty thousand pounds x9102 here we are recognize that fantastic here it is Steve's painting we just better check that it's the same painting not some dodgy copy and I think I think they can be absolutely no doubt at all that we've got one of Steve's paintings here it feels no that we could have done enough to prove that lady with dogs is a genuine work so we're all getting together to take stock that's really encouraging to find lady with dogs in the forever Ledger in terms of getting the paper trail all the way back from a painting to Larry himself but doesn't get much better than that I think it makes the picture almost a dead sir doesn't it you're so buoyant I hesitate to cast a shadow over proceedings but I've just heard from the LeFevre gallery and they have another Ledger which recalls what paintings they sold when and to whom the only problem is they want to keep their client details confidential they won't show it to me what they have done is given me a little bit of information from me and they're saying that Larry's painting lady with dogs was sold in July 1972 which is a really good day for us well I mean that's pretty well exactly the year that Steve recalls his father buying it well I know but this is where the problem arises because LeFevre they won't tell us who did buy the painting but what they will tell us is it wasn't geraldames it wasn't Steve's dad who bought it in 1972. so could it be that whoever bought it from the fair then sold it to Gerald well we've clearly got to work out how Gerald got hold of it and what LeFevre say is the person who did buy this mystery buyer was not an art dealer or an agent so wouldn't have sold it on in that way with someone who was connected to the gallery and therefore if they had decided to sell the painting would almost certainly have sold it through Le favor so LeFevre would have known about it but they don't they have no record of it and they won't tell us who the mystery buyer is suppose the other option is that it's stolen I have come across a couple of stories in papers from the 1970s about works by Larry being stolen but then I checked it in something called the art loss register which is the first place you would look for a record of a stolen painting and Steve's pictures are not on that we're obviously going to have to tell Steve about this development yeah and it's very unfortunate because the art world hates a gap in a provenance for a 20th century picture like that I mean what we have to try and establish is Steve's father's credibility as a buyer of Larry what we need to do is get closer to the early history of this painting foreign has taken an unexpected turn provenor's chain that we'd hope to establish from Larry and LeFevre to Steve's father Gerald Ames has been broken it's the kind of anomaly that will make Lowry experts very wary so it's vital we find evidence that Gerald had the paintings in the early 70s we're interrupting Steve's holiday to update him [Music] Fab Gallery as you'd expect to try and find out just to get the the paper trail of your father buying the painting from Lefevre so what we've got now is is a is a break between the painting being at the LeFevre gallery and it ending up with your dad right hmm what I think we just need to prove is the fact that your father held these things so it's not just a receipt and and I realize that might might be impossible to get hold of but just some evidence that he had them in the 70s I mean that would be very helpful because it would allow us to to complete that paper trail um it would be problems I I I know of that um insurance documents insurance documents might be that I don't know or friends who remember it being on the wall at the time any photographs of it hanging up I mean we just need to start looking in in different directions now Steve yeah um you'll have to leave it with me um it's a setback it's a setback but we've got other avenues to pursue now it's funny it's vital that Steve turns up some evidence to show that his father-owned lady with dogs the alarming lack of provenance on Steve's other pictures crowd scene and Darby and Joan makes it more important than ever to prove that there is nothing abnormal about the pigments the artist used I returned to see Libby Sheldon our expert in the scientific analysis of paintings Olivia's Great to be back have you been getting on well we are taking some samples as you know and some very interesting information to come up Libby has been comparing microscopic fragments of paint from Steve's pictures with samples of the five winsra Newton pigments Larry is known to have used click White Ivory black Scarlet Vermillion Prussian Blue and Yellow ocher these two paintings have the the five pigments in them and they're very close together in terms of of the types of of white the types of Vermilion and so on we've got a little bit of Prussian Blue there and with the white it's even more exciting because the Windsor Newton lead white has these very very bright particles in it and it's really something quite distinctive among sled whites and here you see these extraordinary jewel-like fish almost fish-shaped floating around in the lead white so it's not conclusive but at least there's no shocking revelations at this stage no and and very encouraging I think it's reassuring to know that Libby has only found evidence of those exclusive five pigments Larry favored in crowd scene and lady with dogs but her tests have revealed something highly unusual about Derby and Joan and it could put its authenticity in doubt now this painting I found disturbingly different it's got a white with it that is not lead White it's throughout the painting so it makes the pick the paint seem very different so we're dealing with a rogue pigment well possibly a road painting with the fate of Darby and Joan hanging in the balance we need to find out as much as we can about that unusual white pigment that Libby has detected this we've come to the physics department of King's College London to meet Rachel grout she's going to examine the paint sample under a scanning electron microscope so it's up on the screen now we're about to acquire the Spectrum see what the elements are using x-ray analysis she'll be able to identify the individual chemical elements and thus reveal the type of pigment used so the graph beneath will give us an indication of what it is yeah we're getting some very clear Peaks for zinc coming up on the Spectrum and it looks to be fairly pure so so this is zinc White I think so yeah Libby what does that mean this is extraordinary absolutely extraordinary um to have zinc in the upper there you might just get that but in the lower there that's a crazy thing to use it's it's you know it dries so slowly it cracks it's its translucent it it occurs to me that it could be by a faker this could be the end of the road for Darby and Joan unless we can find out if Larry was secretly trying out unorthodox paints [Music] well there is some suggestion in the research that I've been doing that in that period exactly in the 50s he was experimenting with possibly with with titanium White um so if he was using that perhaps he might have also tried zinc white at the same time well there's a thought presence of zinc white paint in Darby and Joan poses a real conundrum either the painting is a fake or Larry lied about the fact that he only ever used five colors could there be more to this simple man than he led us to believe what we've come across today is not necessarily unhelpful Larry could be economical with the truth he would tell his interviewers sometimes what he wanted them to hear or what they wanted to hear and there's also something about the character profile of Larry which fits with someone not wishing to fess up to using complex pigments our only hope is that we can prove that Larry was experimenting with a range of pigments when he painted Derby and Joan which is signed and dated 1957. but how [Music] bendor has begun to dig deeper but with frustratingly little scientific research done on Larry's paintings he's having to look for evidence in less conventional places he's been crawling through photographs of Larry at work and has a lead on an image from 1957. precisely when we believe he painted Derby and Joan just received this lovely photograph of Larry in his Studio which was taken in 1957 it's a very rare color photograph and 1957 is obviously the date of Derby in June and there's lots of paint materials for us to have a look at are those tubes on the table they are Windsor and Newton paints if we go a little bit closer we can see titanium white I hope it's brilliant so we've caught him red-handed or if you like white-handed telling you know little porkies about the paint that he was using when he says I only ever use lead white or flake white there's five four boxes of titanium white in his Studio caught out and if we have a little look around this Studio we can zoom in on this box here it's a large box but it's upside down there's a paint label there which tells us what it is if I flip it upside down and we can zoom in a bit I don't know if you can zinc white that's a zinc white doesn't it it looks like zinc white it's certainly white it was a watch with the stuff well I think we could probably just focus on this a little bit more to be absolutely sure that we're getting this right because this is quite groundbreaking stuff we're we're outing Larry and saying that he didn't use the pigment C only said he used now I have copies of a Winsor Newton catalog from the period And if you have a look at the bottom there there's really not many options if you look at all the names of the white it really has to be seen quiet because for example lead white flake white is accompanied by a number number one or two and we see the number on the end of our box and there's various other whites there we set much longer names the titanium white permanent white creme and it's white and they're all too long aren't they it's a little zinc word but also the more I look at it I mean I don't think this is just wishful thinking that absolutely looks like a zed yes I think it must be so Larry was a was a closet zinc white user be careful yes we've outed him I wonder what he would have made of this conversation I don't need a vintage chuffed actually I think you'd like to keep his secret finding proof that Larry used the pigment found in Darby and Joan is a relief but it will still take a leap of faith for a Lowry expert to accept it as a genuine work we've got one last throw of the dice in our search for evidence in the painting's favor Lowry was at the height of his Fame in 1957. and it wasn't just photographers who were being admitted to his Studio this is a film about a man who became an artist because he missed a trade this happened many years ago he left the station in the Manchester suburb and started to walk up the Golden Road wondering what to do a BBC TV crew shot a documentary about his life that very year and Steve and I have come to a cinema in Manchester to watch it on the original reels what was there in these streets to make Larry wish to spend his life amongst them painting a world in which other people could see no Beauty could there be anything in this snapshot of Larry's life to help Steve's cause now as Lowry begins and as time goes by he tells us how he works I start on an empty canvas and prefer to paint from my mind's eye and I suggest something call it a chimney or church or anything else going along slowly and adding things and in a strange sort of a way it seems to come as we watch Lowry at work Steve glimpses something extraordinary there they are look that's it that's them they're in Larry's Studio sitting on the mantelpiece Darby and Joan that was them it certainly looked like them hold your horses just for a minute it says they look like that that was it there they are okay that's the painting without a doubt I mean that's if that's oh my God that's it seeing it there it's usually one got a signature on the front yeah I think so and this one hasn't but of course he could have done that afterwards because he can't finish though wow here is if it's not your painting it's very like your painting in Larry's Studio amazing that it's on the film absolutely stroking light really finding Derby and Joan in Larry's very studio is an incredible breakthrough but I want to be sure there's no doubt that Steve's picture is one and the same painting we need to compare a still frame from the film with Steve's picture well what we've done is had a high resolution scan made of that painting and we're trying to compare the high-res scan of this so this is from Larry's studio and this is Steve's picture you can see some similarities so look at the bottom of Derby's foot there that little white patch and there it is on Steve's picture there there's a kind of curl of paint around here not that distinct in this scan much clearer here in Steve's picture look at that I mean one thing that is different Steve's picture has a black line here coming down from Derby's walking stick here that's not in the 1957 Studio picture but having looked at Steve's picture that's a crack that's just a crack in the panel there's nothing surprising about that and what we've got to remember here is that is is the technology I mean this is a higher resolution scan which is what you need in order to be able to recreate all the idiosyncrasies of this painting in this one and of course from 1957 to the 1970s that didn't exist so how could someone have copied it in this level of detail it's just not possible I couldn't agree more and also that's the technical similarities but there was also an artistic one a stylistic one those facial characteristics I mean it's almost impossible for a copier store for a forger to perfectly replicate features and both portraits have the same look of comical blandness we're feeling increasingly confident that Darby and Joan and lady with dogs are genuine works by LS Larry and there's a real chance that will help prove that Steve's third picture crowd scene is also authentic we've had X-rays made of all three paintings and they reveal remarkable similarities in the brush Strokes now notice with the lady and the dogs on the left those excitable vigorous Strokes in the background they are almost identical in the whole way they're applied to the crowd scene on the right but then when you look more closely you can see that there are little black Jagged cut out areas possibly to to Mark the edge of a figure but they do show the same temperament the same approach now given that we think one is by Larry why shouldn't the other beat too seems like the first bit of good news we've had on the crowd scene the x-rays offer a compelling case that lady with dogs and crowd scene were indeed painted by LS Larry and Libby Sheldon thinks there may be even more evidence to support the theory so what I'm looking at here is signature on lady with dogs which is in barrier and seeing it on the pinch here you can see how smooth it is and what a nice line but didn't only use it as a signature and very interestingly on this painting we can see that she's used it in and around the figures um I'll just bring that into Focus sizing buyer on the signature burrow in the figure and is there anything you could tell me about the Biro itself well it has this very interesting edges to it which I think was early ballpoint pens early boil pointers so it would be a very very clever Faker to to notice that well now that's another link between these two pictures one picture which we think has a very high chance of being Larry and the other now has the same characteristic with the use of Biro we're getting closer yes with evidence mounting in favor of Steve's pictures it's more important than ever to show that his father actually owned them with no receipts to back up any of the sales is there anything to prove that Gerald Ames acquired these pictures in the early 70s I've been back to Gerald's flat on the hunt for Clues and finally found something reassuring an estate agent's brochure from 25 years ago with all three paintings clearly on display in Gerald's living room Steve's also been busy and he's turned up insurance documents listing the paintings in the early 80s he's even contacted his father's friends and former colleagues in the search for proof and he's received a letter from Gerald's former secretary stating that she clearly remembers seeing the pictures on the wall in his house when she visited in the mid 70s [Music] but will everything we've done be enough to convince the Art Market to accept Steve's pictures as genuine works by Alice Lowry we've convened our own unique panel of four of the country's most prominent Larry experts to offer the final judgment Martin Summers chairman of the Lafayette Gallery in the 1960s and 70s James rolin former head of Modern Art at Sotheby's Robin light chairman of the crane Carmen gallery and Jonathan horage of Bonham's auctioneers a world Authority on Lowry would he be prepared to offer Steve's pictures for sale at auction as genuine works there is over two hundred thousand pounds resting on the opinion of these four men they also holded their hands the reputation of Steve's father Gerald Ames will they believe that these are three genuine paintings bought by a man with a shrewd eye for English art or other pictures instead ingenious fakes bought by yet another victim of the Larry forgers personally for what it's worth I think these paintings are by Larry stylistically forensically we've really got to know the artist and you can see in these paintings all the characteristics don't have an unbroken provenance we can't take these pictures back to the very day that Larry painted them if he did and these these four experts the room behind me are going to have to come to a conclusion on the basis of physical evidence and the evidence of their eyes now we don't normally do it like that with Larry it really could go either way for Steve [Music] when we started looking at these three paintings I'd hoped because Larry is obviously a much more modern painter than many we've looked at in the past that finding a provenance Trail would be just a little bit more straightforward how wrong I was because that has proved infuriatingly difficult but the physical evidence we found I have to say I think anyway is incredibly convincing particularly with Derby and Joan I cannot think of of any other way that Steve's painting could be anything other than genuine it has to be when we compare it to the painting that we saw in Lara's Studio I just cannot see how that can be fake obviously I'm not making the decision you know our committee is but they've got to be right I really think they've got to be right after several hours of deliberation our Lowry experts are ready to deliver their verdict [Music] so Jonathan speaking on behalf of the pal have you reached a verdict yes we have starting with a lady with the dogs what is your conclusion well Philip we discussed this one it is the one with the most evidence behind it it's perhaps one of our favorites but we're all unanimous that we think this is by Lowry great that's one and Derby and Joan what was your conclusion about this one well we we deliberate it we we liked the picture very much it's a little unusual in terms of the format and the support it's on um but we were all agreed finally that this was a work by Ellis Lowery it's brilliant news and what did you make of the video I mean that when we saw that we couldn't believe it could we see it no no it's what you might call the slam dunk isn't it really in terms of of seeing it there as he's sitting there in his own living room painting it's there it is so it just adds to the our belief that it's a perfectly 100 genuine work and just be clear speaking as a professional Auctioneer that is how you would catalog it absolutely I have no doubt whatsoever and now let's move on to the crowd scene well this is the one that we've deliberated over for longer and discussed it's been perhaps in a more robust way than the other two I think not that it's contentious but there's less to say so it's what we think of it in seeing it where where it's been for the last few years it's tested us but on balance we feel that again like the other two it is 100 genuine we have a trio that's just amazing news see what do you think I'm absolutely I'm absolutely thrilled and and delighted and delighted for my father really is with the dad it's a tremendous Vindication of Gerald Ames a self-made man with a passion for an artist whose work captured the world he'd grown up in how he acquired the pictures Still Remains a mystery but we've done enough to prove that they are the real thing I'm absolutely delighted it's the short a single answer and your father too yeah that'd be good you could be Queen would be delighted if he could um if you could see can I ask was your verdict unanimous yes it was a unanimous vote we all agreed but just as in our investigation has given us an unexpected Glimpse behind Lowry's carefully cultivated Persona of the simple man to reveal an altogether more complex and intriguing artist wasn't it good thing Steve just now so flushed with excitement but it's not just Steve that can afford to be excited because I feel we've made real progress I know so much more about Larry we did also Larry like to create myths around himself I mean let's take the story about the five pigments he only uses five pigments and that's reproduced in most of the literature about Larry we now know that isn't true we've outed him and we've taken connoisseurship of Larry a significant step further so it's not just a victory a significant victory for Stephen but actually it's a victory for Larry as well perhaps it's time to take a fresh look at LS Lowry the artist who captured the drama of a crowded Northern Street the quirky characters of an old couple and the enigmatic stylishness of a lady out walking her dogs discovered Masterpiece we'd love to hear from you UK slash fake or Fortune in this episode could a painting hanging in a Welsh Castle be a work by the impressionist Master Pierre August Renoir two powerful art houses can't agree a rivalry between the two great houses is now out in the open and I have to say it's ugly our investigation takes us to an impressionist playground on the banks of the river then we could be adding another paragraph to our history in search of Claude Monet's art collection we need concrete evidence that it was here somewhere in this house and to Berlin to see what state-of-the-art science can reveal but will we find enough evidence to convince the art world's toughest judges this painting is genuine I can't cope with this roller coaster history hit is a streaming platform that is just for history fans with fantastic documentaries covering fascinating figures and moments in history from all over the world we aim to bring you only the most dramatic and fascinating stories of the past through our award-winning documentaries find out about the rise of leaders such as Cleopatra and Napoleon in our latest offering of exclusive documentaries sign up now for a free trial and prospective fans get 50 off their first three months just be sure to use the code perspective at checkout in this investigation we're on our way to pembrokeshire we've received a call for help from the owners of a painting with a mysterious past it hangs in one of the finest stately homes in Wales Picton Castle [Music] built at the end of the 13th century it was home to the Phillips Family for 800 years now the castle is open to the public and it's maintained by a charitable Trust Nikki Phillips is one of the trustees great to see you Nikki hi how you doing she's an artist in her own right famed for her official portraits of the royal family I first met Nikki when I followed her at work painting war hero Simon Weston after BBC viewers had voted him the public figure most deserving to Grace the walls of the National Portrait Gallery some years ago Nikki was painting a portrait of her late Aunt Gwen when she was told a tantalizing story how a picture came into the family collection that was said to be by one of the world's most celebrated artists Pierre Auguste Renoir but I've got a fresher color in here isn't it it's lovely to take us back over how it came into the family it was bought by my great grandfather Lord Milford and he was very interested in the Impressionists and he bought this picture along with a fair few others and I was told by my great-aunt Gwen that she was taken to Monet's Studio by her parents where they were sold it as a Renoir because as I think it's well documented Monet and Renoir used to paint together and then at the end of the day they would sometimes swap their pictures who did they actually buy it from in the studio I'm told that Blanche Monet was there at the time mono stepdaughter I don't know whether they actually bought it there and then or whether it went subsequently through a dealer I'm not sure I can see why this painting would have caught sir Lawrence's eye it's an engaging scene genuine Renoir he's one of the world's most famous artists whose Works can sell for millions of pounds born in 1841 Renoir became one of the leading Lights of the impressionist movement he said he never went a day without painting and through a career spanning six decades he created over 4 000 canvases painting one of them not all experts have been convinced it's authentic [Music] how did it first come to be doubted when the roof of this place needed doing in the 60s there was a sale of the other Impressionists that were in here there's a Monet and a sizzly and a pisaro and this one had to be left out because it's not signed so this one turned out to be that the lame duck of the group and for 50 years or more has has been considered to be a wrong picture a problematic picture not the family because we all know the story what would this painting be worth if it was in it what if it could be proved conclusively two to three hundred thousand yes well that would help hugely with the roof and all the other bits yes falling down falling off there's a lot at stake here Picton Castle may look magnificent but beneath the surface the cracks are showing and funds are needed to maintain the building so imagine Nikki's Delight when a leading art World Authority the bernheim German Gallery included the painting as genuine in a recently published catalog listing all of renoir's works but there's a problem another powerful art World Authority doesn't agree this is by Renoir it was sent last year to Christie's and they said that it was going to have to go past the willenstein Institute and they're doing their own catalog resume and they simply said they didn't want to include it and I'm told the auction houses will go with the Wolfenstein decision I mean it's an extraordinary State of Affairs because the picture that should be worth two to three hundred thousand pounds now can't be sold as a renwell despite the fact that it's in a catalog razor of 2007 because another publishing house and Authority say it's not so the investigation begins one of the problems is there's no documentary evidence to back up Aunt Gwen's story that the picture is a genuine Renoir a troll through the castle archives is not proving helpful well this is a Christie's inventory of Picton Castle from 1995 and it mentions the painting attributed to August Renoir so not by August and we've got Sotheby's created 2003. again attributed to Piero gusterenoir cannot confirm authenticity regarding the Renoir painting Renoir and inverted commas the then Authority on the artist concluded that the painting was a copy so there's quite a lot of Doubt here I really like this painting everything about it feels right I mean this is what those early Impressionists were up to it's it's about light it's about color it's about feeling it's about it's about life on the move the more I spend time with it the more I feel comfortable but that's just my opinion we need to find hard evidence that Renoir painted our picture so I'm sending it to the highly respected courthold Institute in London for forensic analysis in past tough cases we call on the services of Aviva burnstock one of the world's leading authorities in the scientific study of art armed with cutting-edge technology she can reveal Clues hidden within the canvas so give me your first reaction well it's a it's it's a it's a nice light-hearted sketch painted at speed and perhaps even in one go from start to finish out of doors and thus not untypical of the type of works that the Impressionists were doing and their approach to subjects yeah it's absolutely characteristically like an impressionist sketch and it actually looks like it's been done with quite a narrow range of pigments but of course I would need to look more closely at them to to know what they are using the microscope and other techniques Aviva needs time to undertake a thorough technical analysis of the painting a series of tests which will determine how it was painted and with what pigments her research could provide vital evidence to prove whether our painting is by the master Renoir or another hand we're meeting with our specialist art researcher Dr Bend or groovner to assess the evidence well here too of the man in the center of our mystery Pierre August Renoir and very fine he looks too surely the way to go forward on this is to have a really good look at the picture itself shall we start with the back of the painting and if we look here we have an unfortunately damaged but nonetheless rather important stock number which seems to match up with some information in the Renoir catalog resume stock number Burnham 26863 now bernheim Jones published an exhaustive catalog resume in 2007 of renmar's works it's five volumes I've got one volume here and it records 4 654 paintings including one of them which is ours there it is and the thing is Burnham journ is an important name they were major art dealers in the impressionist movement at the time of Renoir I mean their Authority should carry cloud and in fact the authors of this catalog resume who are called gee Patrice and Michelle doverville are the descendants of the Burnham Brothers this is cast on Burnham Jun with Claude Monet this is Josh Bernard with Cezanne and I love this photo this is Renoir painting Joss Burnham's wife and in fact Renoir painted a number of portraits of the Burnham Journal family and given the closeness of their relationship not just as friends but also as dealer and artists they will recruit a wealth of documentary evidence about renoir's paintings and if you look at what's in the catalog resume about our painting it's incredibly detailed so ashte pal burning so bought by Burnham Jun on the 10th of February 1937 AB launch money that means from Blanche money for 40 000 francs and then vondu sold on the 21st of April to tooth and that means arthurtooth the well-known reputable English art dinner that with a rich provenance like that that should be more than enough to prove the authenticity of this picture but it isn't because the other International art Authority in this particular story The Wolfenstein Institute there it is on the right are compiling their own catalog of renoir's works and they will not accept our painting as genuine and the thing is the big International auction houses need a stamp of approval from the Wildenstein Institute because if they don't get that neither will they accept irenoir as genuine and they won't sell it as such so we've got a picture here which has fallen into some sort of bizarre art World Turf War accepted by one Authority but rejected by the other but as we found again and again the art world could be a law unto itself and unfortunately we've got to play by the rules we've got to find sufficient evidence to satisfy the Wildenstein Institute first to the scene of the crime I've come to France with Nikki traveling along the river sane in search of evidence to support Aunt Gwen's story that Renoir painted this work alongside Monet Renoir Amore met as students in the 1860s and became lifelong friends as young men they began experimenting with light and color working side by side often painting the same views they developed a new style of painting that would bring about a revolution in art impressionism was born from their work together [Music] you go beyond the bridge just a little bit further I'm taking Nikki to the place where her picture is meant to have been painted a suburb of Paris which was once the impressionist's playground argente I want to share an exciting Discovery with her in 1874 the year that the impressionist movement first officially began Renoir and Mona embarked on a series of pictures together painting the same scene pretty well where we are now probably moored in their battle Atelier their Studio boat so this is the Bonnie and that's the Renoir both unquestionably the same scene but money is about about much more demonstrative clear brush strokes and then Renoir on the other hand he he Blends his paint it's much softer it's feathery and have you noticed that one is on the side like yours oh I like that that is good use isn't it and like yours it's a sketch I think you know and appears to be unfinished not quite resolved he hasn't quite got there doesn't deserve a signature yet and my guess is if we're going to prove yours as by Renoir it's going to be an unfinished work a bit like this this is progress Renoir said he never signed his sketches which could explain why Nikki's painting doesn't bear his name but there are others we can look at I mean it painted pretty well from the same spot different mood this time I'm holding the money you've got the Renoir isn't that fascinating that is literally the same scene I think Renoir might have learned something from his friend here because these brush Strokes are much Bolder than usual and money could have painted those couldn't you and you know you're talking like an artist now now it was thought when they finish these works that that period of working in tandem with each other painting the same scene ceased they went in their different ways not so I can show you something brother thrilling here is a money here is your Renoir so look at that isn't that fantastic now these are unquestionably the same scene like the pictures the pairs of pictures that we've been looking at up till now that is the same evenings even the man in the boat I always thought there had to be a pair to this picture if Gwen's story was correct and here it is I mean it must be and if we can get your picture accepted not only does it mean that we've got another Renoir but unknown to the art world out there there's another pair of pictures by these founding figures of impressionism painting side by side the same scene we could be adding another paragraph to our history well when you put it like that that is very exciting isn't it wow if Aunt Gwen's story holds true Renoir gave his painting to Moni who eventually took it to his home in giveni Monet moved here in 1883 and created these glorious Gardens which have captivated generations of visitors ever since in 1936 11 years after Monet's death Aunt Gwen said she came here with her father sir Lawrence [Music] here they met Blanche money he was custodian of Moni's house and Studio we're following in Aunt Gwen's footsteps to try and find evidence that our painting was once hanging here among moner's art collection [Music] oh this is wonderful just beautiful isn't it imagine when all the pictures on this wall were genuine monitors obviously these are copies what a breathtaking wouldn't it and imagine Aunt Gwen walking in here when she was 21. yes she came here with her parents and said it was just the most exciting thing you know the studio of the great man in those days it must have been incredible and she spoke to blood and I guess our picture was probably sitting in the corner somewhere and they spotted it well Blanche money there's a picture of her here when she was 17. blanch money was related to money in in a slightly complicated way in that her mother married Monet so she was his stepdaughter but she also then married Monet's son Jean so she was at the same time Monet's stepdaughter and his daughter-in-law immersed in the family and also she was an artist a successful artist actually she wasn't a dabbler it was something she took very seriously her work was exhibited and she painted alongside Monet can you imagine what that must have felt like it was incredible at the height of his success and his Fame at this point imagine having the opportunity Blanche was devoted to money for the last 12 years of his life she lived here and cared for him enabling the Aging artist to complete his last great works after Monet's death in 1926 blush remained at Giovanni to look after his home and extensive art collection there are accounts from visitors who marveled at the many works by Monet and his fellow artists that hung here and I've been searching for any mention of Nikki's Renoir there's a reference to the art collection in this book here written by Ronnie gimple who was an art dealer let me just read this extract he says we returned all three of us to the house he'd come here with some friends passing through the kitchen decorated with pretty blue tiles of a delectable cleanliness into the dining room covered with Japanese prints hung on Wars of a unique yellow painted by Claude Monet the first time I went to the first floor into the bedroom with its walls covered with canvases by the artist's gifted friends wonderful there are admirable renoirs yeah like that bit especially two small horizontal ones a woman and child on the grass with a hand to their right and another of the same size of a woman on a sofa at the head of his bed a nude by Renoir very fine the two run was were given to Lonnie well that verifies her story doesn't it Aunt Gwen's story it certainly does this is so tantalizing because it's getting us closer but what it doesn't have is a description of Aunt Gwen's painting here at Jiffy and that's what we need concrete evidence that it was here somewhere in this house we need to find out if there is any record of Monet's art collection so we've asked to meet with art historian Claire Joyce who was married to blanche's nephew for over 40 years she's written and lectured on life at juveni so I'm hoping she had some answers Claire hello Fiona nice to meet you this is Mickey Phillips whose painting we're investigating we're trying to find out any details we can about what collection was here when Monet died in 1926. did he leave a will first of all no because you know Michelle was the only son left who died in 1914 and so Michelle was the only child left so everything went to me and so everything went to him was an inventory done after his death of everything here at giovini this is not known at all so no will no inventory that you know of it's not looking good not looking great there must be someone who knew about exactly what was here at juvenile like every French man or a new friend from a lawyer which is called a notary who keeps the record of what you own and you keep the same Lottery All Your Life long normally so if there is any area code left for money it's a notary's place so that's what we need to do then try and find the notary or the office of the notary while Fiona hunts for proof the painting was in Monet's art collection I'm in Paris on another lead I've come to The musee Dorsey home to one of the world's greatest collections of impressionist art there are prize renoirs on display but I'm here to see other Treasures that are hidden away from view precious relics that could prove crucial evidence in our investigation this is one of the Holy Grails of impressionism this is renoir's actual paint box that pigments the colors and the palette that he used to mix his paints to create those wonderful paintings I mean the palette is so fascinating because that's that's the first stage in the thinking process this is where he he tries out the paint and there's one particular stroke a lovely sort of shiny yellow which maybe in my imagination but I feel it can only be a stroke by by Renoir it's that soft quick glancing blue that he does with a sable brush but there's something even more exciting and this is a list in renoir's own hand that comes from the archives of Duran Durell who were one of renoir's first dealers now it's produced in about 1877 in other words quite close to the date of when our picture could have been done and it lists the actual ingredients that pigments the colors that Renoir uses in his pictures of that date now this is invaluable evidence if we find these ingredients in our picture then it's going to help enormously if not it could be a problem back in London at The courthold Institute library bendor is on the hunt for any evidence to support Aunt Gwen's story that the painting came from Monet's art collection he's trying to find a record of the sale of the picture from the dealer Arthur tooth to Sir Lawrence this might give us proof of where it came from he's got some news for Nikki hello Nikki hi I had a little look in the ledges of Arthur tooth which are special over the world there in California and the teat Gallery in London and if I start off with this one here I can show you there's a purchase Ledger from Burnham Jun in April 1937 and it shows that the tooth Gallery paid 85 000 French francs for a painting by Renoir called passan Dodge ontoy 1875 which is has to be the same one your picture that picture now we come to the interesting theme because we then go to the sales part of The Ledger here we can see that the same painting that's on Dodge and Thai by Renoir was sold on the 1st of June 1937 to great grandpa said Lawrence Phillips oh my God also I like this fact that they've got here for the Promenade it says in Brackets from the collection of Claude Monet which backs up my great aunt's story backs up the family story yes um what might not be such good news is when you find out the price here that your great grandpa paid for the painting and he paid 1250 pounds for it so we've got quite a nice little markup from poor old Blanche money um getting her 40 000 francs which is about 380 pounds to your great grandpa paying 1250 pounds for it well live the odds probably for something that's not signed well you could that's that's about the price of two average houses in 1937. okay okay well I'm sure Arthur tooth would have been able to justify the price very easily oh I'm sure and um just so there's absolutely no doubt at all that we're dealing with your picture there is in fact a little photo here from the tooth archives they have also had a photographic Ledger and of course we can be absolutely sure that it's your picture because there it is Phillips well that's absolutely wonderful please don't say but well there's no butter this stage no because we've got an established paper trail on the province going all the way back to burn and John the people who write the renmore catalog resume so everything they say that the picture came from Blanche Monet seems to all be corroborated by the paper trail cubentry evidence is stacking up but what can the science tell us armed with renoir's list of pigments I've come to Berlin we've sent the picture here to undergo some cutting-edge analysis [Music] Aviva has invited me to the Brooker Corporation who manufactures state-of-the-art scientific instruments this place some acts of Q's Den in James Bond the machines they produce here are designed to identify the makeup of anything from explosives to drugs to diseases even works of art they've agreed to scan our painting using a brand new piece of Kit which will tell us whether the pigments used are right for Renoir or wrong [Music] I know we're in the presence of an Extraordinary Machine I'm really pleased to be here it's the first time that I've had a chance to see this amazing machine in action there's only very few of these instruments in the world and everyone in my field is queuing up to use it with the scan complete it's time to see our painting in a completely new light where every individual ingredient the artist used is mapped out I've never seen a painting look quite like this it's absolutely amazing and what I'm doing here is looking at images of the distribution of different elements in the painting and those elements correspond to pigments I've brought up barium titanium and zinc and they seem to correspond to Restorations to the painting you can see damages to the edges and A Tear mend in the middle which have been retouched so we can see the scars of its past which I find really comforting because that's exactly the sort of History I would expect a picture of the 1870s to have yes encouraging but I need to cross-check renoir's list of pigments from the 1870s with those present in our picture he said he painted with a red pigment called Vermilion but has the scanner detected it what I've done here is I can select Mercury which is one of the major elements in Vermilion Mercury sulfide pigment and here's a map of where the Vermilion is used in the painting The masts of the boats for example in the reflection of water which is of course consistent with what renois said positive progress next on renoir's list is cobalt blue one of the ways of checking that here is to click on the elemental Cobalt map which corresponds to all the areas of blue well it certainly is the main blue pigment that he used for this picture that's another one on his list of pilgrims that he used yes it's interesting also to note that it's said that later on in the 1880s he dropped using cobalt blue in favor of ultramarine pigment but it's still important though isn't it because that was the color that he was using the 1870s the very decade that we think our picture was painted so far so good but there's one more pigment I hope the scanner has detected because Renoir only used it at very specific times in his career what I really want to know about is does this painting have Chrome yellow because that's of course the very material that we know through documentary evidence that he used but abandoned in the late 1870s okay we can look at the chromium map there is indeed Chrome in the painting but what I should point out is that Chrome is present also in Viridian the chromium oxide green that's used a lot in the picture for the boat and the reflection under the boat and elements of the mid ground but the light green which I thought was a mixture of cobalt blue and a yellow pigment we can now see contains a lot of chromium so I can be quite sure that the yellow that's mixed with the blue is Chrome yellow which was exactly what I was praying for that completes it that shows that all the materials that this picture is made of were the ones that we know Renoir was using in the 1870s [Music] bendor is on the hunt for the inventory of Monet's art collection which under French law should have been made on his death in 1926 by his family lawyer or notary now it's taken a little bit of digging but I have managed to find out who one is notary was there's a chap called Monsieur budre he is of course long since dead however his office still exists or a successor office that's the good news the bad news is they've sent me this email and it says first of all I assure you that our office was in charge of mosio Claude Monet's estate the inventory of the paintings was established by our colleague from the town on delis they told me that the said deed was destroyed during the war and that there is no Trace left so that is not good news however all is not lost I found another lead which Fiona may be able to follow up I'm in Paris with Nikki hot on the trail of bendor's lead he thinks he's located another record of Monet's art collection if our painting is in it it's job done this search for an inventory of Monet's art collection has been driving me crazy the reason I brought you here is because it's something discovered in this book this is from the music malmoto which is the Monet Museum here in Paris this is a chapter about Monet's art collection at jivini and this quote is what caught our attention inventory drawn up by Duro Ruel on Monet's death gives a precise account of it so here is an inventory of money's art collection well that's amazing world who were art dealers in impressionist work at the time particularly in Monet and Renoir they clearly drop an inventory your painting I believe should be in it oh thank God and the reason I brought you here is this building contains the Dural rewell archives and I think the answer to our Quest could lie in there oh please you ready yes come on it's a rare privilege to get access to this precious record of Monet's art collection very few people have ever seen it [Music] I've got such butterflies I'm not surprised this is from Jamal ruelle's archive and in here is dual world's inventory of Monet's art collection after his death to be very very careful with these pages so this is it alyu de Monsieur Claude money now here at least the paintings now you can see all these I buy Claude money obviously looking for Renoir amazing these are all my killer money oh God I wish I could do this much work yeah I really do I know prolific these are all again by Claude Monet little water lilies donating to 130 T now so far we've only seen listed works by Monet himself but what about the many paintings he owned by his fellow artists including Renoir here's some other names kaibot we are sorrow money sergeant again Claude Monet it's a Runway is not here I know okay here we go here we go run War okay La Casbah I think it is yes 1881 okay that's not yours woman Samuel Foster lamps a woman child on the grass if our painting is listed among these renoirs owned by Monet then a picture with no value could be worth three hundred thousand pounds a nude of a young girl Runway again standing open Wagner to be a portrait of argument okay there's no room over here Nikki your paint is not here don't oh God your painting is not here I can't cope with this roller coaster let me just okay let me just double check I'm just going to double check money money again money it's not there is it not here I'm sorry because I I did I thought this could be it so did I what a nightmare it is a nightmare oh God could this be the reason why our painting has not been included in the Wildenstein catalog with our hopes dashed the team are regrouping to try and find a way forward it feels like we've hit a serious setback I mean I looked through the inventory of money's art collection and our painting is not there and yet everything we have learned about our painting tells us it should be there well the good news is it's not the end of the road for us because the Claude Monet inventory is incomplete there are in fact six pictures by renmark now hanging in museums around the world which we know from other sources used to hang at giveni and they are missing from the Claude Monet infantry So these paintings are missing our painting could be missing too well I'm I'm very much hoping it could be and I have a theory as to why what if our picture wasn't part of Claude Monet's collection but what if it was part of the last one is collection we know she had her own architecture we know that Claude Monet gave her paintings of his own which she later sold and intriguing in the Renoir catalog resume there are two pictures which have blanche's name in the provinos one of them is this picture here on the left Regatta at arjon toy which is now on the National Gallery of Art in Washington and the other picture is of course an rpt so if the PD is blanches and not Claude monies then of course it wouldn't appear on the imagery of his collection why would it yeah it's a neat idea but I have to say without any documentary evidence it's not going to cut it with the Wildenstein Institute and I wonder if they are entertaining a rather more Sinister idea about this painting Could you um pass me that book there because we know that blush was she was an artist in her own right she was a very keen artist she painted alongside Monet this is her with him here she often painted the same views as money and I've got here a diary written by Renee gampell who is an art dealer who knew Monet ambilage visited giveni often and there's a entry in here which gives you pause for thought he's recalling a conversation with Duran Ruel another art dealer very well known to Monet and he says I asked you Rory well if she signed them what he meant was does Blanche sign her paintings there we are he replied that she did but that we'd better be on our guard although her canvases aren't yet passing for Monet's they certainly will so is the suggestion from willensteins then Nikki's picture is a Blanche money painting that has been attributed later on to Renoir well there's no evidence to suggest that's the case I don't believe it is the case but I'm wondering if that's what the Wildenstein Institute is thinking I'm afraid I I don't subscribe to this at all I mean I've been looking into blanche's work and there is no way that her work could be confused for a Renoir of the 1870s which is when we're looking at now look at this picture here for example this is one of hers close the paint is so different it's thick it's almost trickly there's a feeling of heaviness now look at ours there's a feeling of lightness a feathery touch this is not surely not the same artist but if the Wildenstein Institute are even considering that this picture is by blush money then we got to find the evidence now to blow that idea out of the water if we're to prove our painting isn't by blush we need more evidence so I'm heading back to the courthold Institute we've exhausted all lines of inquiry except one which I've asked Aviva to help us with the painting has been re-lined it's had another piece of fabric glued on the back to strengthen it not unusual for old pictures but this could be hiding potential Clues on the original canvas using a special camera Aviva hopes infrared radiation will penetrate through the relining to reveal anything that might help our case so far I can't see anything I didn't want to get your hopes up but it's not looking very promising but I don't know about you Nikki but I could see something very faint there yes there are a few marks a little bit across the middle there isn't it yeah doesn't look terribly definitive no Joys so far all we can see is a faint smudge on the original canvas there's one other technique I can think of we can actually Shine the Light through from behind the picture transmitted infrared and sometimes because the ground isn't there to stop the infrared radiation to reflect it we might give this technique a better chance of seeing something no pressure Aviva but we're running out of places to look for Clues well I can see clear as a bell what looks like oh some a letter to God yes there Square by square an infrared image appears on the screen but what have we uncovered it's a really wonderful lettuce there's some letters coming up isn't it it's so good it's a stamp yes it is the letters are are as clear as a belt the canvas it's a canvas stamp [Music] incredibly exciting isn't it I mean it's just exactly what we're looking for [Music] we'll see Aviva takes some time to research the stamp she's got some news for us so what have you been able to establish okay so firstly this is the whole image in transmitted infrared light so you can see the stamp that's quite big actually is right under the boat so it's under the the Mast of the of the boat and if we flip it around you can see that we can read it is indeed a stenciled manufacturer stamp the forge who was very famous artist suppliers and at six through halibi six Paris everything we need sort of an email address so what so this is astonishing so you've got here the exact name and address of the supplier it's remarkable and what's interesting is that this address is quite specific to a particular date for laforge capontier um they changed their stamp and thanks to a former postdoctoral fellow here at the courthold pascala brush there's a database of stamps which you can see here from different time periods I wonder if you can see which one is the closest to what we've seen yes that one looks very close it is indeed and what do we know about that label at that time well this is a label which was only specifically used between the dates of 1871 and 1879 where they're at this specific address in Paris what is a picture 1874. if it's by Renoir which I think this helps us to conclude even more I mean it's a wonderful piece of evidence it is amazing but certainly the right date range but furthermore this in fact is a stamp that is on the back of a painting in the museum by Renoir from the same supplier from 1873. I don't believe it so we can say we can now tie together that particular supplier with renoir's painting now we've got a sort of stamp of approval that puts us bang in the date we want to be yes and connected with Renoir Focus that's incredible it is it's really exciting it's a really exciting Discovery oh my God so anyway who else could have done it if it wasn't him well I mean I agree with you I mean it's it's it's it's it's absurd to suppose that blush Monet could have done it she would have been what about nine years old at the time that's ridiculous you'd have to be quite cynical to believe that so Blanche couldn't have painted our picture but I want to be sure Renoir is still firmly in the frame so I've asked for another opinion Anthea Callan is one of the world's leading experts on impressionism for over four decades she's written and lectured on impressionist techniques and has particular expertise in Renoir if Anthea gives our painting her blessing then it will greatly strengthen our case but if she finds a problem we could be in trouble despite the Serene appearance of this painting we've had some choppy water with it what do you make of it um you know there are I think difficulties with it the proportions of the picture the proportions of the object in the picture are awkward in places in particular the larger boat on the righty which is our kind of key focus in the composition is rather large in relation to the little boats in the background so there's this very sudden jump from foreground to background and the little figure there is also rather too large for the size of the Sailing Boat and because it's so thinly painted it's has a real feel of being unresolved unfinished but that may be intentionally I mean I wouldn't necessarily assume that this is anything more than a study a preparatory study perhaps but more likely an exercise where the artist is learning how to paint on Plein Air outside in the landscape so actually very difficult to do and you are an established Grandma expert if you were on the Wildenstein committee and you were presented with this cold how would you respond well I would think that it's not a great painting but I would nevertheless think it was a Renoir for you because it looked like it wasn't going to go that way for a minute so you think it is a run while but it's a rather poor Runway yes Renoir did produce a lot of second-rate paintings in addition to being a genius and do you think that's the Crux of the problem with this painting then because we are grappling with trying to understand why Bernard have listed it in their catalog resume but the wildensteins they want to include it in their catalogity do you think that's what the problem is well it does have a convincing pedigree and quite frankly I don't see any reason to doubt the bernheim's yearn attribution but they have so why'd you speculate that they've turned it down rivalry do you think that's what it comes out I think it probably does yes that's a pretty poor reason isn't it hmm have you come across this before in the art world no rivalry in the art world the disagreement between these two great art houses is something we've got to confront so I'm heading back to Paris I'm on my way to the bernheim Jan Gallery once one of renoir's most trusted dealers their descendants have carried on the family Legacy taking three decades of painstaking research to produce their five-volume Renoir catalog resume I'm Keen to know how they'll react when I tell them the Wildenstein Institute have rejected a painting that they've listed as genuine I'm here to meet ghee Patrice doberville one of the authors of the renewal catalog resume and a descendant of Bernie mcgeon now this is one of the grandest of the French art houses and generally they don't grow interviews they keep their secrets close very unusually he has said he'll see me but he won't let us film the meeting these art houses they do not like any questions about their systems and process and certainly not about their catalog resume so it could be quite a prickly meeting the meeting goes on for a tenth hour before I emerge a little wiser as to what's going on and it doesn't bode well for Nikki's painting well the French are the masters of diplomatic small talk but not in that meeting I mean the dobervilles really drop their guard and when I asked them why were the world and sign Institute not accept a painting that is in the Bernard catalog Mr dobial said they'd be thrilled to turn it down they'd be thrilled to turn it down so there was a real bitterness there and the Rivalry between the two great houses of Wildenstein and Burnham Jan is now out in the open and I have to say it's ugly at a nearby cafe I'm taking a moment to reflect on what was quite a meeting I think the one thing that came out loud and clear for that meeting with ghee Patrice doberville and his daughter is pride pride in the heritage of bernheim journ pride in their catalog resume they have no doubt that Nikki's painting is authentic it's here in their catalog but what they also did and I cannot tell you how rare this is is they showed us their Ledger and that is their Ledger from 1937 and it details when they bought this painting from Blanche Monet on that date and it has a picture of the painting as well these art houses never let people see their Ledges but they have let us see this because that is how passionate they are about this painting and that it is genuine in their minds it shouldn't even be questioned it's in their catalog resume and that's the end of the story back in London Nikki has been busy at work in her Studio we need to interrupt her because GI Patrice doberville said something that's been troubling me what he told me could place our entire investigation in jeopardy we're heading to see Nikki for a Frank and honest chat hi there hello it was quite a tricky meeting with bernheim Sharon the good news is that they have absolutely no doubt about your painting what they said to me and this is what I want to talk to you today was that by us making this program and publicizing the fact that there is a difference of opinion between the Wildenstein Institute and bernheim journ as the authenticity of your painting we would make it harder for you to sell it oh my God and that we might be damaging your painting by by publicizing this this dispute if you like what about the route of trying to persuade the wildensteins that it is what we think it is or hope it is that has always been from the start what we were going to try and do but we felt we had to to be upfront with you and say this is what they're saying yeah of course and and therefore do we carry on it's very difficult for me to say immediately I'd have to consult the other trustees um I think at the end of the day we've we've got this painting which has no value as it is at the moment I mean what Bernard is saying about you know by publicizing the the difficulty around this painting we are damaging it your painting is already damaged because you've tried to sell it and you can't yeah it's not a pleasant situation and I think the only thing that we can really positively do is just point out clearly all the facts as objectively as we can and let the art World decide I hate the thought that it's caught up in the middle this because I've always absolutely genuinely felt this picture was real it fits with our family's story and just by looking at it actually that day on the sand you know I'm seeing the place it was painted I really felt part of what he was trying to do and I don't like the thought that some Pearl is getting in the way of that it's very depressing that side of it Nikki has consulted with a Picton Castle trustees to decide the way forward after careful consideration they've agreed to submit the painting to the Wildenstein Institute for reappraising [Music] the picture has been sent to Paris so that it can be examined once again by their Renoir committee Nikki is on her way to deliver our dossier of new evidence I'm incredibly nervous because there is a lot at stake the castle really depends on this I so want it to go the right way it's very very important for us we've done all that we can but is it enough [Music] we have one agonizing week to wait at last we have a decision from the Renoir committee Nikki is on her way to meet us and we're all about to discover whether the Wildenstein Institute have accepted the painting as a genuine work by Pierre Auguste Renoir to my absolute satisfaction we've proved that this picture is by Renoir and we've established that there is a companion painting to it just as Aunt Gwen said that is by Monet his friend we've established that the pigments in it are the same as those that he used in the 1870s by renoir's own account we found a hidden hidden proves that the canvas comes from his supplier in the 1870s got an unbroken paper trail that goes right back to Blanche Monet in art World terms that is more than enough evidence surely now the Wilton Stein Institute must accept this I think we've made a compelling case for this painting but it is caught between the pride and tradition of these two grand houses of bernheim German and Wildenstein and I'm worried it's not going to survive that Clash of Titans what I sincerely hope is that with our investigation the painting is allowed to speak for itself and the shine hi Nikki hi oh my God this is it oh I've just been so nervous I can't tell you well this is the moment we're going to find out if if our investigation and all the hard work has paid off and and just remind us what's at stake here well with what we now know if the Wildenstein Institute agreed to accept this picture I could see a major dealer or auction house now selling it for in excess of 300 000 pounds wow I mean this means a lot to to you and to Picton doesn't it huge it's really huge the house needs it very badly I've got the verdict here our Paris based researcher rang through to the Wolfenstein Institute and spoke to them and she has written down what they said so we haven't seen this either are you ready yes the Renoir Committee of the world design Institute will not accept the painting as authentic nor will they include the work in their catalog critique of Runway there are three reasons for this decision there is no evidence to support the provenance of the painting there's no documentation to prove the works by Renoir the painting is not signed the painting is weak even if the work is unfinished it does not fit with renoir's style I just find that absolutely extraordinary dossier was so complete we had a perfect case I agree it feels to me like they've been looking at a different picture I just I just can't see where they're coming from I don't think I said I just feel so bad for you Nikki what are you gonna do now well I'll have to take the verdict back to the trust and look into what Avenues there are if any that we could take but I guess meanwhile this picture will continue to hang on the walls of Picton yes it will absolutely it will I love it it's still a ren watch me and to the family actually we all have always known it to be that and I still think it is and I don't care what these people say frankly whilst Nikki can hold on to the fact that the painting is still listed as genuine in the bernheim German catalog resume without the backing of the Wildenstein Institute it will not be accepted for sale by the major International auction houses I think the decision by the Wolfenstein Institute defies all logic and I believe the only thing that would have satisfied them and persuaded them to change their mind was if we had magically found a letter from Renoir saying my dear Claude as in Monet I give you this painting as I don't know thanks for my stay with you at ajante I mean honestly I think that's the only thing that would have done it and as as you know that kind of documentation is vanishingly rare I'm I'm genuinely disappointed with the Wildenstein Institute you know who's the loser of course Nikki is the loser so is of course Renoir I mean because this was an important little painting documenting the beginning of impressionism it still is but these are the rules of the Art Market and unfortunately this time we've lost hopefully next time we'll win we ask e Wildenstein to comment on Mr doberville's remarks that the Wildenstein Institute would be thrilled to turn down a painting which was in the bernheim Gen catalog Mr Wildenstein said if the opinions in each work catalog and article differ from one to the next This concerns only the authors themselves these differing opinions which are inherent to all research allow for mutually respectful scientific discussion and a better understanding of the artist in question [Music] double mystery and intriguing whodunit a small church is home to the largest painting we've ever looked into on fake or Fortune does the rather good on this Stone it looks as though it sort of belongs here really but who painted it and how did what could be a 16th century old Master find its way to the heart of the Lancashire Countryside in this episode we unearth some family secrets miles north gives the enormous sum of 100 guineas a year in annuity so why is he giving these people this money the trail takes us to Italy and glorious Venice it's like a glow and it's to do with the water is to do with the architecture is to do with the light where we uncover a secret history of stolen paintings could could an ambitious restoration project hold the key to solving the mystery of who painted the picture okay you ready wow [Music] we're heading north to the Village of Tunstall in Lancashire to answer a call from a fake or Fortune viewer who's contacted us with a rather intriguing puzzle well this is of the being track I've not been to this part of the countryside before nowhere in Lancaster near the lake District but I think this is the first time that we've ever checked out the mystery in a church let me read you the email we received from Jane Church Warden says hello I've attached a photo of this picture which seems to be baffling many people me included it has been hanging in Saint John the Baptist Church Tunstall Lancashire for about 200 years the estimates on its value vary widely can you help us I mean Tasha gives us no more clues than that it might have been painted by where it's from nothing Saint John the Baptist Church in Tunstall is well known not only for its picturesque scenery but also for some famous members of its congregation [Music] country a heart of Bronte country this is where the Bronte sisters grew up and they used to worship at this church at Saint John the Baptist and it's even mentioned in one of my favorite novels Jane Eyre except Charlotte Bronte renamed it broncohurst Church it's a joy to work with someone so well read Fiona Church Warden Jane Greenhouse is waiting to meet us along with the vicar Mark Cannon to show us the mystery painting [Music] gosh it's much dirtier than I was expecting this is so dark is it despite the dirt the first thing that emerges is the subject it depicts one of the most emotionally charged moments in the New Testament the aftermath of the crucifixion I hope so just standing here I'm absolutely Bewitched by that figure in the bottom right hand corner the the woman yes absolutely I mean that's a beautiful sort of shadowy for shortening of the head and it's been here for about 200 years yes and you know how it got here here well we think it was brought back by a soldier called Richard Tillman North who was from a local family he was also a patron of the church and we believed that while he was away at War he might well have found this picture and brought it back and donated it along with other things to the church and it was original we think in the chapel of thurland Castle and I think it was 1860 which is what a next door Castle just down the road lots of castles and when you say you think it was in there is there evidence that it was in there no we're still trying to find out this Soldier yes gave this painting to the church you're saying he gave other things to the church as well at the same time yes because he was Patron age stained glass over the altar we need to start researching this Denver film well do you want to get up a ladder then have a look at it and if this Soldier gave other things to the church why not have a look at that and see if there are any clues in that because that strikes me as another way forward as well okay armed with my trusty torch I'm gonna take a closer look can I pick up any clues as to whether this is an original early painting or just some later copy I think already there's one potentially very exciting revelation we found a pentiment up there now a pentament coming from the Italian pentamente means a change of mind the artist working out an idea abandoning it and then going on with another one and what I've Just Seen up there is that Christ's loin cloth the creases were going in a different direction in other words the artist is working out the composition where to go next that suggests to me it's not a copy while Philip gets better acquainted with the painting I want to investigate Jane's theory about this Richard Tolman North I take a peek around this ancient Church to see if there are any clues Jane mentioned Richard Tolman North and he donated this window to the church that we know for a fact and there's an inscription underneath in a language I don't recognize there are all sorts of indications of Richard Tallman North's presence around this church it was clearly a very important benefactor and it's thought that he brought the painting here but that's just supposition but at the moment Richard Allman North is the best lead we've got if he was a soldier then I think the best place to start is to check his military records meanwhile the pictures begin to yield a little more information even though the picture is extremely dirty I've been able to get a feel for the colors beneath and combined with that is the is the style of the composition the characteristics on the faces it all suggests to me that this is Italian a late Renaissance period painting if Philip's right then the painting could be worth tens or even hundreds of thousands could pose a dilemma which many churches face how do they keep their doors open to all and Safeguard their most prized assets [Music] but to confirm my theory I need to prove that the picture is a 16th century Italian painting that it passes muster as a genuine old master [Music] to help us in our investigation we're heading to the National Gallery in London to see if we can spot any similarities between the greats of the Italian Renaissance and our humble painting [Music] this is one of the trophy rooms in the National Gallery for Italian art and it's got all the great senior people like Michelangelo people like Raphael people like tushan it's a slightly frustrating to him as an old Master because it means different things to different people yeah I mean to me it means at least 300 years old possibly more it means probably Continental rather than English and it also means the painting is by a definably good hand either an artist whose name we know or someone of real quality it's incredible to think isn't it that the painting we saw in that little church in Tunstall in the middle of the countryside could just just could belong somewhere like this stiff company but it's not impossible there's one painting here that might bring us closer to understanding our picture I feel there's all sorts of crossovers with ours it's by Paolo veronese painted in the 1570s and the first thing you noticed thinking about our painting is just this theatrical arrangement of figures the way they almost sort of tumble over each other it's the king's anointing the Christ child and that King in the foreground with his arm out the hand facing towards us that bit of foreshortening reminds me so much of the figure of Joseph in our painting yes now I can see that we're looking at Old Masters in what the last part of the 16th century then you know they were working in Florence in in Rome in Milan you know how do we begin to narrow it down we have to look at the the the the the the different styles and Footprints of the artists of this period and one thing I think that's going to really help us is color when this picture is cleaned I mean this painting is all about light and color it sort of defines the action I mean it looks like they've plundered the dressing up box doesn't it really I think that's going to lead us in a useful Direction [Music] encouraged by our visit to the National Gallery we're meeting up with our specialist art researcher Dr bendor Grosvenor so we've got a double mystery on our hands then who painted this picture and how did it get to the church but I thought the obvious place to start was with the church of England because after all this painting is in one of their buildings they wrote back to me they think they have about a hundred works by well-known artists in their churches around the country possibly 12 000 or more artworks by lesser known or unknown artists but they don't have a central register they enter their letter by saying there will be hidden gems so that's an intriguing thought for any future investigations but as far as this painting goes hit a brick wall there in terms of how the picture got to the church I were following up the congregation's idea that the picture was connected to a local Square called Richard Tolman North and rather hopefully he does in fact have some descendants who still live in the area so they may have some paperwork or some archives that we could look at yeah I definitely want to talk to them all right well while you're doing that I'll look into Richard Tolman North a bit more if he comes up as a known art collector then that's great news and then of course there's a question of who painted this picture I mean okay I saw it up a ladder with a torch but I reckon it's 16th century and I reckon it's Italian so the question is where in Italy because every part of Italy has its own style its own character of painting is it from the venator with venice's Etc it's going to be different to Florence OR Siena or Rome and then having nailed the area can we find the artist because if we can we can really Elevate this painting as a work by an unknown painter now is it is it very valuable well it's a difficult subject and as an anonymous painter from the 16th century I mean it may be worth fifteen twenty thousand pounds but put a name to it and it could be I don't know a hundred thousand possibly more but before we get anywhere on the name we've got to get a better look at the painting we need to see it under strong lights I've arranged for the painting to be moved to the Hamilton car Institute part of Cambridge University to begin some scientific tests to help us solve this mystery it's run by Rupert featherston who has a great deal of experience in the conservation of 16th Century Oak Masters can he help me pinpoint exactly where in Italy our painting might have come from this strikes you as a standard dirty picture does it yeah I mean it looks like it's a varnish of some 150 years I don't know it hasn't actually sort of kept the saturation so that's why all these areas look so sort of foggy it's very clear now that it's in three pieces yes they're very straight they don't look like tears but they could be Cuts but they're more likely to be seams but then it's a bit odd frankly to have a seam right through the head of Christ the first thing Rupert wants to do is to swab a few areas with white Spirit to get an idea of the true colors that lie beneath can we home in on a country of origin if we start with this area it really does bring out the depth in the shadows and the color intensifies but you see the modeling you see the way the face is constructed yes you see that's exciting that that shows the subtlety combined with the boldness in the coloring which I think is gonna is gonna help us identify where this painting was painted I think we could try another area because there are some beautiful colors I suspect hidden under this layers of dirt and varnish I mean the the versions robe is an interesting one we're hoping that this would be blue but at the moment it still looks fairly green even as you wet it out there's a an underpainting but a solid thick white Strokes which are then covered with a translucent glaze which is a recognized technique of the of the sort of 16 17th centuries and it's it's just what you'd hope to see yes it's it's one color shining through another and rather some bewitchingly bold way which takes one to sort of Northern Italy doesn't it quite possibly I mean it it feels right for a for an Italian painting certainly so Northern Italy this is exciting and as Rupert continues to clean Clues are revealed which make me suspect a particular city as well what we can already now begin to see with some of the shapes that are now revealed that the expression on the virgin's face the colors and the tones these are all like indicating certainly a place and that place has to be the more I look the more I feel that color is to be Venice I would agree I would agree totally the emergence of color is a vital clue and reminds me of the veronese we saw at the National Gallery a distinctly Venetian painting which just like ours depicts a dramatic religious scene I'm thrilled I'm confident I now know where this picture was painted the next thing we need to do is to carry out infrared and x-ray tests when we get the results it might even take us closer to the identity of the artist [Music] meanwhile I'm investigating how our Painting came to be in the church I'm heading back to Lancashire the congregation believe it once hung in thurland Castle not far from Tunstall and the family seat of Richard Tallman North I've tracked down one of his descendants Lady Sue Kimber who still lives nearby and has an archive of family records Hello nice to meet you can I find any proof here that Tolman North ever owned the picture so this is your family tree is it beautifully done look at this love is the family shield yes so we've got Richard Tolman North here so born January the 17th 1782 died unmarried July the 14th 1865. this is a wonderful family record do you have many other family documents well an awful lot I'm afraid got burnt in 1879 and fire and certainly a serious number of pictures went up how disappointing this fire in 1879 probably destroyed evidence which could have linked Tolman North to our painting these cuttings here they're about about the fire are they they are yes on Wednesday mornings and earlier ferland Castle near Kirby Lonsdale was found to be in Flames three times an attempt was made to rescue some of the pictures in the dining room but the Flames drove them back it's so frustrating isn't it because if you hadn't been to the fire we'd have a wonderful record I know you're judging by this it's very disappointing I mean do you know if the family were great collectors of art were interested in art well the only record I have of that is the fact that we've got paintings of thurlin Castle which is shows a lot of pictures I was just painting here just painting just trying to get it up and have a look at it there we go I knew that was meant to be a rather a good Italian picture that was sold so that must have survived the far do you have the documentation for where that was sold no each time we get close and then just so annoying isn't it I know oh Patty's not there is it I'm afraid not no do you have the wills of the family because it might detail the painting or or else show the bequest of the painting to the church well very sadly not no I fear they must have all been destroyed in the fire so that's really put the kind brush on things yeah I'm afraid too well that was very interesting in terms of tracing the provenance of our painting there's no doubt the fire at thurland Castle has made things a lot trickier but on the positive side we've now got a real idea of a family that the north family who were great collectors of paintings and patrons of artists as well so it's not completely outside the Realms of possibility they would have collected a 16th century Italian painting not at all that seems a distinct possibility now what I'd like to find out is is how active they were on the Art Market were they buying were they selling maybe Bend or can look into that [Music] while Fiona has been getting to know the north family I've been called back to the Hamilton car Institute to get the results of the x-rays and infrared tests [Music] I'm hoping they will shed some light on how our artists set about painting the picture I'm excited to see what Rupert has discovered so I've asked Church Warden Jane Greenhouse to meet me here using infrared to take a basically a photograph or a scan it's something that cuts through into the paint so it's rather a nice way of firstly picking up the whole painting where the changes might be for example there's a tree right behind Joseph which we frankly couldn't see no but it's very clearly been painted out I'm sure that was done by the artist I don't think that's something that was later retouched and you can see why I might have done it because there is something slightly ungainly about a tree trunk coming out of the back of there is of Joseph's head what does x-ray which takes us deeper tell us the X-ray will show us in more detail if there's changes but it only picks up on certain pigments particularly lead ones can we have a look yeah certainly well in this case what we see and it's a bit difficult to read because it's only a little detail so I have to hold it up but this piece here this shape here is what we see here the virgin's headpiece and then you see this shape which is very strong in x-ray it's dense paint it's up here somewhere we can't see it at all and actually what's happened is that the whole head of the Virgin started off up there and got moved down here that's an artist change a deliberate alteration of the composition and interestingly it it changes that the focus of the picture because it was an image of a mother looking gazing into the face of her dead child it's now one more in which she's reflecting upon the corpse it's more loving it's more caring I should imagine where it is now than when it's more intimate it's much more intimate than it possibly was before yes it's allowing you to reflect on her grief yes it's a lot of thought in it yeah which makes it quite a spiritual um painting I'm excited that we we're beginning to understand it these tests have confirmed to me that our artist was a very skilled painter but we go further and prove that he was an eminent old master while Philip tracks down our artist bendor is picking up the trail of Richard Tallman North with the fire at thurland Castle destroying much of the family archive and his military records failing to confirm where he served can bend or find any evidence that links him to the painting so I'm going to have a general rummage around try and find out what we can see about third and Castle the toolman Norths whether they were collectors something here about Thurmond Castle which was written in 1849 that is a guidebook concise description of the English Lakes by Jonathan otley and this is very nice he talks about a trip to the church a call from our from the village of tunstall's dance Church in plain middle Gothic style the interior has lately been restored and with a painting over the communion table of the descent from The Cross by an ancient master so bendor has found solid provenance that our painting has been in Tunstall church for over 150 years just as the congregation told us but is there any evidence to support their suspicion that it was given to the church by Richard Tolman North [Music] bendor consults a handy art World resource the Getty provenance index which lists the sale of every painting from Sotheby's and Christie's since the 1700s is there any record of a Tolman North buying any paintings [Music] I can't find any evidence at all that Richard Tillman North was actively collecting at auction in our time frame maybe tournament North isn't our man after all it seems we're going to have to dig deeper to uncover how our picture got to Tunstall and as for who painted our picture I'm convinced there are more clues lurking beneath its dirty surface so I think we need to begin an ambitious project to restore our picture I've asked specialist conservator Simon Gillespie to take on this challenge at his London Studio it's been to Lancashire it's then been to Cambridge and now it's made its way to you how do you feel with four square meters of dirty canvas like this in front of you at the moment it's very dull because of age the old varnishes have just deteriorated that's the dullness there's also years and years of dirt on there is there added later paint to this in evidence yes there is certainly you can see it very obviously along the lines of the joins of the original canvas this artist put three pieces of canvas together and that has failed in the past and has been repaired this explains the unsightly seam to make a large picture the artist sewed three separate pieces of canvas together and some of the stitching goes through a key part of the painting The only passage I I'm slightly nervous about is where the the joins in the old canvas go straight through Christ's head which unfortunately actually goes straight through his eyes which was the last piece he wanted tear isn't it yeah and if you had to speculate what made it so dirty what would you say it was well let's start at the top number one these little white things all over it they've obviously had bats or swallows or something in the church and then you've got just from neglect because lots of people tell their cleaners don't touch the paintings but of course the one thing they don't do is actually take off the dust and the dirt and at Christmas carols you know when we're all singing and blaring away with our mince poisonous um there's a lot of humid humidity and so the pollution of the faithful pollution yeah yes I can't wait to see What Lies Beneath this picture and what Clues will be revealed by the cleaning process thank you and Fiona has made a surprising discovery about Richard Tolman North I've done some digging into Richard tool in the north and put together a potted biography for you he was born in 1782 and between 1800 and 1820 he was patron of Tunstall church that was simply because he owned the land that the church was on now this is where I found something very unexpected and it gets very interesting indeed he was declared insane in 1847. now that date in 1847 found some information about it in a newspaper cutting from the time the newspaper article listed the the evidence against Tillman North to show that he was mad so for example he would pour bottles of champagne down the throats of his soldiers he gave lavish parties I think the final straw that he was found shacked up in a castle in Germany with a discharged stable boy that's very interesting because he doesn't sound like the sort of person who would buy a rather intense religious painting no he certainly doesn't he was a sort of a wild boy and party man wasn't he but I don't want to give up on that idea just yet that he was the guy who gave the picture to the church so I think they need to look at Richard Tolman North's will to see if we find any mention in there of him bequeathing this picture to the church as for our artists I'm convinced more than ever that it's a Venetian remember that Palo veronese we saw in the National Gallery think of the similarities to our picture there but there are also other great figures at work in Venice in the 16th century who I think can be seen to be influencing our painter look at this it's by tintoretto and just look at the way the figures Express themselves almost as if they've been caught in Frozen drama are still from a film perhaps that's so Venice you know the idea of of using art to express a sort of a moment of passion and of action these are characteristics that I think we can see in our painting and another great figure of the period and again so typical of the Venice look and this is Titian and look at his colors now I know we haven't cleaned our picture yet we've got a glimpse we've got an idea and I think this gives us a little taste of what's to come it all seems to point to Venice and these artists had Studios they had assistants who worked with them and it's possible that our artists could be one of those people who's working under the influence of one of these great Giants of Phoenician art now the only way we're going to find out more is to go to Venice where we could find the information that could progress our argument it's going to be someone a satellite figure is my guess in their Circle [Music] we've arrived in Venice la serenissima there are archives churches and paintings here which could unlock the identity of our artist we're taken to the water because Philip has a theory that the artist who painted our picture Drew inspiration from the city itself when the solvent was biting through that built the yellow varnish and that color emerged from beneath I remember thinking you know this is Venice if you look at paintings from various parts of Europe they have their characteristics but none is as distinctive and as all-consuming as as Venetian color and what's on that canvas is around us now and then this would have been such a Melting Pot of cultures of the East and the West I mean during the Renaissance there was nowhere like Venice in the world for that that mixture of influences and cultures so if our painting is from Venice it has to be uniquely the product of the Venetian mind so who was our artist inspired by this floating city [Music] I'm meeting Dr Philip rylands director of the Guggenheim Museum who's been studying our picture and he thinks he's got some information that can help us he wants to show me a painting by the old Master Titian which depicts the same story as our picture can he help me decode this scene to understand what our artist was trying to achieve I feel like this has real resonances with our painting well the painting is of the same subject pieta is a theme in in Italian painting and sculpture and it describes really the event that's taking place here the Virgin Mary's sadness at the death of her son Jesus Christ so it's the deepest and the saddest moment in the New Testament I mean it's almost it's worse than the crucifixion in terms of of just angst and grief it's the mother encountering her son in in that way it's more it touches you more humanly uh every mother is going to identify with the loss of the sun anything which reveals for worshipers the sacrifice that Christ made according to Christian religion uh on the cross the sacrifice that God made of his son in order to save man it's a kind of central tenet of of Christian beliefs so it's a it's a didactic it was a sort of shot in the arm to get people to think God more yes this reveals to me that our picture from Tunstall was continuing an important tradition in Venetian Art our artists would have surely taken inspiration from this scene but does Philip rylands think our man was taking his cue directly from the great Titian you've had a look at our picture yes people any thoughts from what I've seen of the painting we're talking about the much more athletic positions of the figures our characteristic of tintoretto so it's closer to tintoretto there is a tradition but that would be normal in the late 16th century so it's someone who has seen or is aware of this type of art who's carrying the battle down whose style is changing but he's still in Venice and he's someone who could have painted it in a church around where we're standing now yes this is encouraging Philip rylands believes our picture was painted in the latter part of the 16th century and that our artists could have come from the school of tintoretto this will help sharpen the focus of our Quest [Music] back in the UK bendor is still trying to find evidence that can connect Richard Tolman North to our painting after a number of years in the lunatic asylum Tolman North died in 1865. bendos managed to track down a copy of his will is there any reference to our picture here it's dated 1865 the year he died and because the congregation at Tunstall thinks that their picture might have been given to the church by their Patron Richard told me North I would expect to see that fact recorded in his will so let's have a look see what we've got this is the last will and testament [Music] well there's lots of stuff here about Estates and dividends but nothing about any pictures unfortunately now normally what one does in this kind of situation is go back in time to see if an earlier generation might have bequeathed the picture so what I've also got here is the will of Richard told me North's father who was called miles north and that is dated 1784. so let's have a look dividends livestock there's no mention of our painting in the will of miles north either but there is something rather surprising miles north gives to Elizabeth Needham of Dublin and Frederick Richard Needham the enormous sum of 100 guineas a year in annuity now that's that's enough that you wouldn't have to work again so why is he giving these people this money there's no suggestion here that they're relatives and it may be just the 21st century mine but my assumption is that she may have been his mistress and that this Frederick Richard Needham could have been his illegitimate son I think these names are worthy of further investigation with no evidence connecting Richard Tolman North to the painting could Frederick Needham offer a new line of inquiry back in Venice Fiona and I are looking for Clues to identify our artist I want to follow up the lead from Philip rylands that our man came from the school of tintoretto I'm also curious to see the type of place our painting would have been displayed so we're on our way to San Giorgio Maggiore an island Church where there is a painting by tintoretto and his son this is the stoning of Saint Stephen which just like our painting depicts a dramatic and emotive scene from the New Testament [Music] you see I think this is far closer to how our picture would have been experience I mean we're in a side Chapel it's rather more intimate and you can imagine it up there in front of us this image of grief communicating itself very personally to someone sitting Where We Are this is my tintoretto and his son and Studio which certainly when it comes to the attribution of our painting just shows how complicated it it may be it's a whole family business so trying to pinpoint exactly who painted any painting in management particular painting is a lot more complicated than it I always think trying to tell one artist from another working in Venice is a bit like trying to work out one part of a flock from another I mean they're all the same species but they all vary slightly and there's something about the color that warm Hue that shines through but still got the other bright colors something to do with the contrast so the light and the dark something to do with the way the figures are leaning forward in that quite extreme way lurching dare I say it I feel we're getting just that little bit warmer that little bit closer to who might have done ours oh who seems to point towards our artists coming from Venice and from the school of tintoretto I'm going to stay here continue my research and see what else I can unearth and I've returned to London where the ambitious operation to clean our painting has begun I'm really hoping that this process will uncover some vital evidence for the investigation what's exciting is this is the oldest painting that we've ever dealt with on fake or Fortune what's frustrating is that the paperwork has thrown up so little therefore what's going on behind me now is absolutely crucial hold the key to the identity of the artist they are using a sophisticated variant of the normal cleaning method special formula of gel is made up and applied to the canvas it absorbs the dirt and varnish but leaves the paint untouched a team of force Specialists will spend over six weeks restoring the picture will this reveal an artist connected to the old master tintoretto [Music] while Phillips overseeing the restoration of our painting I want to know why it may have left Venice and ended up in Tunstall painting like ours was almost certainly intended to hang in a church and I found out that churches in Venice were a valuable source of cash to the invading armies of Napoleon as he waged War across Europe at the end of the 18th century when he conquered Venice he seized thousands of works of art from the churches did he take ours I'm meeting Dr Nora gates at the Venetian State archives who's been compiling a list of the paintings appropriated by Napoleon you've got this fascinating array of documents here what does this tell us about that period Savannah's before Napoleon came in had a 70 parishes and Napoleon reduces this to 30 parishes only and so here what these listing is is the parishes they're subsidiary churches exactly and other churches and oratories I mean fantastically detailed and here interestingly it talks about those that are particularly conspicuous or commendable for their architecture and paintings what do any of these documents show us about what paintings Napoleon selected and where he put them so he hired This Man Called Pietra Edwards to go through these paintings here I chose a document to show you he basically would go into each building that has been closed down inventorize the paintings and then organize the paintings to be transported into various deposits so how many paintings are we talking about in this document here well here for example you see that there's a total of 12 791 paintings that this man cataloged fascinated he catalogs them by their quality as well so you've got piture post they so pictures in third and even in fourth class exactly so he then had to make a selection which of these 12 791 paintings were the best ones and decided to keep only a total of 1279 paintings and what would happen to those and where would they would go into galleries like the brera galleries in Milan which was his capital in Italy or the Academia here in Venice and the very best ones would go into the Louvre in Paris these paintings taken by Napoleon were listed as the greatest in Venice they're clearly categorized and none of the descriptions match our painting maybe ours was a second third or fourth class of painting what happened to those pictures obviously they were trying to sell these paintings so they would organize auctions with very little um success unfortunately but also try and sell paintings in private transactions to raise money for the Empire and there's very little success in the auctions because well presumably the Art Market was saturated if he was selling if you're trying to get rid of this many paintings it was it's very likely this is how our painting was removed from a Venetian church and eventually ended up in Tunstall our picture could have been one of the thousands of paintings which left Venice after Napoleon invaded find evidence that the north family could have bought the painting around this time [Music] back in the UK Bendel has confirmed an intriguing connection between Richard Tolman North and Frederick Needham there's an article in the times here from long ago discussing a legal dispute that Richard torment North was involved in and it suddenly says that a Mr Needham was the natural son of Mr North's father and therefore the half-brother of Mr North so the Mr North's father is miles north and Richard Tolman North is therefore the half-brother of this Frederick Needham chap vendor has also discovered that Frederick Needham has a close connection with Tunstall Church and looking into the church records from the time we suddenly see Frederick Needham's name pop up as the vicar of Tunstall he's vicar from 1800 until 1816 when he dies so that's extraordinary what we have here is a religiously minded man with a family connection to the toolman Norths and who probably had enough money to be buying pictures so the next step that goes off in my mind is to check my handy Getty database to see if someone called Needham was buying pictures at the right time the Getty database should list any painting that need and bought at a major auction house [Music] I like the look of this a picture sold in 1812 in Dublin it's a religious scene it's by jacobo basano another Phoenician painter from the 16th century the buyer's name says Needham doesn't say Frederick Eden but it says a Needham of Dublin so therefore it would appear to be the right date of sale the right subject matter similar name although this picture can't be ours as it depicts a very different religious Scene It makes Needham a more likely buyer of our painting and it's not a dead cert but everybody at Tunstall thinks that Richard Tolman North gave them the painting because he gave him the stained glass but what if it was his brother the illegitimate half-brother the vicar who actually gave him the painting this is a real breakthrough Frederick Needham had money from his father's will he had a strong connection to the church and the north family and was buying old Master paintings from Venice so in all likelihood it was Needham who gave the painting to the church it all adds up to being the most likely explanation for how our painting arrived in Tunstall and back in Venice I might have a lead on who painted our picture after weeks of searching I've at last Tracked Down someone who believes they may know the identity of our mystery artist I'm meeting Enrico Del porzolo a highly regarded Italian art scholar at the Doge's Palace the seat of power in Renaissance Venice and as such adorned with the finest 16th century Venetian paintings could this be the moment our elusive artist is finally unmasked hello lease in Europeans accounting there Pierre artista di Nostra pitura is Enrico thinks he can see past the dirt and grime of our painting and believes the same artist is responsible for this gloriously colorful picture on the ceiling of the Doge's Palace he's also spotted similarities in other paintings by the same artist example [Music] Enrico points to the way Christ's arm Falls the same way in both pictures and the face of the Virgin Mary they certainly seem to Bear a remarkable similarity to our painting [Music] so is this all man Francesco montemezano who did work with tintoretto but is more closely associated with Paulo veronese the artist whose work Philip and I saw at the National Gallery in London could be a massive breakthrough but how certain is Enrico is [Music] I wasn't sure we'd ever get to this point putting an actual name to our painting but one of Italy's top Scholars is convinced Monte mitsano is our artist he worked in the right period in Venice was a contemporary of tintoretto and had close ties to veronese I can't wait to get back to the UK and break the news to Philip and bendor [Music] well I must say I think we've had a real breakthrough meeting that Italian scholar in Venice and coming up with that name as if from thinner Francesco montemezano most confess I've never heard of before but it's really substantive progress we have now got an artist that we can play with and I have been I've been looking at other works by Monte mezzano and I have to say I think the argument is looking really convincing here is our picture and the other two paintings that I'm referring to now look at the figure of the Dead Christ look how the light falls upon the body it's in a very similar way and particularly those loose arms but there's another have a look at the face of the Virgin Mary and I am pretty well convinced that this is the same face as the Virgin Mary in these two other compositions by montemezano so we could be dealing with an artist whose is just using as artists do the same model well I've been the life of Francesco montemezano and it turns out it was at least as colorful as his paintings there's not an awful lot said about it but I've tracked down some information about him in a rather obscure biography of Venetian artists from 1648 by a chat called ridolfi and it tells us how montemotana was born in about 1540 he painted with Paolo veronese which might explain some of those sort of similar characteristics my favorite bit is at the end of this biography it talks here about Francesco a piaccheri amorosi had many many love affairs and he also had a great love of expensive things and his life ended in a poisoning whether he was poisoned by I don't know Angela's husband Joseph lover in his many love affairs who's to say but he was certainly quite a character he reminds me in that aspect about Richard Tillman North who actually I think was now a bit of a red herring when it comes to who gave our paintings of the church I'm pretty convinced instead that it was his illegitimate half-brother Frederick Needham well this is all really encouraging it seems that we've managed to solve at least half the mystery but what about the artist now Enrique's thesis is very convincing but in order to convince the British Art Market the people who buy these pictures over here we need to go to the leading Authority on this area of history of Art and before we do that we have to make sure that the painting is cleaned as best it can be because with any luck it will do the work for us [Music] we've invited Church Warden Jane to the studio to see the results of the restoration and reveal who the artist may be let's get in here it is shall we do the ground unveiling wonderful okay you ready hang on wow painting has emerged like a butterfly from a chrysalis where there was dirt and Grime on our jewel-like colors just what you'd hope to see in an old Master painting from Venice [Music] beautiful absolutely wonderful oh there's a bit of the tree up there yeah the sentiment the artist's first idea I mean in in art World terms this has been more than just a clean it's been a little short of a resurrection I mean what what was hidden can now be seen and what we 've let is a little dark patch can you see on the Virgin Mary's it drapes there yes that black Square so that's how dirty it was gosh the comparison couldn't be more startling details once hidden are now revealed and the restoration has even managed to repair the stitching through Christ's eye so we have been to Venice yes and while we were there I spoke to an Italian a well-known Italian scholar the name he came up with was a man called Francesco Monte mitsano oh right well it's not one of the greats no we're not talking veronese petition tintoretto but possibly Francesco Monte and if we can turn it into a Francesca montemezano a canvas that would be worth fifteen twenty thousand pounds as an anonymous work it could be worth a hundred thousand pounds wow I now I am surprised because I didn't think it would be as much as that so that's an oh God and I have to say that although that's wonderful news we want the picture in the church and we don't want to sell it but it's amazing that that could be that value but it but it's just a beautiful painting absolutely delighted I mean the picture looks magnificent now that it's cleaned it's a different picture and I just hope that this can be verified now it's time for the verdict this will determine the true value of our painting thank you we've invited Enrico Del potsolo who Fiona met in Venice to examine the painting in person but to get the Art Market to accept it as a genuine montemezano will also need the endorsement of Professor Peter Humphrey a recognized Authority on this period of Italian art not riding on this if we can't give it a firm attribution in a tough market for Italian works it's worth probably fifteen twenty thousand pounds however if we can add that name more to mezzano it transforms it it's that name that we need [Music] normally on fake or Fortune we deal with artists that are household names so this is an unusual situation for us Francesco montemezano an artist most people have never heard of and certainly neither Philip nor I had heard of before he went to Venice and then suddenly his name was pulled out like a rabbit from a hat putting that name to the painting today will be crucial and now is the note we're going to find out gentlemen hello Enrique nice to see you again this is the first time you've seen the painting and of course now it's been cleaned as well oh you still have the opinion as you told me originally in Venice that this is a work by Francesco motive so you definitely think it's about him yes especially now after the restoration well that is great news that sounds like a rounding endorsement thank you Peter now I know how much significance the art World attaches to your opinions whether you like it or not I'm afraid we do what are your thoughts about this picture seeing this even in poor reproduction to start with I could see that it was related to the work of Paolo veronese the figure of the Mary Magdalene for example could almost be taken from one of his pictures but you can see that it's not fair and easy it's by somebody related to him and so I actually thought of Monty metzano and was very pleased to hear you know Enrico came up with this spontaneously and and I quite agree I quite agree I think it's got to be yes we have a name it's official our painting is by Francesco montemezano making it worth in excess of a hundred thousand pounds foreign has come to return it to the church at Tunstall and reveal what we believe is the true story of their painting we've arranged for it to be reinstated in its original position on the wall and waiting for us are Jane vicar Mark Cannon and Lady Sue Kimber from the north family a bit of a change we didn't know what it was and now we've got this light and glowing devotional piece there aren't many large-scale restoration projects quite as revolutionary as this I've been involved with and two things have emerged the first is that the picture now is performing as it should do it's telling a story in a church and secondly as a result of all of this restoration we can look into the painting and we can be certain about who painted it and it's by an artist it's called Francesco montemezano working in late 16th Century Venice but it's not just that the painting we know know a little bit more about you Richard Holman North who you believe was how this painting got here that seems less likely now okay Richard Tallman North is a bit of a red herring right but he did lead us to his half-brother Frederick Needham a name you'll know because of course he's written up here as a victor of this church and Frederick Needham was left a substantial a stipend by his father and what did he spend it on Italian Italian art and therefore it seems the most likely that Frederick Needham with his love of Italian art brought this painting to his church I mean it's not it's not everybody's subject matter clearly because religious paganism but it's worth it's worth a hundred thousand or more [Music] yeah we'll sell it no we won't at last we can reintroduce the painting to the entire congregation have I got it right [Music] this started out as an ecclesiastical whodunit who created the painting and who brought it here and we've cracked it Francesco montemezano late 16th Century painter from Venice and Frederick nieden the vicar of Tunstall two names until now I don't think you'd ever put together in the same sentence of course it's not all about big names is it I mean who who really knew about this artist much before this and we've plucked him from obscurity and of course it makes one think you know scratch the surface go beneath the dirt use what knowledge you can how many more out there are just waiting to be discovered in this episode we're investigating two paintings by two giants of the 20th century sir Alfred munnings once Britain's most expensive living artist his Sublime and so Winston Churchill a political Colossus with a private passion for painting he never went anywhere when he was traveling without his paints proving they are genuine is vital for an owner who must raise funds to stop his late uncle's Farm being sold off I want to do my best to keep his memory getting as much as I can but it won't be easy Mannings has been faked by some of the most notorious forges [Music] while the potential Churchill threatens to divide opinion I find that worrying it's double or quits with a quarter of a million pounds at stake but will it all end in tears blimey what a journey oh you're gonna make me cry now [Music] Philip and I have been summoned to the heart of London's legal District to look into the complex case of an artistic inheritance so we're on our way to the Old Bailey where over the years I've spent many long days trying to interview people as they emerge from high profile court cases but I've never come here to talk about art but I rather like it when Art's on trial particularly when the stakes are high we've come to see two paintings owned by Charles henty the under Sheriff of the old bayley it's his job to manage the smooth running of Britain's busiest Criminal Court Charles hello hi nice to meet you hello hello Charles all right nice to see you too for this you had a military career as a major serving in Northern Ireland and the Gulf throughout his travels Charles has always carried with him a certain painting and it hangs proudly in his office today although unsigned family Legend has always held that it was painted by one of Charles's Heroes Britain's wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill [Music] in London where we lived and I grew up in the early 60s The Story Goes that three uh paintings were found in the coal hole with the coal I mean always it uses a storage space they were in there with filthy with the coal my father found one that was actually signed by Winston Churchill what happened to the other team he's got one and the uh the one that was signed by Winston Churchill was I think returned to a member of The Churchill family could Charles's father really have stumbled across a genuine work by Winston Churchill languishing in the coal dust foreign so how did it come into your position I'd left school I was at home I needed something to put on the wall and it was down in the cloakroom unfriend and I spoke to my father and I said look you're not using this picture can I have it and he said sure I took it into the greenhouse put a couple of Nails in the back and a bit of garden twine and wiped it up on my garage room at home I suddenly wincing at the if it is by Western Churchill the whacking of the nails and the garden but anyway I just stuck it up because I had nothing on the wall although Sir Winston Churchill is best known as a Statesman he was a keen amateur artist in his spare time he painted for pleasure and as a refuge from the pressures of life and mostly scenes of places he visited on holiday from North Africa to the south of France so is Charles's picture a location he is known to have painted do you know where it's supposed to be Fez was what I was that's certainly what we were told but I've been fairly deaf increasingly over the years somebody's been saying of late whether or not it might have been in easy could this be the city of Fez in Morocco or the town of es in the south of France finding the location might just help us prove that the picture is authentic even as an amateur painter Churchill's Works Now command top prices and this engaging scene could be worth as much as 200 000 pounds which could be important for owner charles if it turns out to be something rather valuable then it might help me out a little bit help you out my uncle died not that long ago and I had to look after his Affairs I are now in a position where I have to settle some bills in terms of inheritance so you've inherited what property from him I have yeah two small farms over in France and I've now got to settle the estate in order to keep it going and you must have been close to him if he left it to you we were yeah very close I think I was very much the son that he never had right Charles is determined to try and keep his beloved uncle's Farm in France going and the livelihoods of those who depend on it but without new funds he'll have to sell to pay the crippling inheritance tax bill if the Churchill is genuine he has a chance but he'll also need to part with the painting his uncle left him a landscape believed to be by the celebrated 20th century British Artist sir Alfred munnings [Music] it's I believe a munnings partly because it signed money sign my uncle was particularly keen on churches and all of his life he studied churches and actually depending on on what approach you take to this picture you could actually just say it's supported of a church exactly yeah did he never tell you how he came by it or I I think he bought it I think he bought it in the early 70s munnings is best remembered as a painter of horses often capturing the thrill of the races or a wealthy patrons beloved steed in his lifetime he had the distinction of being the most expensive British Artist ever and became president of the World Academy of Art in 1944. if this pastoral scene is by mullings it could be worth around fifty thousand pounds so the same uncle who was left to the farms and now as a result a very big tax bill has left you this do you feel some emotional attachment to it or would you if you could prove it was by money set it in order to to relieve the dead bit yes because it would gave us some good use I want to do my best to keep his memory getting as much as I can and this picture though I could part with if I could keep that operation going I'm keeping people working on the people working on the farm and keep his memory down there if you'd like and I set that at his funeral but you know we are going to do whatever we possibly can so it sounds like this inheritance tax bill has been praying heavily on your mind it has and every single day every single night I'm either working on it but thinking about it all the time well are we talking hundreds of thousands sadly yes so sizable Bill a sizable bill and the clock's ticking together the two pictures would solve Charles's Financial woes at a stroke if they are authentic I'm Keen to take a closer look at the pictures but I've got a bit of a checkered path with the works of Sir Alfred munnings my first experience as an art dealer was getting hold of what I thought was three or four monthings is putting them in the back of a car and driving them up in the snow as it happened to London from Norwich uh only to be told when I arrived at a gallery there that they were fakes now is this by Mannings looking up close there's some rather wonderful brush Strokes I mean look particularly at the way what looks like a willow tree next to the waters the sort of thing you'd expect growing there and it's done with a very broad probably hog hair brush you can almost hear the sound of the brush on the board but it's just done with like one or two strokes and one of the characteristics is his great use of color he was a bold colorist and here we have a problem because there are so few colors in this picture now over to the other painting it's not signed Churchill we're not setting this by the high bar of the great post-impressionist painters around in the 20th century I mean Churchill was a spirited informedably good amateur painter I like the the blending of this yellows there's slightly Violet tones and the blues you know you get a feeling for a hot afternoon the figures well the figures to tell the truth are slightly weak but they're bold and dare I say it they're Plucky but is it by Churchill if we're gonna re-baptize a work by Churchill you know the the Colossus of the 20th century we need hard evidence I'm searching for Clues anything that can prove that Churchill connection to the picture and I've just received a letter from Charles's father Jonathan henty now a frail 81 year old he's tried to write down everything he can recall about the discovery of the picture when the family bought a house in ebery Street West London in 1963. we bought 186 Ebu Street in the early 1960s the vendors were Mr and Mrs Aykroyd when they left Mrs Akroyd told me that Mrs Beacham named Churchill now that's Sarah Churchill at Winston Churchill's daughter Mrs Beacham had left some discarded canvases which the acros did not claim and they were in the cohort this is promising our research confirms that 186 ebrey Street had indeed been home to Churchill's daughter Sarah and her second husband the photographer Anthony Beacham in the early 50s although Winston and Clementine Churchill disapproved of Sarah's marriage they bought the house so the couple would have somewhere to live in London might it also have been furnished with paintings by Churchill himself that ended up for reasons unknown in the coal hole as Jonathan henty recalls his first instinct was to see if Sarah Churchill wanted them back there were three pictures here we go one of the sen at bujuval which clearly bore the signature of Winston s Churchill I got in touch with Sarah she took the pictures away to show her mother hang on this is interesting which she did according to Sarah lady Spencer Churchill that's Clemy Churchill's devoted wife lady Spencer Churchill said the picture of bourgeovel was completely genuine the second picture was of es not fairs was of heirs that's the south of France which Churchill painted after lunch one day now that can only have come from the mouth of Clement Churchill because she would have known that Churchill painted it after lunch the third picture which I have hanging in the drawing room here was by Paul Maas we agreed that I should keep the mass and the picture of heirs and Sarah had to sign Churchill she immediately soldered the Sotheby's or Christies for I think about five thousand pounds this is a brilliant bit of provenos if Clemy Churchill saw these three pictures one of which now belongs to Charles direct connection to the great man [Music] the anecdotal evidence in support of the painting attributed to Churchill is tantalizing so we've asked to Viva bernstock a specialist in the scientific analysis of paintings at The courthold Institute of Art to take a closer look she and her assistant are taking infrared photographs of both our pictures and they've already yielded fascinating results see that there's some pencil inscriptions on on both the back of both pictures ones on a wooden panel and the other ones on canvas so we can look at the back with infrared and maybe enhance those inscriptions to see how what they say the infrared image of the landscape attributed to Salford munnings delivers a promising lead here upside down on the frame we can see something you can actually look at the inverted image let's say it's on the frame itself Martin gallery and what are we seeing here so it says dead and winter that reference to Dedham is very encouraging it's a village on the Suffolk Essex border that morning's called home armed with some fresh leads from Aviva's photos were getting together with our specialist researcher Dr Bend or Grosvenor I've got some high resolution photographs here from The courthold Institute of the back of our pictures and they yield a couple of rather interesting Clues should we start with the Churchill picture yeah let's take a look at the back of this one because there's some interesting writing on here which appear to tally with what Charles is telling us so lady orderly now that is Sarah Churchill lady Audrey cursive her third marriage in 1962 and here she is she's quite a character three marriages she's an actress this here I'm wondering if this is a phone number yes we ought to look into it [Music] if it is right coming from the family the coal hole the market likes a bit of romance like that I can see it doing really well should we have a look at the back of the munnings if we look at the top of the stretcher bar written in pencil you could make out malts and gallery that refers to an art dealer who was working in London in the 60s and 70s called imrivon melson and he in fact sold the munnings to Charles henti's Uncle Christian in 1968. so he's a good lead I certainly like to talk to him foreign [Music] was easy to track down a longtime friend of the henty family it was imray who originally spotted dead in winter in a London Gallery in the late 60s and then sold it to Charles's late Uncle Christian I want to know if he remembers the sale after all these years and if he'd ever seen any proof it was genuine I happened to see the munnings in the Rutland gallery and I I rated it very highly I thought it was an extremely good picture it would fit into Christian's collection and when you bought it from the Rutland garage what did they tell you or give you in connection with that money's painting that made you feel it was genuine nothing at all a lot of dealings at that time were on trust I saw that it was a good painting as far as I was concerned it was Bunnings you remember how much you paid for it well let me say I've sold it for 980 pounds imray's belief in dead and winter is reassuring but the provenance Trail is frustratingly cold there is though a curious twist when it comes to our other painting believed to be by Winston Churchill because Emery Von melson clearly recalls Jonathan henty bringing him all three paintings discovered in that coal Hall in ibry Street I took them away and had them cleaned professionally and the story continued do you know if there's any effort to authenticate them Beyond the fact that they'd come from the coal hole you know you don't argue with Winston's daughter sure that's about as good a Providence as you're going to get absolutely hearing Emery corroborate the incredible story of the paintings in the coal hole is heartening but he was operating at a time when paintings were bought and sold on a good word and a handshake without any firm documentation in support of either picture stylistic evidence is going to play a key role in the process of Authentication but as Charles's painting attributed to Churchill resemble other genuine works to find out we've come to Chartwell in Kent Churchill's family home where most of his pictures are kept in Churchill's Studio we've arranged to meet David Coombs the author of the official catalog of the great man's work major auction houses defer to his judgment on the authenticity of Churchill's pictures so his view on Charles's painting will be critical Steve would have had as many paintings as this up when he was working here Fiona I think more because we've only got a kind of sample here he wrestled with so many different things still alive Landscapes yes that's true portraits they succeed I think because they are painted straight there's no fiddling these appear to be almost like a diary of his life they seem to document what he's doing where he's going that's true these are Travelers paintings one thing I've noticed immediately is the emphasis on light and also the way brick work and stone and sand and Earth absorb the light looking around I have to say I'm convinced that there are similarities between Churchill's work and Charles's picture but does David agree we think it's the south of France possibly airs okay there's no signature we were a bit concerned with a lack of signature but the lack of signature seems to almost be a signature you're right because there are occasions when he had a sort of session of seems to doing but put that aside I'm puzzled by that I find that worrying the figures in particular are almost too good to be about him I mean this is also a photograph so the coloring is not going to represent I wouldn't want to say anything without seeing the painting it's only then could I feel I could give an opinion really David's cautious reaction is both surprising and disappointing even on first glance he has serious reservations about Charles's picture so if we were to convince you this painting is by Churchill what information do we need to give you firm documentation of where it was painted when it was painted and the subject we also need to have firm evidence of this passage of history from the brush of Churchill himself to the last owner and that has got to look like Churchill [Music] with David Coombs expressing concerns about the way the picture looks finding evidence to support the provenance and that connection to Sarah Churchill is more important than ever Charles's father Jonathan thinks he may have spoken to Sarah Churchill about the paintings on the phone and bendor thinks the pencil inscription on the back of the picture could bear that out foreign there is in fact a telephone number written and it says lady orderly bell1458 now Belle is a telephone code for Belgravia telephone numbers used to be a little area prefix and then four numbers what that tells us is that we have a Time window for when this conversation probably took place Sarah Churchill became lady orderly in April 1962. the way of writing telephone numbers stopped in 1968 somebody thought that this picture had a connection to Lady orderly between April 1962 and 1968. the presence of Sarah Churchill's official title on the back of Charles's painting might help prove that it belonged to her but how can we be sure that her father painted it I've arranged to meet Minnie Churchill Winston's granddaughter by marriage she worked with David Coombs on his official catalog of Churchill's paintings I'm hoping she might remember something from the family history that could help us work out where and when it was painted what did painting mean to sue Winston painting became an immensely important part of his life from 1915 onwards he'd never went anywhere when he was traveling without his paints and when he traveled in south of France is somewhere we're particularly interested in terms relating it to our painting he would he would stay with friends it was it was quite a social scene I think well he had a few friends that he stayed with down there beautiful houses we had a very interesting trip two years ago and to find some of the places where he painted did you go to Ayers we did go to Wares yes and he painted a little chapel there very pretty little chapel now this is good news just as Charles's father said Churchill did visit the town of heirs to paint could our picture depict another local Landmark from that same visit I'm Keen to know what Minnie thinks do you think this looks churchillion I mean the color is very interesting of the walls I've never seen him paint a picture with people in like that there's all the little figures there the colors are lovely but somehow I'm not sure there's so many things that aren't quite like his other paintings on the whole I wouldn't have looked at it they said I think that's a Churchill oh but maybe it is you know there might have been different periods in his painting life when he did paint like that but I'm not very convinced by it with many churches sharing some of David Coombs doubts I'm returning to the Old Bailey to meet up with owner charles henty we've exhausted all the leads contained in his father's letter can he suggest any further lines of inquiry right let me update you um I met Minnie Churchill what she did say that was very encouraging was that Churchill had been to EZ which confirms oh yes what your father was saying yeah yeah it's not fairs yeah Emery Von Melton also confirmed your father's story um he remembers it very well actually and the paintings coming from Sarah Churchill but what we still haven't got is a direct link between Churchill yeah and the coal hole is there anyone else you can think of who is connected to this painting and your father I don't know an auction house another dealer other friends if my father doesn't know um I would have thought Emery would have known most of all um they're much better than this than I am I would be too young to remember in many ways myself so I think we've done as best as you possibly can the Providence Trail on the possible Churchill might have gone worryingly cold but I'm hoping for better luck with Charles's other picture dead and winter believed to be the work of Sir Alfred munnings I've come to castle house in Dedham home to a collection of over 700 of his Works ranging from childhood sketches to the equestrian paintings that bought him Fame and wealth I've arranged to meet curators Marcia Whiting and Bill tetherage for a closer look at mullings's work and to see if there are any parallels in Charles's painting this painting my wife my horse myself basically shows everything he loved in his life the house the horse Violet his wife and he's holding a painting of the actual painting nice witticism he painted Violet at least three times on a different horse each occasion so it was a subject that he wanted to revisit if mullings is one of those artists who became infatuated by a particular scene could the church in Charles's picture be a subject to which he returned more than once this picture here which reminds me so much actually compositionally of the one we're looking at with use of water but just shows how how this painter almost has a naturalist's love of landscape a journey from from and these were the sort of scenes that he would see along the way this was an artist who was in love with the English landscape and that bodes well for Charles's painting and while I'm examining his works for any similarities to dead and winter I come across something extraordinary [Music] way is our exact same composition clearly there are differences it's different oh yeah isn't it I mean where there was snow and ice there's there's no color wildflowers purple loose strife cow personally it's a different atmosphere but the composition is the same this feels to me like a major breakthrough and I'm Keen to know what Manning's expert bill now makes of Charles's picture well that is very much like the painting you've seen in the hall with the barge Dedham Church behind what is missing in the mid ground are the Willows is seems to be done more or less from the same location over the other side of the river going by the size is done on board it could be a study photograph Bill thinks he can see evidence of the hand of munnings in Charles's painting it's an important vote of confidence in our bid to prove that it's an authentic work spending so much time in such concentrated company with Monies I I'm really Amazed by the quality of his art representational not particularly abstract but with a touch of Impressions have been thrown in I mean he's he's Sublime if munnings did paint Charles's picture it's likely he did so just a Stones Throw from the house and I'm taking to the water to try and find the exact spot when he was a boy the store was a busy working River with Mills all along its banks but I have a theory that he returned to this spot in later life but to mourn the passing of the old ways symbolized in Charles's painting by those abandoned barges [Music] I think this has to be the sport and you can just imagine mullings City himself here getting his paints his his pencils out I mean it's got all the elements you've got that wonderful vertical the church Tower pulling the rest of the composition together I mean it's classic England isn't it they've got that that lovely bit of water great for reflection I mean it is picturesque I mean equally there are things that would have infuriated Monies you'd have had something to say about that pylon back in London I'm eager to consult the munnings expert whose opinion will be decisive when it comes to establishing the authenticity of Charles's picture Lori and Peralta Ramos is an american-based scholar who has spent 25 years cataloging the artist's work auction houses seek her opinion before putting any new money's picture on the market I've contacted her online for her initial impressions do you think that it has a chance of being a work by mummies it's known for his light and color one could sort of say oh well this isn't typical monies because it's monotonal and and doesn't have the light in color lorian won't be able to be able to firm judgment until she studied a high resolution image in minute detail and she sounds a note of caution about the extent which Monica's Works have been forged even while the artist was alive my name's actually in his own writings talked about the various Mannings he saw on Sharp windows that were not by him and so he he knew there were people who were signing his name I think I can identify maybe three or four different hands so three or four different fakers yes that's deeply worrying that there are four ghostly fakers out there absolutely with no evidence to show where Charles's Painting came from before it appeared in a London Gallery in the 1960s could there be a possibility that it's an audacious fake bendor has been doing some digging and he's made an alarming connection between the scene in dead and winter and Tom Keating a notorious forger unmasked in the 1970s buried in the churchyard at the scene of our putative monies is Britain's most notorious figure in the 20th century perhaps Tom Keating now he claimed to have faked over 2 000 works by over a hundred artists during his lifetime so are you telling me that Tom Keating is buried in the actual Church portrayed in this painting yes great isn't it I mean just when I thought we were doing so well uh well I suppose that's something we're gonna have to consider isn't it it certainly is something we're gonna have to consider I should say so this is the first real doubt we've had about dead and winter and I'm also more than a little anxious about Charles's other picture attributed to Winston Churchill which David Combs has now arrived to examine in person my feelings a lot much changed from when you showed it to me on the tablet the coloring is not typical of him these details here are concerning they are the figures the figures yes he he was a man who did not like painting figures and when he did it wasn't very successful and these are kind of in between they're in between not very good and not very bad in fact they could be quite professional I think what it lacks is courage and he Paints in it generally speaking in a very kind of confident way which I can't see much of that in this the fate of Charles's painting now hangs in the balance David Combs has serious misgivings but I'm absolutely convinced that there is stylistic evidence in Churchill's other paintings that should change his mind well I think what we need to do is try and address these points one by one because he has a number of concerns first of all the colors he thinks the colors are not churchillion but I've been thinking about that I mean I'm afraid I disagree I mean what are the dominant tones and colors in our picture well it's that sort of rather light ocher that Sandy color that does describes the stone and also that rather emphatic strong blue but we get it with other pictures I mean looking at let's say this picture here also by Churchill a view of North Africa I mean look at the very strong blue in the top and then that sort of diluted mustardy tone for the stonework I mean I do very much feel that they're from the same same palette well David koontz's other concern was that the figures are too good I have to say that's a real new one for us isn't it we're trying to prove that this is an authentic work by an artist by trying to work out other figures bad enough well actually I think they are Churchill seems to have got his hips in the wrong place with his figures certainly the woman at the trough is bending over rather awkwardly isn't she and compare that to another picture we have here by Churchill very distinctive that sort of rather ungainly arthritic pose I think the key to unlocking this Churchill is finding out where he painted it sounds to me like you're volunteering to go to the south of France well I think it's a tough gig but someone's got to do it our strongest lead for the location of the scene in Charles's painting is the village of heirs just outside nice in the south of France Churchill is known to have painted here but can we find the fountain in Charles's painting and connect it directly to Churchill himself it might just be the crucial piece of evidence that sways David coombs's opinion so Charles and I have arrived in as eager to start the search so we find ourselves in heirs do you think we'll find the sight of your painting there I Jolly will hope so it's got all the right Hallmarks it's very pretty the colors are just super it's got a good feel about it so I I'm pretty confident we're going to get very close we're going to get very close indeed armed with a photo of our possible Churchill painting Charles and I canvas the locals to try and pinpoint the scene [Music] I wondered whether you could help me I hope it is after several hours of fruitless inquiries it's clear Charles's painting wasn't done in as it's a big disappointment but we've been given a Lifeline by one of the locals they've suggested we speak to a man called Luke tomber an artist who knows a lot about other artists who visited this region in the past we've arranged to meet him in the nearby town of Voss Luke we wanted to talk to you because Charles here has a painting which he hopes is by Winston Churchill oops um which would be quite significant obviously and Churchill came to south of France to paint amongst many other places I knew he was he was there I've got an image of the painting which I wanted to show you and we've been trying to find out where where this was painted just one do you recognize this at all it's the founder of something sample divorce right through here there was a gallery next to it the guy was named lutenberg he died like 20 years ago I think he married a dancer Choice her name Joyce Joyce yeah choice but do you know if Joyce is still alive oh you really don't know I can ask we can ask in the village news about it yes please obviously but thank you up in the hills above vas is the old town of sample device if Luke is right this is where we could find the fountain in Charles's painting we might just be a few minutes away from a local landmark in a tiny French Village that could help prove Charles's picture is genuine and help him keep his late uncle's Farm going oh hang on that looks very familiar out there look it's the right shape just as Luke said oh look is it how brilliant what we've got to do now is find the sports okay we're right back up in this corner so that's the cutoff point so there you've got the side of the fountain yeah the troughs there the arch of that window there [Music] the windows with the shutters you see and the balcony there still got pot plants on and the three steps my goodness so this is it it's this is the spot right here [Music] oh look at you [Music] oh you're gonna make me cry now goodness it's a big moment isn't it it is [Music] and how long have you been looking at this picture over 30 years oh my God well blimey what a journey what do you think your father would say pull yourself together boy oh [Music] finding the fountain in the picture is a significant breakthrough but back in England I'm following up concerns about Charles's other painting dead and winter this picturesque Church might have been painted by Sir Alfred munnings but is also the final resting place of Tom Keating a forger who put dread into the art world [Music] keesing first hit the headlines in the early 1970s when a series of unknown pictures by the 19th century watercolorist Samuel Palmer suddenly appeared on the market eating eventually confessed claiming it was a protest against dealers who got rich at the expense of the artist and he reveled in the attention that it brought to him will you do a Palma for us I'll try what will you do whatever you asked me to do it must have a moon an umbrella bats and A Touch of Magic keasing is believed to have faked the work of countless artists including munnings and claimed that over two thousand of his forgeries were in circulation Charles's painting be one of them I've arranged to meet John Bradley who knew Keating well to try and shed some light on The Late forger's secrets so tongue heating established Faker what motivated him he was a frustrated artist he was painting in his own style and not getting anywhere to prove that he was as good as some of his Heroes Samuel Palmer being one of them he started painting paintings in the style of Samuel Palmer then he took it one stage further and actually started faking them so they would pass off as Samuel Palmers I mean he wouldn't do the Mona Lisa he wouldn't do gainesville's blue boy he wouldn't do paintings that everybody knew everything about he would do the missing link he would do the study for something so if Keating had done your painting it wouldn't be an obvious one John you haven't seen this yet but I want to show you this picture and I want you to give me your first responses as to whether this could be by your favorite Rogue could be could easily be could easily be what makes you think that just the coloring but look at the trees I mean I think they're done enormously well very swiftly and and the foreground foliage done so deftly he knew painters techniques he'd gone into the mionings museum and looked at them so why not is there a way of telling he is alleged to have put uh fake under some of his paintings which would come up with Excellence which would come up with Excel it's vital that we now try and rule out Tom keating's involvement in dead and winter so we're sending the picture back to the court hold Institute to be x-rayed we want to make sure there's no message for us from the faker underneath the paint layers while Philip waits for the results of the X-ray back in France Charles and I are meeting up again with local artist Luke tomber [Music] Joy lutenbacker the woman whose late husband ran an art gallery right beside the fountain for over 40 years [Music] if someone as famous as Sir Winston Churchill had stopped to paint in the town There's a chance Joy might have heard about it can I show you the picture here it is this is an image of it your gallery was just next to it yes what's over here do you remember Winston Churchill ever because my aunt had a tea room in Saint Paul my husband was a painter he used to go to because all the intellectuals and fences the artists they all met in Jones table and one day he saw churchilled painting outside the Phantom and Churchill had run out of paint and my husband had got a few old tubes left and he said to Churchill can I help you I can give you some of my end and my ends of tubes how do you say yeah yeah and Churchill was very pleased so he they got they had a good chat about their painting and the tube the bench and all this and he gave Arthur in exchange his cigars his famous cigars so your husband saw Churchill saw him bending painting yes and then lent him some of the paints to do the pictures that was all my husband told me because the cigars amused him because he was very fond of cigars and I assume your husband smoked the cigars he didn't keep them you don't feel happy yeah Joy's account of her husband's meeting with Churchill the artist which he thinks could have happened in 1945 gives us remarkable first-hand testimony in favor of Charles's painting and it might even help explain the choice of colors in the picture that David Combs was so concerned about Churchill ran out of his usual pigments and instead use Replacements provided by Joy's husband but at the moment all we have is Joy's word so back in the UK fendor has been trying to corroborate Churchill's link to sample device got here an old BBC newsreel from 1949 it's all about Sam Paul DeVos and its popularity with artists I'm not expecting to see a clip of Churchill painting our picture but you never know what we might find the Art Shop of an English lady Miss John Smith is very famous she came for short visit 25 years ago but loved it so much that she never left hmm this is um Joy lutenbacker's Aunt Joan Smith whose shop is in the place to Le Fontaine lovely to see a picture of her and her shop and here I don't know who this painter is but he looks like a pro the position that he is chosen seems like a slightly stronger perspective of the fountain it's interesting that David Coombs thought that our picture showed a rather weak composition an amateur like Churchill perhaps just found a nice spot and didn't quite think out how the composition was going to look the one we have here in this shot looks like a slightly nicer view of the fountain in this Fountain all artists spent now especially since Mr Churchill Pence did when he visited Saint Paul a little while ago I can't believe I just heard that that's fantastic that's contemporary incontrovertible proof that Churchill painted the scene and a little while ago this film is made in 1949 so that would fit with our putative date of 1945 a little while ago I suppose it must refer to after the war and some few years before that's fantastic that absolutely corroborates Joy looking back a story that Churchill was painting this shortly out of the war amazing we've made real progress with the painting Charles believes to be by Churchill placing the great man at the scene and behind his easel in the late 1940s but will need to be even more precise to convincingly answer David combs's question about when it was painted the face of Charles's other picture dead and winter is equally finally balanced with the ghost of forger Tom Keating hovering over proceedings I've been summoned back to castle house in Dedham by curator bill tetherage he's been trawling through the many hundreds of works by Sir Alfred moneys that they hold in storage and he says he has a surprise in store for me an array of pictures hang on they're all the same scene exactly this is extraordinary here is the same scene repeated over a dozen times the view of Dedham and the river store clearly had profound significance for mummings because he returned to paint it again and again two or three of these pictures are also painted on board just like Charles's there's even another unfinished winter scene there could actually be a related study to Charles's painting it's almost as if he's in love with the scene and and he's preoccupied by it he went out he was getting 500 pounds of commission for painting a Horse and Rider which is an enormous amount of money during the 20s and 30s but all he wanted to do was sit on a riverbank and paint pictures like this the emotional connection that bill picks up between all these pictures bodes well for Charles's painting and to my eye dead and winter instinctively feels like part of this family rather than a forger's handiwork but will the X-ray bear this out with Fiona now back from France we're getting together to examine the image taken by Aviva burnstock from The courthold Institute [Music] we've got the results of the X-ray of the monies here and um I have to say I can't see any message from Tom Keating no message from beyond the grave no and I think even more significantly having got to see now so many Manning system got close to them I think our picture has the characteristics of the artist I said monies isn't it let's hope you're all right if money's expert Lori and Peralta Ramos agrees that the picture is authentic it could raise vital funds for Charles but it's the possible Churchill painting that is potentially the game changer for Charles's financial problems there is a lot at stake for him because this is a family story that has come down the generations the paintings that cohort from The Churchill family and then there's this Farm in Normandy he wants to keep that not only as a memory of his uncle whom he was clearly tremendously formed but also people's livelihoods depend on it bendor has just received an incredible piece of evidence that might boost Charles's chances of keeping his uncle's Farm together it reveals exactly when the picture was likely to have been painted Joy lutenbacker has discovered a signed photograph that Winston Churchill gave to her Aunt Joan when he visited her tea room in Sample device on the last days of a painting holiday spent in France it's dated October the 1st 1945. [Music] I've been looking into the dates and locations of Churchill's painting holiday in 1945 after his election defeat and David coombs's Churchill painting book states that he started his holiday in Italy and then he went to France where he Revisited pre-war haunts at Monte Carlo and antibes now that all would appear to fit in with what Fiona found out in France but the historian in me always likes to back things up with a few primary sources I did manage to find a reference in the Times newspaper in fact a story that refers to Mr Churchill's sore throat it was announced yesterday that Mr Churchill is confined to his house with a sore throat and will not be able to attend Parliament this week then it concludes Mr Churchill who will be 71 next month return to this country on October the 5th after spending a holiday in the south of France so I'm very happy with with all the dates and what we found so we now know that Churchill paid a visit to Saint Paul divorce and painted the fountain there in October 1945. but can we be sure that Charles's picture is the one that he did while he sat in that square using borrowed paints the colors that David Combs found uncharacteristic could also be partly explained another way at The courthold Institute Aviva bernstock has been examining the picture under ultraviolet light and can detect a wax coating likely to have been applied in the 1960s after the painting was removed from the coal hole and cleaned you can actually see the waxy coating and the gray particles embedded in it of surface dirt very clearly if the waxy Coating in the dust was removed I'm pretty sure that the tonality of the picture would be much brighter and more contrasting we can return the painting to it original coloring it might make it easier to see what I now believe is clear evidence of Churchill's hand so Simon Gillespie a specialist restorer is painstakingly removing that layer of Wax the results are noticeable the colors are crisper the shape's clearer has this goddess a little closer to the artistic courage that David Combs felt it lacked it's Judgment day back at the old bayley where our journey first began David Combs has examined the newly cleaned picture attributed to Churchill and mulled over all our evidence over in America Lori and Peralta Ramos has completed her examination of dead and winter believed to be by Sir Alfred munnings both have now delivered their verdicts in writing and we're all about to learn them for the first time understandably owner charles henty is on tenterhooks hi there hello hi Charles you ready for this as well you know as I'll ever be yes okay and it's probably now worth promoting ourselves what these pictures are worth if they are both proved to be right if this can be proved to be by Winston Churchill it's worth in excess of two hundred thousand pounds and mummings I would say probably up to fifty thousand pounds if this isn't my Churchill we're not looking at two hundred thousand we're looking at 200 probably or something I'm afraid as an amateur work um a voice yeah a couple of hundred pounds yep I have in my hand here the envelope which contains the responses of Bill and lorian on your Monies well the one from Lorien is very long dear sirs I've inspected the oil painting titled Dead Winter landscape in my opinion this work is consistent with munnings's work and therefore will be included in the forthcoming catalog resume of surrounded Bunnings and added to that we have a message from Bill from Castle house having been able to study compare and contrast all of Manning's studies and finish pieces I feel that in all probability it was painted by Sir Alfred Mannings congratulations great well done thank you very much indeed don't miss me one down once again this is the big one if we've done enough to prove the Churchill is genuine Charles can raise the funds he needs to maintain his late uncle's Farm in Normandy okay you ready for the Churchill out of me so this is from David coombes she starts from the outset as you know I have had doubts about the likely authenticity of this painting since then I've seen the painting newly cleaned nonetheless this painting while it is not in my opinion by Winston Churchill is undoubtedly very intriguing a genuine puzzle and as such would be a candidate for being added in a future edition of my catalog to the section of pictures already included there as a mystery she's not completely writing it off is he he's hitting his bets he's giving himself a bit of wiggle room there not by Churchill but nonetheless it's going to be in his catalog as a mystery so it's not the answer we want but it's not an absolute rejection no I think it's I think it's a suspended sentence well I should go for an appeal what about the farm in Normandy well without diet we'll have to sell half of it in order to raise sufficient monies we hope there's no doubt now that this is is not yet proven to be a Churchill Plan B is to do that it's a bitter blow for Charles henty and the repercussions will be felt in France he can only hope that a new piece of evidence might one day emerge to prove that the painting discovered in that coal hole in ibry street was indeed painted by Sir Winston Churchill for me this investigation isn't quite over and one day I've seen pictures do this one day it might well make it so you could say that Churchill lives to fight another day so watch this face undiscovered Masterpiece we'd love to hear from you visit our website at bbc.co.uk fake or Fortune [Music]

Channel: Perspective

Views: 319,912

Keywords: history documentaries, art history documentaries, art and culture documentary, TV Shows - Topic, art history, Documentary movies - topic, tv shows - topic

Id: 8hAkpfCKcwM

Length: 228min 4sec (13684 seconds)

Published: Sat Jul 01 2023