7 of 12 August 2023 The 1805 Dispatches #23.04 Member Mark West has sent us a couple of items, the first being this (edited) article from the Daily Telegraph: Portrait dismissed as poor quality identified as a Gainsborough By Craig Simpson, Daily Telegraph,10 July 2023 Thomas Gainsborough may have died in 1788, but he refuses to stay out of the picture. A new work by the painter has been rediscovered more than 230 years after his death, after it turned out that one of his portraits had been wrongly dismissed as the work of a lesser artist. The 1762 portrait of Captain Frederick Cornewall entered the Royal Museums Greenwich collection in 1960, and was deemed of too poor quality to be a Gainsborough, and promptly placed out of sight. However, research by curators and art experts has revealed that the painting which has spent decades in storage is in fact by one of Britain’s most celebrated artists. Curator Katherine Gazzard said that it was “thrilling to be able to rescue this lost masterpiece from obscurity”. While nationally significant, the painting cannot immediately be shown to the public, as its lengthy stay in storage has left it too fragile for display and in need of £60,000 worth of repair work. The painting is believed to date from 1762, when Gainsborough was seeking lucrative commissions by painting in the fashionable spa town of Bath, and the work depicts Royal Navy officer Captain Frederick Cornewall (1706-1788). Art historian Hugh Belsey recently unearthed a photograph of the painting taken in the early-20th century, which made clear that the piece was by Gainsborough. Mr Belsey followed the trail of ownership for the work, but found that all records of the painting went cold in the mid-20th century. It was only by chance that Mr Belsey, flicking through a catalogue of Royal Museums Greenwich artworks, noticed among the collection the painting he had been looking for, although it was not attributed to Gainsborough. Royal Museums Greenwich has appealed for help in fundraising to restore the long-forgotten artwork, which will hang in the Queen’s House on public display once it has been properly preserved. Ms Gazzard said: “Those of us lucky enough to see the portrait in the museum stores knew it was something special, but it was only with Hugh’s help that we were able to piece together the full story. “We are excited about sharing the painting with the public, but it is currently too fragile for display. The fundraising campaign will enable us to perform the remedial work that the portrait desperately needs. “Once the conservation is complete, the painting will hang in the Queen’s House, where our visitors will be able to enjoy this rediscovered masterpiece for themselves.” [On 25 July RMG said they have already raised nearly £20,000, so if you want to contribute you need not to spend too long considering. Ed.] Captain Frederick Cornewall, By Gainsborough. Image RMG.co.uk LOST GAINSBOROUGH LOSES IT’S ‘LOST’ STATUS
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