0:00:02 > 0:00:06'The art world, where paintings change hands for fortunes.'
0:00:06 > 0:00:08Selling at 95 million.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10'But for every known masterpiece,
0:00:10 > 0:00:12'there may be another still waiting to be discovered.'
0:00:12 > 0:00:16- Well, that's it!- Isn't it! - That is it, that is our painting.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20'International art dealer Philip Mould and I have teamed up
0:00:20 > 0:00:23'to hunt for lost works by great artists.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27'We use old-fashioned detective work and state-of-the-art science
0:00:27 > 0:00:28'to get to the truth.'
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Science can enable us to see beyond the human eye.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34- Ta-da!- Oh, wow.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38'The problem is not every painting is quite what it seems.'
0:00:38 > 0:00:39You successfully faked Lowrys
0:00:39 > 0:00:42even while you were at school, didn't you?
0:00:42 > 0:00:43Yes.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45'It's a journey that can end in joy...'
0:00:45 > 0:00:48- Oh, dear.- Isn't that great?! - Wonderful.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50'..or bitter disappointment.'
0:00:50 > 0:00:54I can't cope with this rollercoaster. What a nightmare.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00'In this episode, could a painting hanging in a Scottish castle
0:01:00 > 0:01:05'be a work by 19th-century French master Paul Delaroche?'
0:01:05 > 0:01:08Oh, my goodness. That looks nearly identical.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12A £500 picture might be a lost royal treasure.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15Not just a painting with a provenance,
0:01:15 > 0:01:19but a fantastically gilded, elevated one.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23'Our investigation takes us to a French chateaux
0:01:23 > 0:01:26'in search of a cherished gift from a king to his queen.'
0:01:26 > 0:01:28Wow.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33'We are led on a turbulent trail through revolution and bloodshed.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35'So, your painting, if it is by Delaroche,
0:01:35 > 0:01:39'witnessed some of the most dramatic events in French history?'
0:01:39 > 0:01:41This is Sainte Amelie, this is it.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46'But will we do enough to help one woman in her quest to prove
0:01:46 > 0:01:49'her late husband was right?'
0:01:49 > 0:01:51I mean, he really believed it was a Delaroche.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54So, if we can prove it, it would be something very special.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13'We are called to the far corners of the country,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16'to help viewers investigate their mysterious works of art.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21'This case brings us north of the border to Aberdeenshire
0:02:21 > 0:02:23'and the beautiful county of Banff.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29'We've been contacted by a family who think there might be
0:02:29 > 0:02:32'a missing masterpiece hanging in their B&B.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35'And what a B&B it is!
0:02:40 > 0:02:44'This is Castle of Park, built in the 16th century.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50'Many a laird has lived here over the past 500 years.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53'But it is now home to the Wilson family and their guests.'
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Hiya.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57Who are you?
0:02:57 > 0:02:59- I'm Archie.- Archie, nice to meet you.- How do you do, Archie?
0:02:59 > 0:03:01Hiya. I'm Fiona, hi.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03- Hi.- Hi, there.- Hi.- Hi, how are you?
0:03:03 > 0:03:06- Nice to see you. - Hello, how do you do?
0:03:06 > 0:03:08- Do you want to come in? - Yeah, thank you.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12'The Wilsons moved here in 2007.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14'Becky has worked hard to restore the castle,
0:03:14 > 0:03:18'filling the rooms with antiques and hanging the walls with art.'
0:03:21 > 0:03:24All these gorgeous paintings on the wall.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26And here is Neil's painting.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29'Becky has asked us here to see a mysterious picture
0:03:29 > 0:03:33'owned by her late husband, who was an art dealer.'
0:03:34 > 0:03:38Oh, a portrait of a kneeling medieval queen, it looks like.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43Absolutely beautiful, Becky.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46I can see why your husband loved it so much.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50- And what do you know about it? - I don't know a lot.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53I know he bought it when he left university,
0:03:53 > 0:03:55when he was working at Christie's.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58- This was one of the first pictures he bought there.- And when was that?
0:03:58 > 0:04:02It was in 1989. He bought it for about £500.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05It is not signed, it wasn't attributed to anybody,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08he just liked it because it was a beautiful picture.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11- So, it was just an anonymous painting?- Yes, absolutely.
0:04:11 > 0:04:12It was only later,
0:04:12 > 0:04:16after he'd been working a lot longer in the art world,
0:04:16 > 0:04:19that he had a hunch it was painted by Delaroche.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21So, by Paul Delaroche,
0:04:21 > 0:04:24the great early 19th-century French history painter.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26I mean, a name to conjure with.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29'Paul Delaroche was a phenomenon in his day.
0:04:29 > 0:04:35'Born in 1797, he made his name in Paris in the 1820s and '30s,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38'painting famous scenes from history and religion.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40'Joan of Arc in prison.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43'The death of Elizabeth I.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45'The Princes in the Tower.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49'Delaroche's potent mix of high drama and human emotion
0:04:49 > 0:04:52'made his works hugely popular.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55'And thanks to the production of prints copied from his paintings,
0:04:55 > 0:04:59'he became a household name across Europe and beyond.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03'But after his death in 1856, tastes changed,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06'and his work fell out of fashion.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08'Now Delaroche is making a comeback,
0:05:08 > 0:05:12'which means, if this is a lost work, it has currency.'
0:05:13 > 0:05:16So, Neil bought it in 1989 for £500.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19So, if it is a genuine Delaroche, Philip, what would it be worth?
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Well, given that it is a really entrancing image,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25and I think that is going to make a big difference,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28if it is a genuine work by him,
0:05:28 > 0:05:31I can see it being worth £50,000.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34Wow. That would be a heck of a return on his investment,
0:05:34 > 0:05:36- wouldn't it?- Yes, it would.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38You must have been pretty excited about it.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Did he get anyone else to look at it?
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Yes, there was a Delaroche exhibition on
0:05:43 > 0:05:45at the National Gallery in 2010,
0:05:45 > 0:05:47so he took it down to the National Gallery
0:05:47 > 0:05:50but the experts were not 100% sure.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54They couldn't confirm that it was a Delaroche.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56How frustrating.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00- And, so, was he able to do any more research on it?- He didn't, no.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02He didn't have time to look at it then.
0:06:02 > 0:06:07And, then, when he did get around to it, he unfortunately became ill.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10So, it was sort of just put on the back burner.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14'In 2012, Neil was diagnosed with a brain tumour
0:06:14 > 0:06:15'and given months to live.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19'Becky gave up work to care for him at home,
0:06:19 > 0:06:23'and he fought on for a year and a half.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26'But Neil passed away in June 2014.'
0:06:26 > 0:06:29- How old was he, Becky?- He was 48.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31- FIONA SIGHS - Yeah.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35- So...- So, this is very raw, recent history for you.- Yeah.- I'm so sorry.
0:06:35 > 0:06:41Mm. But if, you know, if this is a Delaroche, it would be fantastic.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46So, before Neil got ill, and despite being told that it couldn't be
0:06:46 > 0:06:51proved as a genuine Delaroche, did he continue to believe that it was?
0:06:51 > 0:06:54- Yes, absolutely.- So, we need to prove him right, don't we?
0:06:54 > 0:06:58- Do it for him. And for all of you.- Yes, yeah.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08'I'm keen to get the investigation under way by having
0:07:08 > 0:07:13'a closer look at the physical evidence - the painting itself.'
0:07:13 > 0:07:14Now that I am looking at it closer,
0:07:14 > 0:07:18I can begin to see why it's working its magic.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22There are beautiful areas of exquisite detail,
0:07:22 > 0:07:24of really affecting power.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28And, also, there is a rather surprisingly daring juxtaposition
0:07:28 > 0:07:32of colours, the sort of thing you might expect Delaroche to do.
0:07:32 > 0:07:37He was known for his boldness, his courage in that respect.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41And one of the things that I also find reassuring and would
0:07:41 > 0:07:45suggest that it's not a modern fake is the craquelure,
0:07:45 > 0:07:48the drying cracks, the ageing cracks,
0:07:48 > 0:07:52they're very difficult things to reproduce,
0:07:52 > 0:07:55if you're trying to forge a picture of this date.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57But before one gets too excited
0:07:57 > 0:08:00at the thought that we are dealing with a picture that was done
0:08:00 > 0:08:04during Delaroche's lifetime, could it in fact be by a copyist?
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Could it be by someone who had been taught by Delaroche,
0:08:07 > 0:08:09who'd learned his techniques,
0:08:09 > 0:08:13who'd got insights into how to apply the paint?
0:08:13 > 0:08:18You just can't rule out these rather dark possibilities at this stage.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20But there is enough here,
0:08:20 > 0:08:24enough evidence of quality, for me to want to find out more.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32'There is a lot at stake here for Becky and her boys.
0:08:32 > 0:08:37'Neil's illness has taken its toll on every aspect of their lives.'
0:08:37 > 0:08:41I'm very aware as you talk about this painting that you had
0:08:41 > 0:08:44- a really tough couple of years.- Yup.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47Big changes. Lots of changes.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50But even before he died,
0:08:50 > 0:08:53there were lots of changes because he was so ill.
0:08:54 > 0:08:59He'd lost all his short-term memory and obviously his balance
0:08:59 > 0:09:03and it's quite character-changing as well, a brain tumour.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06But he never lost his sense of humour
0:09:06 > 0:09:08and he never lost his long-term memory
0:09:08 > 0:09:12so he could still beat us at Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble and things.
0:09:12 > 0:09:13And he still knew who you all were?
0:09:13 > 0:09:16He knew who we all were, yeah, absolutely.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18I'm so conscious as we talk about this painting
0:09:18 > 0:09:21that we have a job to do and we will do it for you.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24- But this has a whole different meaning for you.- Yep, it does. Yeah.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27It's intensely personal to you.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30If we do manage to prove that this is a genuine Delaroche,
0:09:30 > 0:09:31what will you do with it?
0:09:31 > 0:09:36I really don't know because it's such a beautiful picture
0:09:36 > 0:09:42and it's so much to do with Neil that I would love to keep it. But...
0:09:42 > 0:09:46£50,000 is a lot of money, so...
0:09:46 > 0:09:51And it would help a lot with easing a few financial issues.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55Obviously, income is a lot less than it was before.
0:09:55 > 0:10:00And, so, we started running a B&B from the house, so that
0:10:00 > 0:10:05brings income in to pay to stay here and not move out of the house.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08- Is that a possibility, otherwise? That you would have to move?- Yes.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13I think so. I don't have enough other income coming in to live here.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16So, we really need to prove that this painting is by Delaroche.
0:10:16 > 0:10:22- Yeah, it would be fantastic.- Right. We'll do our best, Becky.- OK.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25- We absolutely will, I promise. - Fantastic. Yeah.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31'I hope we can help finish what Neil started.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35'We're leaving Castle of Park with a huge sense of responsibility.'
0:10:37 > 0:10:40I can't help feeling that this investigation,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43it matters more than any we've ever done.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45Yeah, this is more than art history, isn't it?
0:10:45 > 0:10:48This is about trying to prove the beliefs
0:10:48 > 0:10:52of a man who is no longer around to do so himself.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01'Back in London, we're retracing Neil's footsteps
0:11:01 > 0:11:04'to see how far he'd got with his research.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08'Becky told us that, back in 2010,
0:11:08 > 0:11:12'he took his painting to the National Gallery.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15'A big exhibition was being staged around one of the most
0:11:15 > 0:11:18'popular paintings in the collection -
0:11:18 > 0:11:22'Delaroche's monumental work, The Execution of Lady Jane Grey.'
0:11:26 > 0:11:30So, this is the painting that Neil hoped his picture would hang beside.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32This is Delaroche's masterpiece, of course,
0:11:32 > 0:11:34The Execution of Lady Jane Grey.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36She was Queen for just nine days.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40This is clearly her at the point of execution.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50I mean, it's an astonishing picture, though, isn't it?
0:11:50 > 0:11:52And it shows you what he was about.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54He plundered history,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57he found those moments of human predicament.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59It's almost like drama.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03You're drawn into that terrible moment, that poor woman,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06or girl, rather, 17 years old,
0:12:06 > 0:12:08you know, feeling for the block.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12It's like a still from a film, isn't it?
0:12:12 > 0:12:14You can see the seeds of Hollywood in this.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19I read that this is such a popular painting
0:12:19 > 0:12:21here at the National Gallery
0:12:21 > 0:12:23that the floor has to be regularly revarnished,
0:12:23 > 0:12:26because so many people stand and just gaze at this.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Of course, it's not just today, in 1834,
0:12:29 > 0:12:32when Paul Delaroche exhibited this picture and made his reputation,
0:12:32 > 0:12:34it caused an absolute sensation.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37Can you see anything in this painting that would indicate
0:12:37 > 0:12:39that Neil's could be by the same hand?
0:12:39 > 0:12:42I mean, there's something about the way the silks are done,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45the way they catch that light and shimmer, the glow in the flesh
0:12:45 > 0:12:49of the cheeks, this is a beautiful observation I think we see in ours.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52I think there are enough details that are similar,
0:12:52 > 0:12:55enough stylistic traits to make a really good case
0:12:55 > 0:12:57for Neil's picture being by Delaroche.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03'I've discovered from my contacts at the National Gallery
0:13:03 > 0:13:06'that Neil had been following some intriguing leads
0:13:06 > 0:13:08'before he became ill.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12'I'm with Becky, following his trail to the British Museum,
0:13:12 > 0:13:16'where Neil had made an exciting discovery.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18'We've come to the Prints and Drawings Room
0:13:18 > 0:13:21'to see what he'd uncovered.'
0:13:21 > 0:13:24So, Becky, do you happen to know how far Neil managed to get
0:13:24 > 0:13:27- in his researches on this picture? - No, I don't know.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30He didn't really talk to me about what he did with his art,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33and I didn't talk to him about what I did with my accounting.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Well, it sounds like a good arrangement.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Well, actually, he'd been up to a bit of super-sleuthing,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41and he managed to establish that there was a connection between
0:13:41 > 0:13:46- your painting and two images that reside in this museum.- OK.
0:13:46 > 0:13:47Here is one of them.
0:13:49 > 0:13:50Oh, gosh.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54Gosh, that's very similar, isn't it?
0:13:54 > 0:13:56This is a preparatory drawing,
0:13:56 > 0:14:00by none other than Paul Delaroche himself,
0:14:00 > 0:14:04for an oil painting that he was then going to go and paint.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08So it's the earliest stage, as it were,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11in the preparation for something quite significant.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13- I mean, there's quite, yeah... - You recognise it?- Yes, I do.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15There's quite a lot of differences,
0:14:15 > 0:14:19but the faces are very similar, aren't they?
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Well, there's more than one piece to this jigsaw,
0:14:21 > 0:14:26because over here is another image in the museum, which relates...
0:14:26 > 0:14:28- Oh, my goodness.- ..to your painting.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30That looks...
0:14:30 > 0:14:31nearly identical!
0:14:31 > 0:14:34This is an engraving,
0:14:34 > 0:14:38by Paolo Mercuri, done in 1837.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42Now, the point is it's after an original painting
0:14:42 > 0:14:44by Paul Delaroche.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46The painting is nowhere to be found.
0:14:46 > 0:14:51There is a missing link between this drawing and that engraving,
0:14:51 > 0:14:52so the question is...
0:14:56 > 0:14:59..is your painting this missing link?
0:14:59 > 0:15:00OK.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03But there is another aspect to this.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07If we can prove that this is the lost work by Paul Delaroche,
0:15:07 > 0:15:09it doesn't just become a lost painting
0:15:09 > 0:15:12by a fascinating and important artist,
0:15:12 > 0:15:14it is also a Royal Commission.
0:15:14 > 0:15:15Wow.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19Because the lost painting had been commissioned by none other
0:15:19 > 0:15:21than the last King and Queen of the French,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Marie-Amelie and Louis-Philippe,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27thus making it not just a painting with a provenance,
0:15:27 > 0:15:32but a painting with a fantastically gilded, elevated one.
0:15:32 > 0:15:33Wow.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35Gosh, I didn't realise that at all.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37- Well, I have to say, it raises the stakes.- Yeah.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39That's something quite special, isn't it?
0:15:39 > 0:15:42It would be something to discuss in the guesthouse, wouldn't it?
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Yes, absolutely! Yes.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46Yes, definitely.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52So, we're now dealing with a possible lost royal treasure.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55'At the gallery, we're meeting with our specialist art researcher,
0:15:55 > 0:15:59'Dr Bendor Grosvenor, to see what evidence we've got so far.'
0:15:59 > 0:16:01Here's the man at the centre of our mystery,
0:16:01 > 0:16:03artist Paul Delaroche.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07And we need to establish whether Neil's picture is by Delaroche
0:16:07 > 0:16:10and painted for the last King and Queen of the French.
0:16:10 > 0:16:11And here they are,
0:16:11 > 0:16:14King Louis-Philippe and Queen Marie-Amelie.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17And they lived through a tumultuous time in French history,
0:16:17 > 0:16:19there was revolution, rebellion,
0:16:19 > 0:16:23culminating, ultimately, in their overthrow in 1848.
0:16:23 > 0:16:24By all accounts,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Marie-Amelie was very religious, and it's documented
0:16:27 > 0:16:31that in 1831 Paul Delaroche was commissioned to paint
0:16:31 > 0:16:34a picture of her patron saint, Sainte Amelie,
0:16:34 > 0:16:37and it was designed to be a model for a stained-glass window
0:16:37 > 0:16:39in the Queen's private chapel.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43And we've seen the original sketch by Delaroche
0:16:43 > 0:16:47for this design, but experts say that the original picture...
0:16:47 > 0:16:48is lost.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52It's clearly an important painting, commissioned for the Queen,
0:16:52 > 0:16:54no less, and of her patron saint.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57In fact it was important enough to be exhibited in the prestigious
0:16:57 > 0:17:01Paris Salon of 1834, here's the catalogue entry,
0:17:01 > 0:17:02"Sainte Amelie",
0:17:02 > 0:17:05and it says the picture belonged to the King.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Does it list the dimensions of the lost picture?
0:17:08 > 0:17:12It doesn't, but I have found an exhibition catalogue from 1857,
0:17:12 > 0:17:13which states very clearly
0:17:13 > 0:17:16that the dimensions were 42 centimetres high
0:17:16 > 0:17:18and 28 centimetres wide.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20So...
0:17:20 > 0:17:22Neil's is...
0:17:22 > 0:17:2344.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27- Mm.- This is 29.
0:17:27 > 0:17:28That's a bit of a worry, isn't it?
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Because if this painting is the lost original,
0:17:31 > 0:17:33you'd expect the dimensions to be the same.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Yes, and there's also other niggling concerns.
0:17:36 > 0:17:41We know that the engraving is a copy of the lost picture.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43For Neil's to be the lost picture,
0:17:43 > 0:17:47they've therefore pretty well got to look identical.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49Unfortunately, there are some differences.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51I wonder whether you can spot them.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53If you look at the plant pot, for example, or the jardinier,
0:17:53 > 0:17:55if you want to be fancy about it,
0:17:55 > 0:17:57in Neil's painting it's completely plain,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00whereas in the engraving, it's richly decorated.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03And the face of the middle servant,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06in Neil's picture, is far less detailed
0:18:06 > 0:18:08than the one you see in the engraving.
0:18:08 > 0:18:09Then there's the cloth.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13In the engraving, it's a richly decorated material,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16whereas in Neil's painting, it looks like a bit of canvas.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18Have a look at the step in the engraving.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22You can see beautifully clearly, in Gothic writing, "Delaroche".
0:18:22 > 0:18:25In the painting, there is nothing.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28I wonder if that inscription might have been added by the engraver,
0:18:28 > 0:18:30because sometimes engravers used to do that,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33they used to fiddle with pictures and add little bits in.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37Yes, and I also think there is possibly another explanation,
0:18:37 > 0:18:41and that is some later restorer has touched in areas,
0:18:41 > 0:18:44has changed them, skewing the eye
0:18:44 > 0:18:46and making the experts think that it's a copy.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49Forensic analysis should help us with that.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51And I want to find out more about the original painting,
0:18:51 > 0:18:57its royal connection and how royal treasure could be lost.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03To find out more about Delaroche's lost Sainte Amelie,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05owner Becky and I are travelling to France.
0:19:10 > 0:19:15We've come to Normandy and the glorious Chateau d'Eu.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19'Built in the 16th century,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22'this was once the summer palace of King Louis-Philippe
0:19:22 > 0:19:23'and Queen Marie-Amelie.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28'After a turbulent period of rebellion and revolution,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31'in 1830, Marie-Amelie and Louis-Philippe
0:19:31 > 0:19:34'were crowned King and Queen of the French.'
0:19:34 > 0:19:36Wow, what an incredible room.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39They immediately set about transforming
0:19:39 > 0:19:43their dilapidated chateau into a fabulous royal palace.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45By the time work was finished,
0:19:45 > 0:19:49the chateau contained 60 apartments and 250 bedrooms.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55'As part of the renovations, the King requested Delaroche design
0:19:55 > 0:19:59'a stained-glass window that would hang in the Queen's chapel.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02'I'm hoping it can shed some light on Neil's painting.'
0:20:02 > 0:20:06Becky, if your painting is by Delaroche,
0:20:06 > 0:20:08this is the man who commissioned it,
0:20:08 > 0:20:11King Louis-Philippe, in honour of his wife.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13There she is, Queen Marie-Amelie.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15- OK.- They came to the throne,
0:20:15 > 0:20:18and they surrounded themselves with the trappings of royalty
0:20:18 > 0:20:22and they invited Queen Victoria and Prince Albert over here
0:20:22 > 0:20:25to Chateau d'Eu in 1843 and that was not only to cement their friendship,
0:20:25 > 0:20:28but also to bolster the French monarchy
0:20:28 > 0:20:32with a bit of the stardust of the British monarchy and its stability.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36The young Victoria wrote of the visit in her journal
0:20:36 > 0:20:40and she mentioned something that might be of interest to Becky.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43I've got a copy of her diary entry here.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46Have a look at that, see if you can read her writing.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49OK, "At half-past three, the King and Queen fetched us
0:20:49 > 0:20:52"and showed us over the greater part of the chateau.
0:20:52 > 0:20:53"The little chapel is beautiful,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56"full of stained-glass windows and figures of saints."
0:20:56 > 0:21:00And, of course, one of those windows was conceived from
0:21:00 > 0:21:02- the original Delaroche painting. - Yes.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04- Which we hope is yours.- Yes.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08'The curator of Chateau d'Eu, Alban Duparc,
0:21:08 > 0:21:12'has agreed to show us Queen Marie-Amelie's chapel.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15'He's warned us it's not what it once was.'
0:21:25 > 0:21:28It's a bit distressed, as chapels go.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30FIONA SPEAKS IN FRENCH
0:21:30 > 0:21:32The stained-glass windows, Sainte Amelie...
0:21:37 > 0:21:41So, you took window out because there was water damage in here.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50So it was the main window of the chapel, the central window.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Et voici vitrail de Sainte Amelie.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57Oh, God.
0:21:57 > 0:21:58Merci.
0:21:58 > 0:21:59Oh, dear.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Gosh, it's in really bad condition, isn't it?
0:22:02 > 0:22:03That's horrendous.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07'The stained-glass window was removed back in 1970
0:22:07 > 0:22:10'and it's in a terrible state.'
0:22:10 > 0:22:12It's just so dark.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15- Of course, what you need is to see the light behind it.- You do.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19'Alban has arranged to stand the window up
0:22:19 > 0:22:22'in the hope that we can see the design.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24'A large piece of Perspex is required
0:22:24 > 0:22:26'to prevent the glass shattering.'
0:22:28 > 0:22:29- Un...- Deux...- ..deux, trois.
0:22:31 > 0:22:36'This window hasn't been moved for 46 years and it's extremely fragile.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39'We can hardly bear to watch.'
0:22:43 > 0:22:45THEY TALK INDISTINCTLY
0:22:47 > 0:22:48Wow.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56- What a difference with the light behind it.- Incredible.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00Out of the darkness, Delaroche's design for Sainte Amelie is lit up
0:23:00 > 0:23:04for the first time in nearly half a century.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08That's just amazing, isn't it? When it was on the ground,
0:23:08 > 0:23:10it just looked dark, dingy...
0:23:10 > 0:23:12and it's just vibrant. It's amazing.
0:23:15 > 0:23:20I mean, those colours, they're like jewels, glowing from the glass.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23This is so beautifully done, look at that,
0:23:23 > 0:23:26the figure of Sainte Amelie is just exquisite.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30This painting, your painting, of course,
0:23:30 > 0:23:33we hope was a source of this.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37But does the stained-glass window designed by Delaroche
0:23:37 > 0:23:40match up with Neil's painting?
0:23:40 > 0:23:42I mean, there's obvious similarities, which is encouraging.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44There's a few differences as well.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48The dress with the girl on the right, but it's green, not blue.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51- Also, look at the cloth in the background.- Yes.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53Her dress is beautiful.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55I know it's different to the picture,
0:23:55 > 0:23:57- but the colours are wonderful. - It is different, isn't it?
0:23:57 > 0:24:01Because the dress has got all that red in it and this doesn't have any.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03I'm not quite sure what to make of that.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07These differences could be cause for concern
0:24:07 > 0:24:10and need further investigation.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13What we need to do next, I think, is find out more about how this
0:24:13 > 0:24:16was commissioned and that might give us more evidence
0:24:16 > 0:24:18to show that your painting
0:24:18 > 0:24:22was what led to this glorious piece of stained glass.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30'Back in London, I'm focusing on the physical evidence.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33'I'm hoping to unlock clues in the painting itself,
0:24:33 > 0:24:37'so I'm taking it to the Courtauld Institute for forensics analysis.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42'Aviva Burnstock is one of the world's leading authorities
0:24:42 > 0:24:45'in the scientific study of art.'
0:24:45 > 0:24:46- How do you do?- Hello.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50'Her research could provide vital evidence to prove whether
0:24:50 > 0:24:53'Neil's painting is the lost Delaroche,
0:24:53 > 0:24:55'or a copy by another hand.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59'One problem I need her to address is the size of the picture,
0:24:59 > 0:25:03'which doesn't match up with the catalogue entry Bendor found.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05'If this is the lost original,
0:25:05 > 0:25:08'it should measure 42 by 28 centimetres.'
0:25:08 > 0:25:10- We're out.- Mm.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13It's 44 high
0:25:13 > 0:25:15and...
0:25:15 > 0:25:1629 across.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19Well, hold on one minute.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23If you look closely at the picture, you can see that there's
0:25:23 > 0:25:28an unpainted edge at the top, and also at the bottom,
0:25:28 > 0:25:30and on the left.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34And this picture's been relined, you can tell that from the back.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37- So, put on to a new canvas? - Yes, put on to a new canvas,
0:25:37 > 0:25:39and it's been restructured with the painted edge
0:25:39 > 0:25:42further in the picture plane, so the turnover edge
0:25:42 > 0:25:44- is further in.- I see, yes,
0:25:44 > 0:25:47areas that were folded over have now become incorporated into the front.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49That's exactly right.
0:25:49 > 0:25:50Shall we measure, then,
0:25:50 > 0:25:52- what you consider to be the original?- OK.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55If we measure the painted edge to the painted edge,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58the height is exactly 42...
0:25:58 > 0:26:00and the width...
0:26:01 > 0:26:03..is exactly 28.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06The dimensions of the lost picture.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08Aviva, you have solved a major problem here.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18'Back in France, we're trying to find out more about Delaroche's
0:26:18 > 0:26:20'commission to paint Sainte Amelie.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23'Becky and I have come to the world-famous
0:26:23 > 0:26:26'Sevres porcelain factory near Paris.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30'Sevres was known for creating the finest hand-painted porcelain,
0:26:30 > 0:26:31'still is today.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35'But back in 1827, the craftsmen also turned their hands to creating
0:26:35 > 0:26:39'grand decorative schemes in stained glass.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42'Sevres engaged some of the most admired artists of the day
0:26:42 > 0:26:44'to create designs,
0:26:44 > 0:26:46'and when King Louis-Philippe requested the window
0:26:46 > 0:26:50'for the Queen's chapel, he chose Delaroche for the job.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54'We're looking for any evidence Neil's picture was Delaroche's
0:26:54 > 0:26:58'original design for the Sainte Amelie window.'
0:26:59 > 0:27:01Now, in here, Becky,
0:27:01 > 0:27:05are the cartoons or drawings done by the artist here at Sevres,
0:27:05 > 0:27:08from original paintings, to create the stained-glass windows
0:27:08 > 0:27:10in the chateau, of course, one of which
0:27:10 > 0:27:13came from a painting by Delaroche.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16- They're absolutely beautiful, aren't they?- Exquisite.
0:27:16 > 0:27:17So beautifully done.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23Now, what's this?
0:27:24 > 0:27:26Oh, hang on.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28- Bingo.- There it is.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30That's definitely it, isn't it?
0:27:30 > 0:27:33You can see all the detail now that we couldn't see yesterday.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38Let's get your picture, put it there and let's compare the two.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49- What do you think?- Well, again, it's different, isn't it?
0:27:49 > 0:27:53- Every time we see a version of this picture, it's different.- It is.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55- I think that's encouraging, you know.- Yes, it is!
0:27:55 > 0:27:57I think it is encouraging because
0:27:57 > 0:27:59if all the other versions looked the same
0:27:59 > 0:28:03- and yours was the one that was different, I'd be worried.- Yeah.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05And, don't forget, this is stained glass,
0:28:05 > 0:28:08so I would imagine that the craftsman here at Sevres
0:28:08 > 0:28:12would have interpreted Delaroche's work
0:28:12 > 0:28:15and then done a version which maximised the impact
0:28:15 > 0:28:17of stained glass cos it's a completely different medium,
0:28:17 > 0:28:20- it would have light shining through it.- Yeah.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24It's difficult, isn't it, to come to any firm conclusion
0:28:24 > 0:28:26comparing your painting
0:28:26 > 0:28:30with this wonderful image in front of us?
0:28:30 > 0:28:32- But it is yet another piece that was missing...- Yeah.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34..in the jigsaw puzzle.
0:28:39 > 0:28:43Back at the Courtauld Institute, Aviva is using imaging techniques
0:28:43 > 0:28:45to reveal clues hidden within Neil's painting.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50In the past, experts have dismissed the picture as a copy,
0:28:50 > 0:28:54possibly because the print reproduced from the lost Delaroche
0:28:54 > 0:28:57appears more detailed than Neil's painting in places,
0:28:57 > 0:29:00for instance, on the plant pot,
0:29:00 > 0:29:02in the curtain in the background
0:29:02 > 0:29:04and on the face of one of the girls.
0:29:05 > 0:29:10I'm hoping that Aviva's analysis can explain some of those differences.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13First, we're looking at an ultraviolet image,
0:29:13 > 0:29:17which can show where later layers of paint have been added.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20One's eye is immediately taken to those rather, sort of,
0:29:20 > 0:29:22vicious-looking scars in the background.
0:29:22 > 0:29:24Yeah, you can see that the painting has been torn
0:29:24 > 0:29:27and it shows, very clearly, some of the areas of damage
0:29:27 > 0:29:31and repaint that have been put on in restoration campaigns.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34And, homing in on specific areas...
0:29:34 > 0:29:36So, for example, what about the pot?
0:29:36 > 0:29:39Yes, in fact, you can see those blotchy-looking marks
0:29:39 > 0:29:41that look quite dark blue, which, I suspect,
0:29:41 > 0:29:42are not original.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44There's definitely a great deal of overpainting
0:29:44 > 0:29:46in that area of the picture.
0:29:46 > 0:29:47That's reassuring.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49So, let's look at other parts of the painting.
0:29:49 > 0:29:52Now, the curtain in the engraving is evidently decorated.
0:29:52 > 0:29:54- Ours is black.- Mm.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56Now, can that be explained by this new image?
0:29:56 > 0:29:59Well, the background paint over the brocade cloth
0:29:59 > 0:30:02is the most dense area of overpainting.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04You can see that this dark area
0:30:04 > 0:30:06completely solidly covers what's underneath.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08So, is there anywhere else in the picture
0:30:08 > 0:30:09you think is worth pointing out?
0:30:09 > 0:30:12Well, there is a big area here of overpaint on the face.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15You can see the, sort of, spidery cracks on the face itself
0:30:15 > 0:30:17and the hair.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20So, behind this brick wall of overpaint,
0:30:20 > 0:30:24- might lie something that's closer to the engraving?- Yes, it well might.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26'This is encouraging.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29'But I'm also keen to see whether an infrared image
0:30:29 > 0:30:32'can reveal evidence of a master at work
0:30:32 > 0:30:34'or a mere copyist?
0:30:34 > 0:30:37'Are there any clues, changes of mind, that suggest
0:30:37 > 0:30:40'the artist is working out the composition
0:30:40 > 0:30:41'as he goes along?'
0:30:41 > 0:30:44I always love changes of mind. It shows that there's
0:30:44 > 0:30:47some creative process going on, that some thought is taking place.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49Because, of course, you wouldn't necessarily expect
0:30:49 > 0:30:50to find those in a copyist.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52Well, actually, we can see quite a few changes.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55For example, there's this area here in the background,
0:30:55 > 0:30:58it's underpainted a very dark colour,
0:30:58 > 0:31:01which now is a watery area of the background landscape.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05And then, perhaps, the most striking of all
0:31:05 > 0:31:08is in the hands of the left-hand figure.
0:31:09 > 0:31:13- I think you can see here, this is the hands as painted...- Oh, yeah.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16..and this and this look like they are
0:31:16 > 0:31:18where the hands are in a different position.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22Brilliant. So, what we're seeing is creation in action
0:31:22 > 0:31:26- rather than some laborious, slavish copying?- Yes.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28Whoever painted this picture was altering
0:31:28 > 0:31:32their ideas as they moved along and we know that Delaroche -
0:31:32 > 0:31:34this is the testament of his students -
0:31:34 > 0:31:36used to do this himself sometimes.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39Could it be that this is what we're seeing here?
0:31:43 > 0:31:46Back in France, we're on the trail of the lost Delaroche.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49I've been trying to find out where it went
0:31:49 > 0:31:51after the work was completed in 1832.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56The heavens have opened and we've taken refuge inside,
0:31:56 > 0:32:00so I can tell Becky about a stormy period in the painting's past.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04There's a reason I've brought you here to the Tuileries Garden,
0:32:04 > 0:32:07bang smack in the centre of Paris. So, I've been looking through
0:32:07 > 0:32:10all the archives I can find from that period
0:32:10 > 0:32:12to see what did happen to that Delaroche painting -
0:32:12 > 0:32:15- hopefully your painting - after 1832.- Yeah.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19I found a magazine here that I think you'll think
0:32:19 > 0:32:21is rather interesting.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25It's dated September 1837. It's called Revue Britannique.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28And there's a reference here talking about the painting
0:32:28 > 0:32:31of Mr Delaroche painted for the Queen of the French
0:32:31 > 0:32:34and which decorates now - that is September 1837 -
0:32:34 > 0:32:37- the chapel at the Tuileries.- OK.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40And what that's referring to...
0:32:40 > 0:32:42is this -
0:32:42 > 0:32:44the Palace of the Tuileries.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47- So, you can see... - Gosh.- ..it was a very grand affair,
0:32:47 > 0:32:48which was just out there.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53The Tuileries Palace no longer stands today.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56It was burned down in the late 19th century.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58But during the reign of King Louis-Philippe
0:32:58 > 0:33:01and Queen Marie-Amelie, it was their main residence
0:33:01 > 0:33:04and home to Delaroche's lost work.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07She had the stained-glass window of Sainte Amelie
0:33:07 > 0:33:11in her summer chapel at Eu and in her main chapel here
0:33:11 > 0:33:15at the Tuileries, she had Delaroche's painting.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18- And she would kneel before it and pray before it.- Yeah.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21Well, it must have been very special for her.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24- And, hopefully, that's your painting.- Yeah.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27Queen Marie-Amelie and King Louis-Philippe
0:33:27 > 0:33:29lived at the Tuileries for another decade
0:33:29 > 0:33:32until their reign came to an abrupt end.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37On the 24th of February 1848, an angry mob descended
0:33:37 > 0:33:39on the palace, baying for their blood.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45Terrified, they tried to escape, but the mob had stormed the gates,
0:33:45 > 0:33:48burnt the carriages and killed the stable hands.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52In disguise, they managed to flee for their lives.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56The horses take them away, they escape the mob,
0:33:56 > 0:33:58they go all the way to the coast and make safe passage
0:33:58 > 0:34:00to England.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04- And that was the end of the monarchy in France.- Oh, gosh.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07So, your painting, if it is indeed by Delaroche,
0:34:07 > 0:34:12- witnessed some of the most dramatic events in French history.- Wow.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15So, obviously, they didn't take the picture with them.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17By all accounts of what the King himself said in his diaries,
0:34:17 > 0:34:20they took nothing but what they were standing up in.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23- But the question is...- Yeah, what happened to it after that?
0:34:23 > 0:34:25That's what we need to find next.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36We're hot on the trail of Queen Marie-Amelie and King Louis-Philippe
0:34:36 > 0:34:41on their desperate flight from France to exile in England.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43They travelled from Dover incognito
0:34:43 > 0:34:46under the name Mr and Mrs Le Bras.
0:34:46 > 0:34:48For fear of assassination, the King had shaved off his whiskers
0:34:48 > 0:34:50and removed his wig.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55Their loyal friend, Queen Victoria, came to the rescue,
0:34:55 > 0:34:58offering them refuge at one of her favourite houses -
0:34:58 > 0:35:00Claremont, in Surrey.
0:35:02 > 0:35:06This grand, Palladian mansion is now a school.
0:35:06 > 0:35:10But in 1848, it was sanctuary to the exiled royal family.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14They arrived here with nothing.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16The new French government forbade them access to
0:35:16 > 0:35:19any of their money, property or possessions.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23But eventually, some of their belongings were returned to them.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26Something I'd like to show you this way.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28We're meeting Bendor, who's been trying to find out
0:35:28 > 0:35:31where the Queen's prized Delaroche ended up
0:35:31 > 0:35:32in all the upheaval.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38This was Marie-Amelie's bedroom from the time of her exile
0:35:38 > 0:35:40when she lived here from 1848
0:35:40 > 0:35:42and quite a nice room for a bedroom, don't you think?
0:35:42 > 0:35:45- It certainly is. - And, sadly, I haven't been able
0:35:45 > 0:35:48to find an inventory of exactly what works of art
0:35:48 > 0:35:51Marie-Amelie was allowed to take away from France.
0:35:51 > 0:35:56However, I have got a painting here that was sold by her descendants
0:35:56 > 0:35:58very recently in 2015.
0:35:58 > 0:36:02It's a painting by the English watercolourist Joseph Nash,
0:36:02 > 0:36:05who was renowned for doing very detailed interiors
0:36:05 > 0:36:08of rooms in very plush houses, like this.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12And in 1866, which is 150 years ago,
0:36:12 > 0:36:15Joseph Nash came to this room and he stood around about here
0:36:15 > 0:36:17and this is what he saw.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23I think you'll find it very interesting.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25- Where is it?- Right there.- Bingo.
0:36:30 > 0:36:32- Wow.- So, it was hanging just behind that door there.
0:36:32 > 0:36:34Oh, my goodness.
0:36:36 > 0:36:40'There on the wall right beside Marie-Amelie's bed
0:36:40 > 0:36:44'is the only image of the Queen's lost Delaroche
0:36:44 > 0:36:46'that's known to exist.'
0:36:46 > 0:36:48I think that's fantastic, isn't it?
0:36:48 > 0:36:50It's just... To see it there...
0:36:55 > 0:36:58As soon as you said, "Nash," I thought, "Yes!
0:36:58 > 0:37:01"There's going to be a picture of the room," and, sure enough,
0:37:01 > 0:37:02there it is.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08Nash, bless him for us, stood here and was meticulous
0:37:08 > 0:37:10about recording everything he saw.
0:37:10 > 0:37:14Wow. Now, do we think it looks like your painting, Becky?
0:37:14 > 0:37:17That's the question. On close inspection, I think it does.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19Yeah, I think it does.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22All the versions we've seen have been different,
0:37:22 > 0:37:25but this one looks closest to our picture.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27It's the next-best thing we can get to a photograph.
0:37:27 > 0:37:28- Gosh, how exciting.- Yeah.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31Don't you think, Becky, it's lovely to see
0:37:31 > 0:37:34what a treasured item this picture once was to the
0:37:34 > 0:37:38- Queen of France?- Yeah, I mean, it's in a real prominent position
0:37:38 > 0:37:39in her room, isn't it?
0:37:39 > 0:37:43She prayed in front of it. It was tremendously important to her.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47The painting must have been a great comfort to the Queen,
0:37:47 > 0:37:49who'd lost her crown, her country
0:37:49 > 0:37:52and she would soon lose her king.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55Two years into their exile,
0:37:55 > 0:37:58Louis-Philippe passed away at Claremont.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00Marie-Amelie spent her remaining years in mourning
0:38:00 > 0:38:05and died in 1866 - the year Nash painted her room.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09It's possible that her family or someone
0:38:09 > 0:38:14asked Nash to record the bedroom after she died, for posterity.
0:38:14 > 0:38:15Of course, the thing is, Becky,
0:38:15 > 0:38:20one of the great mysteries of many about your painting is
0:38:20 > 0:38:23we know it started off in France, how did it end up in Britain?
0:38:23 > 0:38:26- Yeah.- Well, no, we know how certainly the original Delaroche
0:38:26 > 0:38:27ended up in Britain,
0:38:27 > 0:38:31which makes it just that smidge more likely that it could be yours.
0:38:31 > 0:38:33Yeah, I think so, too.
0:38:34 > 0:38:36I mean, I think up to this point
0:38:36 > 0:38:39there's been quite a lot of doubt
0:38:39 > 0:38:41cos there were so many different versions
0:38:41 > 0:38:43but this is probably the first time
0:38:43 > 0:38:46where I'm thinking maybe it really could be the thing.
0:38:46 > 0:38:47Mm-hmm.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50I think it's the closest we've got so far, isn't it?
0:38:50 > 0:38:51It's amazing.
0:38:52 > 0:38:53That was so exciting,
0:38:53 > 0:38:56and for Becky, it was a real turning point.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00She now believes that Neil's painting
0:39:00 > 0:39:04could be the genuine Delaroche.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06What we still don't know, though, is
0:39:06 > 0:39:10is Neil's painting the one that we saw in that Nash watercolour?
0:39:10 > 0:39:11We still can't be sure about that.
0:39:11 > 0:39:13Neil's could be a copy.
0:39:13 > 0:39:15We've still got work to do on that score.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20Delaroche was painting at a time when it was standard practice
0:39:20 > 0:39:23for copies to be made of his works by students
0:39:23 > 0:39:26or artists in his circle.
0:39:26 > 0:39:27But were any made of Sainte Amelie?
0:39:29 > 0:39:32I've come to France on a mission to hunt them down.
0:39:34 > 0:39:38If I can identify all the replicas that were painted,
0:39:38 > 0:39:41hopefully I can rule out Neil's painting as one of them.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46I've come to Prignac in Bordeaux to the church of Sainte Pierre.
0:39:48 > 0:39:52I've been given a tip-off there's a copy of Sainte Amelie hanging here.
0:39:55 > 0:39:56This is Sainte Amelie, this is it.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06This is our image but expanded 50 or 60 times.
0:40:06 > 0:40:13So, this was done in 1844, 12 years after the painting by Delaroche.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15And it was an official copy,
0:40:15 > 0:40:19something done with the permission of the King or Queen themselves.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22And it's by an artist called Leontine Tacussel.
0:40:23 > 0:40:27Even though it's been heavily restored,
0:40:27 > 0:40:29I think you can tell there are definite weaknesses
0:40:29 > 0:40:32when you compare it to ours.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35I don't think the faces are anything like as fine.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39It's almost as if they've been inflated with a bicycle pump.
0:40:39 > 0:40:43And actually, it's a not dissimilar story in the landscape behind.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45Here, it looks a bit like a sort of theatrical backdrop.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47It's not as convincing.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50It's reassuring to see that Neil's picture
0:40:50 > 0:40:53is much more finely painted than this copy.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56This is what you'd expect if it's the original Delaroche.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59But I may be judging unfairly.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02The copy recently underwent extensive restoration,
0:41:02 > 0:41:04and to make some proper comparisons,
0:41:04 > 0:41:09I really need to see an image of the picture before work took place.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12Stephanie Richard from the local heritage association
0:41:12 > 0:41:15has agreed to meet me to share what she knows.
0:41:15 > 0:41:17Ah, Stephanie, bonjour, comment ca va?
0:41:17 > 0:41:20- Bonjour, tres bien, et vous? - Tres bien, merci.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27This is what the painting looked like before restoration.
0:41:27 > 0:41:28Uh-huh.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30That's of some concern.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33There are distinct differences in the colouring
0:41:33 > 0:41:35when you compare it to ours.
0:41:35 > 0:41:37I mean, look at the figure on the far right -
0:41:37 > 0:41:41in our picture, she's got a blue dress.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43Here, she's green.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47And then the kneeling figure in the middle of the three,
0:41:47 > 0:41:49the dress is yellow.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52In ours, it's distinctly white.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56But the most troubling difference is the dress of Sainte Amelie herself.
0:41:56 > 0:42:01On Neil's painting, it's gold, but on the copy, its gold and red.
0:42:01 > 0:42:06If this is a faithful replica of the original, we're in trouble.
0:42:06 > 0:42:11Now, what we really need to know is could Leontine Tacussel
0:42:11 > 0:42:15have had access to the original Paul Delaroche picture?
0:42:15 > 0:42:20Yes, this is the letter that informs us that Leontine Tacussel
0:42:20 > 0:42:24had access to the original painting of Paul Delaroche.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27That's a problem.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31- Is there anything else you've managed to establish?- Yes.
0:42:31 > 0:42:35We have also another letter from Leontine Tacussel
0:42:35 > 0:42:38and we learned that another artist, Madame Gamen-Dupasquier,
0:42:38 > 0:42:42made another copy of Paul Delaroche.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44So, hang on...
0:42:44 > 0:42:46- we've now got another copy out there?- Yeah.
0:42:46 > 0:42:51But smaller than Leontine Tacussel.
0:42:51 > 0:42:52Do you know where it is?
0:42:52 > 0:42:54No.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56This is a troubling development.
0:42:56 > 0:43:00There's a possibility that this rogue Sainte Amelie copy
0:43:00 > 0:43:02could be Neil's picture.
0:43:02 > 0:43:06That conversation with Stephanie was both worrying
0:43:06 > 0:43:08and, frankly, completely unexpected,
0:43:08 > 0:43:12so now we know that out there somewhere - don't know where it is -
0:43:12 > 0:43:15is another copy of this composition
0:43:15 > 0:43:18by this artist called Gamen-Dupasquier.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21I mean, it's imperative that we try and find this picture
0:43:21 > 0:43:24and establish that it's not our picture.
0:43:26 > 0:43:27Back at the gallery,
0:43:27 > 0:43:31Bendor is trying to track down this suspect copy,
0:43:31 > 0:43:33so we can eliminate it from our enquiries.
0:43:34 > 0:43:40And his research has brought several other versions out of the shadows.
0:43:40 > 0:43:42We're joining him to inspect a line-up
0:43:42 > 0:43:45of all known copies of Sainte Amelie.
0:43:45 > 0:43:47Hi, Bendor, how are you getting on?
0:43:47 > 0:43:48Taken a bit of digging
0:43:48 > 0:43:53but I managed to track down the lost Amelie copy to northern France.
0:43:53 > 0:43:56It's in a church in a town called Wattignies.
0:43:56 > 0:43:58And the thing is, it's big, it's over two metres tall,
0:43:58 > 0:44:02so we can definitely rule out the possibility that Neil's picture
0:44:02 > 0:44:05was the copy by Gamen-Dupasquier.
0:44:05 > 0:44:06That's a huge relief, isn't it?
0:44:06 > 0:44:08I mean, that was getting a real worry.
0:44:08 > 0:44:09But there is, however,
0:44:09 > 0:44:13one other copy that I'm afraid I haven't been able to track down yet.
0:44:13 > 0:44:15There's a passing reference to it in this letter
0:44:15 > 0:44:18by an artist called Ed Gerome, writing in 1847,
0:44:18 > 0:44:22and he mentions that he's finishing a copy of Sainte Amelie.
0:44:22 > 0:44:24Now, there's no dimensions here.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26We don't even know if it was finished.
0:44:26 > 0:44:28But then it's a possibility
0:44:28 > 0:44:32that Neil's painting is that Gerome copy.
0:44:32 > 0:44:33It is a possibility,
0:44:33 > 0:44:36but I think we can cautiously assume that Gerome's copy,
0:44:36 > 0:44:39like the other painter copies, would be big.
0:44:39 > 0:44:41And it does make sense, doesn't it,
0:44:41 > 0:44:44if the Queen is sanctioning these images,
0:44:44 > 0:44:46these paintings of her namesake,
0:44:46 > 0:44:49they're going to have some sort of propaganda function,
0:44:49 > 0:44:52- they're going to be big and they're going to put over the message.- Mm.
0:44:52 > 0:44:55The only thing is, seeing these two church paintings now
0:44:55 > 0:44:57side-by-side for the first time,
0:44:57 > 0:45:00they look very similar, particularly when it comes to the colours,
0:45:00 > 0:45:02but they don't look similar to Neil's.
0:45:02 > 0:45:04Yeah, if Neil's is going to be the lost picture,
0:45:04 > 0:45:07we have to work out why on earth the colours are different
0:45:07 > 0:45:10from what we know the known copies are.
0:45:10 > 0:45:12And the only thing that's going to help us with that,
0:45:12 > 0:45:14- I suspect at this stage, is forensics.- Mm.
0:45:14 > 0:45:18So, how far have you got tracking where the lost Delaroche went?
0:45:18 > 0:45:19Not very good, I'm afraid.
0:45:19 > 0:45:22Only up to Marie-Amelie's death in 1866.
0:45:22 > 0:45:24And then we've got this huge gap
0:45:24 > 0:45:28between then and when it emerges on the market
0:45:28 > 0:45:30when Neil buys the painting in the 1980s.
0:45:30 > 0:45:33And I have to say, I don't like that gap at all.
0:45:33 > 0:45:34We've nothing there.
0:45:35 > 0:45:37I need to find out what happened
0:45:37 > 0:45:41to Queen Marie-Amelie's art collection after her death in 1866,
0:45:41 > 0:45:43so I've returned to France.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47I'm heading to the National Archives in Paris.
0:45:49 > 0:45:52The papers of the French royal family are held here.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55It's the largest private archive in Europe,
0:45:55 > 0:45:57amounting to 40 tonnes of documents.
0:45:59 > 0:46:01I'm hoping Marie-Amelie's will
0:46:01 > 0:46:04can shed some light on where her treasured Delaroche ended up.
0:46:06 > 0:46:11So, we've got "Queen Marie-Amelie, will, diamonds, portraits."
0:46:12 > 0:46:17"Queen Marie-Amelie, notes, silver, paintings."
0:46:17 > 0:46:18So, let's look in here.
0:46:20 > 0:46:22I mean, this is fascinating
0:46:22 > 0:46:26to be able to peer into her life in this way.
0:46:26 > 0:46:29It's a list of all the silver at Claremont.
0:46:30 > 0:46:33There's a long list here of all her porcelain.
0:46:33 > 0:46:35Oh, paintings. Here we go.
0:46:35 > 0:46:40Right at the top of the list, "Sainte Amelie, Delaroche."
0:46:40 > 0:46:41Brilliant.
0:46:41 > 0:46:46And actually, it's also the most valuable - £1,200,
0:46:46 > 0:46:48and that's saying something because there's a Van Dyck in here
0:46:48 > 0:46:50and that's worth less.
0:46:51 > 0:46:55So, at the top of the list and the most valuable in her will
0:46:55 > 0:46:58is the Sainte Amelie by Delaroche.
0:46:58 > 0:46:59But it doesn't say who she left it to.
0:47:02 > 0:47:04A search through another file reveals a list
0:47:04 > 0:47:06made by Marie-Amelie's son, the Duc de Nemours,
0:47:06 > 0:47:09requesting certain objects that had belonged to his mother.
0:47:11 > 0:47:13Oh, here we go. Here we go.
0:47:13 > 0:47:16"La Sainte Amelie de Delaroche."
0:47:16 > 0:47:17So, it looks like, therefore,
0:47:17 > 0:47:21the painting that she loved so much went to her son,
0:47:21 > 0:47:22to the Duc de Nemours.
0:47:23 > 0:47:26The Duc de Nemours lived at Bushy House in Twickenham,
0:47:26 > 0:47:29so we can assume Sainte Amelie hung there.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32But where did it go after his death in 1896?
0:47:34 > 0:47:37Well, this is the will of the Duc de Nemours.
0:47:38 > 0:47:42And in it, he says that he leaves all his paintings to his son.
0:47:42 > 0:47:45And then says there is a list of those paintings
0:47:45 > 0:47:47in amongst his papers.
0:47:47 > 0:47:49But incredibly frustratingly,
0:47:49 > 0:47:53in all this paperwork about the Duc de Nemours,
0:47:53 > 0:47:56that list of his paintings isn't here.
0:47:56 > 0:47:58So, the trail stops here.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07The provenance trail may have come to a halt
0:48:07 > 0:48:09but back at the Courtauld Institute,
0:48:09 > 0:48:12I'm hoping science might provide some answers
0:48:12 > 0:48:15to the last hurdle concerning the colours in Neil's picture.
0:48:17 > 0:48:21So, Aviva, we have a rather alarming issue.
0:48:21 > 0:48:23Some of the colours in our painting
0:48:23 > 0:48:26don't match the colours of the copies in the French churches,
0:48:26 > 0:48:30and one of the particular areas of concern
0:48:30 > 0:48:31is the dress of Sainte Amelie.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34In the copies, it's red and gold -
0:48:34 > 0:48:37in ours, it's just gold.
0:48:37 > 0:48:39Well, actually, I've looked at that area quite closely
0:48:39 > 0:48:43and we can see here a red paint has been applied,
0:48:43 > 0:48:46which covered the golden paint in a decorative pattern.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49And in those areas, the paint has faded.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52There's no doubt about it, it's gone a bit murky,
0:48:52 > 0:48:54but that's unquestionably a red now you point it out.
0:48:54 > 0:48:55It is. It's red.
0:48:55 > 0:48:58Some of these red pigments that were used in the 19th-century
0:48:58 > 0:49:00faded more than others and this one looks like a natural dye
0:49:00 > 0:49:02which has faded in the light.
0:49:02 > 0:49:04So, this dress was definitely patterned red.
0:49:04 > 0:49:07Was definitely patterned red, yes.
0:49:07 > 0:49:08Well, OK, this is great,
0:49:08 > 0:49:11but I've got something even more tricky
0:49:11 > 0:49:13and that is the dress of the kneeling figure.
0:49:13 > 0:49:15Now, in our painting,
0:49:15 > 0:49:17it is unquestionably blue
0:49:17 > 0:49:20but in the copies, it's green.
0:49:20 > 0:49:23Well, I've looked at that area, too. So, it does look very blue.
0:49:24 > 0:49:26But if you look at the very edge,
0:49:26 > 0:49:28can you see that there's a green area,
0:49:28 > 0:49:30a green line at the edge of the drapery?
0:49:30 > 0:49:33Yeah, I can, there's sort of a little flash of emerald green.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36So, I couldn't really tell what the pigments were under the microscope,
0:49:36 > 0:49:37so I took a sample.
0:49:37 > 0:49:41What you can see is the blue pigment was mixed with this other pigment,
0:49:41 > 0:49:42which now looks white -
0:49:42 > 0:49:45you see these groups of white particles?
0:49:45 > 0:49:47Which were probably yellow originally,
0:49:47 > 0:49:50so what you had was a yellow that faded.
0:49:50 > 0:49:55So, the yellow added with the blue that made it green has disappeared,
0:49:55 > 0:49:56turning it back to blue.
0:49:56 > 0:49:58Yes. That's exactly right.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01OK, but there's another clothes issue
0:50:01 > 0:50:04and that's the other kneeling figure.
0:50:04 > 0:50:08Now, in the copies, her dress is clearly yellow,
0:50:08 > 0:50:10particularly the sort of skirt area beneath,
0:50:10 > 0:50:11but in our painting, it's white.
0:50:11 > 0:50:12Mm-hm.
0:50:12 > 0:50:16Well, this area, interestingly, has been overpainted,
0:50:16 > 0:50:18and you see that gritty paint,
0:50:18 > 0:50:20which was applied over an underlying layer?
0:50:20 > 0:50:21Yes, it's very clear.
0:50:21 > 0:50:23It's sort of opaque and granular, isn't it?
0:50:23 > 0:50:27You see it's everywhere, covering up another colour underneath.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30So, we have got paint that has been applied on top,
0:50:30 > 0:50:33which unquestionably, would explain a change.
0:50:33 > 0:50:34That's true.
0:50:34 > 0:50:38Based on Aviva's scientific findings,
0:50:38 > 0:50:41we can now reconstruct what the picture might have looked like
0:50:41 > 0:50:44before the colours changed.
0:50:44 > 0:50:47For me, all nagging doubts have at last been ironed out
0:50:47 > 0:50:50and Delaroche is still firmly in the frame.
0:50:54 > 0:50:56We've done all that we can
0:50:56 > 0:51:01but is it enough to convince the world authority on Delaroche?
0:51:01 > 0:51:03Professor Stephen Bann is the leading expert,
0:51:03 > 0:51:08having lectured and published on the artist for over 30 years.
0:51:08 > 0:51:10We've invited him to the Courtauld Institute
0:51:10 > 0:51:13so he can examine Neil's painting.
0:51:13 > 0:51:17When the art market needs to authenticate a potential work
0:51:17 > 0:51:21by Delaroche, Professor Bann is the expert they consult.
0:51:21 > 0:51:24You get that sick sort of exam feel, don't you?
0:51:28 > 0:51:31- How do you do? - Nice to meet you.- And you.
0:51:31 > 0:51:32Professor Bann, nice to meet you.
0:51:32 > 0:51:36We're going to give him some time to evaluate our evidence
0:51:36 > 0:51:38and decide whether Neil's painting
0:51:38 > 0:51:41is a genuine work by Paul Delaroche or not.
0:51:42 > 0:51:44When we started this investigation,
0:51:44 > 0:51:47there were some troubling concerns with Neil's picture,
0:51:47 > 0:51:50but, rather wonderfully, science has explained them all.
0:51:50 > 0:51:52There was the problem with the engraving,
0:51:52 > 0:51:54it seemed that the Mercuri print
0:51:54 > 0:51:56showed things that weren't in our picture.
0:51:56 > 0:51:57We've explained that.
0:51:57 > 0:51:59It's overpaint.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02Then there was the colour changes as indicated by the copies,
0:52:02 > 0:52:05but we now know that the pigments have degraded.
0:52:05 > 0:52:08And then there's the artist's changes of mind,
0:52:08 > 0:52:10the art world loves those.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13I think we've proved that this is by Paul Delaroche.
0:52:13 > 0:52:15But can we convince the authority?
0:52:16 > 0:52:18It's always such an anxious time
0:52:18 > 0:52:21when the painting's being scrutinised like this.
0:52:21 > 0:52:23And I think we've taken Delaroche's lost painting
0:52:23 > 0:52:24right back to the beginning.
0:52:24 > 0:52:26We know why it was commissioned
0:52:26 > 0:52:29by the last King of the French, Louis-Philippe,
0:52:29 > 0:52:32as an act of love for his wife.
0:52:32 > 0:52:37That magnificent stained-glass window was the result.
0:52:37 > 0:52:38Then, in the tumult of the Revolution,
0:52:38 > 0:52:42when Louis-Philippe and Marie-Amelie fled for their lives to England,
0:52:42 > 0:52:43the painting followed.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47And then she bequeathed it to her son.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49But that's where the trail goes cold.
0:52:49 > 0:52:51Between 1896, when he died,
0:52:51 > 0:52:56and the 1980s, when the painting resurfaced for sale here in England,
0:52:56 > 0:52:57where was it?
0:52:57 > 0:53:00I don't like that kind of vacuum and neither does the art world.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02I hope we've done enough.
0:53:10 > 0:53:12A week has passed
0:53:12 > 0:53:14and Becky is on her way to the gallery.
0:53:14 > 0:53:17We're all about to discover whether Neil's painting
0:53:17 > 0:53:21has been accepted as a genuine work by Paul Delaroche.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24- Hi, Becky.- Hi, Fiona. Hi, Philip.- Hi, Becky.
0:53:24 > 0:53:25How are you feeling?
0:53:25 > 0:53:28- Bit nervous.- Mm.- Bit apprehensive.
0:53:28 > 0:53:32If Professor Bann says that this is a work by Paul Delaroche,
0:53:32 > 0:53:35it's worth £50,000.
0:53:35 > 0:53:37Becky, Neil paid how much for it?
0:53:37 > 0:53:38£500.
0:53:38 > 0:53:40Well, so, that's a massive difference.
0:53:40 > 0:53:42But it's not just about the money, is it, Becky?
0:53:42 > 0:53:45I mean, this is Neil's painting, it was his vision, wasn't it?
0:53:45 > 0:53:46Yeah.
0:53:46 > 0:53:48I mean, he really believed it was a Delaroche,
0:53:48 > 0:53:51so if we can prove it is a Delaroche,
0:53:51 > 0:53:54it would be something very special.
0:53:54 > 0:53:55We're about to find out.
0:53:57 > 0:53:59Professor Stephen Bann is heading to the gallery
0:53:59 > 0:54:01to give us his verdict.
0:54:04 > 0:54:05Hello, Professor.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07How do you do?
0:54:07 > 0:54:08You've come to a verdict, I assume.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11I have, I've reviewed all the evidence
0:54:11 > 0:54:13and I've reached my decision.
0:54:16 > 0:54:19In my opinion, this is definitely
0:54:19 > 0:54:23the lost Sainte Amelie by Paul Delaroche.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26- Oh, my goodness! - THEY LAUGH
0:54:26 > 0:54:27- How marvellous.- That's fantastic.
0:54:27 > 0:54:29Oh, what a relief.
0:54:29 > 0:54:32Brilliant. Oh, my goodness, I'm slightly tearful.
0:54:32 > 0:54:35Oh, that's just... Oh, my God, Becky, what do you think of that?
0:54:35 > 0:54:36I know, that's just amazing.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39Oh, I'm just so pleased because Neil was sure
0:54:39 > 0:54:40that it was a Delaroche.
0:54:40 > 0:54:41It's just...
0:54:41 > 0:54:42It's fantastic.
0:54:46 > 0:54:50- I wasn't sure we were going to make it, Becky, I have to say, at one point.- No, I know.
0:54:50 > 0:54:53Definitely, there were some points when I didn't think it was
0:54:53 > 0:54:56the real thing, but, er...
0:54:56 > 0:54:59but Neil did, so I'm so pleased.
0:55:00 > 0:55:04So, Neil was right about his Delaroche all along
0:55:04 > 0:55:07and a royal treasure, lost for over 100 years,
0:55:07 > 0:55:09has at last been found.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12But what swung it for Professor Bann?
0:55:12 > 0:55:16There were several factors which influenced me.
0:55:16 > 0:55:19The extraordinarily impressive work done
0:55:19 > 0:55:24to trace the different incarnations of Sainte Amelie,
0:55:24 > 0:55:29the scientific evidence, which I found extremely convincing,
0:55:29 > 0:55:32and I found a letter
0:55:32 > 0:55:36which strongly supports all the work that had been done.
0:55:36 > 0:55:37Really?
0:55:37 > 0:55:41Stephen has an 11th-hour revelation,
0:55:41 > 0:55:44a letter written by Delaroche in 1832,
0:55:44 > 0:55:47soon after he completed his Sainte Amelie.
0:55:47 > 0:55:51He's just visited the stained-glass workshop
0:55:51 > 0:55:55and he's found that his painting is in a pitiable state.
0:55:55 > 0:55:57He says, "The damage is considerable
0:55:57 > 0:56:00"and obliges me to undertake a long and tedious task.
0:56:00 > 0:56:02"I'm going to try and repair the damage
0:56:02 > 0:56:06"but I will no longer take responsibility for a new accident."
0:56:06 > 0:56:08That's fantastic because it shows that the restoration
0:56:08 > 0:56:10that we picked up on this picture
0:56:10 > 0:56:15is actually partly, if not largely, by the artist himself.
0:56:15 > 0:56:16Yes, indeed.
0:56:16 > 0:56:20There may well have been further restorations later on,
0:56:20 > 0:56:23but certainly it's true that Paul Delaroche
0:56:23 > 0:56:25must have done a considerable amount.
0:56:25 > 0:56:27Does that affect the value of it at all?
0:56:27 > 0:56:29Yes. I mean, in commercial terms,
0:56:29 > 0:56:34now that we know that a large part of those additions
0:56:34 > 0:56:35are by the artist himself,
0:56:35 > 0:56:37it becomes a much purer historical artefact.
0:56:39 > 0:56:42And I can now see it pushing up to £75,000.
0:56:42 > 0:56:44That's a lot of money.
0:56:46 > 0:56:51This is a much-needed result for a family who've had a rough few years.
0:56:51 > 0:56:55The whole thing's been a bit of a rollercoaster right from the start,
0:56:55 > 0:56:56thinking it is, it isn't, it is, it isn't,
0:56:56 > 0:57:00but I'm so pleased that it is the real thing.
0:57:00 > 0:57:01The boys will be so excited.
0:57:01 > 0:57:03They'll be jumping around the kitchen,
0:57:03 > 0:57:06so, you know, they'll just be chuffed.
0:57:06 > 0:57:07What a result!
0:57:07 > 0:57:10We found a lost royal treasure.
0:57:10 > 0:57:13And now we've proven Neil right.
0:57:20 > 0:57:23If you think you might have an undiscovered masterpiece,
0:57:23 > 0:57:28we'd love to hear from you at...