Fiona Bruce was left speechless on Fake or Fortune when a guest learned the true value of her antique painting, which was discovered to be one of the earliest recorded portraits of an Indian sitter by a European female artist.
The TV presenter joined co-host Philip Mould to investigate a painting left to retired accountant Mary-Louise Wedderburn in her uncle's will. She believed it was painted by her distant relative, the famous Scottish artist Katherine Read. The painting depicts an enigmatic Indian woman in a formal pose, wearing a string of pearls, a large emerald pendant, and a nose ring.
Expert Confirms Painting by Katherine Read
In the episode, the presenters consulted British art historian Charles Greig to compare the painting with Katherine Read's known work. After careful consideration, he said: "This has been one of the trickiest paintings I've ever had to consider. I've read your dossier very carefully and it's incredibly impressive. On the basis of all the evidence put together, I am entirely certain that this painting is by Katherine Read."
Greig also highlighted the historical significance of the sitter: "One of the most interesting things about this painting is that I'm pretty certain that she [the sitter] is a member of the Nawahs of Arcot family, in Madras, and that is extremely unusual because most of the other portraits of Indian ladies are a companion, or sometimes a wife, of a European. But I can't think of another portrait of an Indian lady of this period that is actually part of a royal court rather than a European's household. That makes it enormously important."
Owner Overjoyed at Valuation
Mary-Louise was overjoyed, clasping her hands together and exclaiming: "Oh gosh! This is wonderful." Fiona remarked: "You are lost for words. That's the first I've ever seen!" Mary-Louise added: "It's wonderful, it's unbelievable. Thank you so much, it's just so important to me that it's by Katherine Read, because of the family connection, but also because of who she was."
Art dealer Philip Mould then delivered the estimated value: "We have just witnessed a significant baptism in art historical terms, and now that we have a very significant artist - and we also have a highly likely subject - this is a hugely hot area in the art market. We're looking at £100,000 upwards. What a wonderful result, I'm sure we're going to see more works by this pioneering woman artist in India coming out of the woodwork."
Fiona congratulated Mary-Louise and suggested she could put the painting in an exhibition to "let the whole world see this picture."
