For the final episode in Fake or Fortune? series nine, Philip and Fiona travel to the beautiful island of Anglesey, in northeast Wales. The case in question is a depiction of Jesus and the apostles at the Last Supper. It was purchased by Huw Lewis, a sheep farm owner, on eBay for just £50. The prior owners of the work considered it to be worthless, so Huw decided to embark on a research project of his own as he was sure the work had more to offer.
Huw decided to do some online research and came across an artist he thought it might be by: Benjamin West. Born in Pennsylvania, West left America in his twenties and settled in Britain where his career quickly accelerated. By the late 18th century he was one of the most celebrated artists of the day, renowned for his history paintings. Perhaps his biggest fan was King George III who made West his official history painter and together they aimed to bring about a magnificent new era in British art.
The picture in question, is an unusual one. It’s a small canvas that appears to be semi-finished, It’s partly painted in oils but also visible are bold, black lines delineating the figures. The investigation gets off to an encouraging start when Fiona discovers that West was commissioned by King George III to paint two works of the Last Supper for chapels at Windsor Castle. Even more excitingly, at the Royal Academy of Arts she discovers that one of the preparatory works or “sketches” for those paintings hasn’t been seen for a hundred years. Could it really be that this bargain is the missing sketch?
This proves to be one of the team’s most difficult investigations; as well as the concerning condition of the picture, they face a provenance trail that should stretch back more than two hundred years. There’s also the added challenge of doing research during lockdown. With the odds so against them, can they prove that Huw’s eBay find is actually a long lost work, fit for a king? Tune into Fake or Fortune? at 9pm tomorrow on BBC One, and catch up with the rest of the series here.
