Lost & Found: The Biggest Art Discoveries In Britain's Storage

These three episodes dive deep into the world of lost masterpieces hidden away in Britain's public collections. First, we investigate an uncatalogued portrait from the Bodleian Library, using restoration and forensic research to prove it's an early Grand Tour portrait by the great Roman artist Pompeo Batoni, revealing a surprising anatomical detail that brings the sitter to life. Next, we confront two mysterious landscapes from Birmingham Art Gallery: a possible late sketch by Thomas Gainsborough and a cracked Flemish scene. Through meticulous cleaning and dendrochronology, the Gainsborough is downgraded to a copy, while the Flemish work is revealed as a rare 17th-century collaboration from the studio of Yan Brueghel the Elder. Finally, we travel to Cardiff to examine a Renaissance Madonna gifted by the pioneering Davis sisters. Infrared analysis and expert opinion suggest this "follower" piece, once bought by a dealer for a fraction of its true value, contains work by Sandro Botticelli himself. Subscribe and click the bell icon to get more arts content every week:    / perspectivearts   Perspective is YouTube's home for the arts. Come here to get your fill of great music, theatre, art and much, much more! You can now become a History Hit member right here on YouTube! Join for access to a new exclusive documentary every week, and access to over 160+ of our documentaries presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, Eleanor Janega, Tristan Hughes, Mary Beard, Matt Lewis and more. Get an exclusive release every week by signing up here: https://bit.ly/4pyExyn Any queries, please contact us at: [email protected] #Painting #Art #History