0:00:04 > 0:00:08The art world, where paintings change hands for fortunes.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10Selling at $95 million.
0:00:10 > 0:00:11But for every known masterpiece,
0:00:11 > 0:00:14there may be another still waiting to be discovered.
0:00:14 > 0:00:15That's it! That's it, isn't it?
0:00:15 > 0:00:17That is it. That is our painting.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22International art dealer Philip Mould and I have teamed up
0:00:22 > 0:00:25to hunt for lost works by great artists.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29We use old-fashioned detective work and state-of-the-art science to get to the truth.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33Science can enable us to see beyond the human eye.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36Da-da! Oh! Wow!
0:00:36 > 0:00:39The problem is, not every painting is quite what it seems.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43You successfully faked Lowrys while you were at school, didn't you?
0:00:43 > 0:00:46Yes. It's a journey that can end in joy...
0:00:46 > 0:00:47Oh, dear.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49Isn't that great?
0:00:49 > 0:00:51It's wonderful. ..or bitter disappointment.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54I can't cope with this roller-coaster.
0:00:54 > 0:00:55What a nightmare.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01In this episode, a first for Fake Or Fortune,
0:01:01 > 0:01:03we're going to investigate three paintings,
0:01:05 > 0:01:09each one a bewitching portrait with a mystery behind it.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11I'd just like to know who painted it.
0:01:11 > 0:01:16Can we find answers to the questions that have obsessed their owners?
0:01:16 > 0:01:19Who is it? Somebody's daughter, and we want to know.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22We'd love to know. It's a journey that takes us
0:01:22 > 0:01:26from the south coast of England to the east coast of America,
0:01:26 > 0:01:30and plunges us into the dark days of the Second World War.
0:01:30 > 0:01:35That's a time when fakers and criminals were very busy.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39It's an art world whodunnit with three key suspects.
0:01:39 > 0:01:45We could be talking about either a real Willem de Kooning, or a really good old fake.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49A very good fake. But as we unlock long-held secrets and carry out
0:01:49 > 0:01:55in-depth scientific research, how many stories will have a happy ending?
0:01:55 > 0:01:59If the people who sold it to you did not have the right to sell it...
0:02:00 > 0:02:01..you don't own it.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15Every year, we receive hundreds of requests for help from viewers,
0:02:15 > 0:02:17and out of all the pictures we receive,
0:02:17 > 0:02:20nothing captures the imagination quite like a portrait.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25We're sorting the contenders from the pretenders with our specialist
0:02:25 > 0:02:27researcher, Dr Bendor Grosvenor.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29This is one of the most copied pictures that we ever see.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31So, a copy, or a lesser artist?
0:02:31 > 0:02:34Not quite as dynamic as it should be.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37And we're going to choose three of the most promising to investigate further.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40We want to know who the subject of the painting is,
0:02:40 > 0:02:41and who painted it.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48Starting with this striking portrait of a child holding a ball.
0:02:48 > 0:02:49It's edgy, it's captivating.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53I like its rather sort of abstract qualities, its strong blast of red.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56The owners are from Belgium. They are called Jan and Chris Starckx.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59And does the owner have any idea who it might be by?
0:02:59 > 0:03:02The suggestion is that it's actually an original work by Willem de Kooning,
0:03:02 > 0:03:04an early painting.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06Wow! Well, that would be something.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10Willem de Kooning, I think, one of the great names of 20th-century art,
0:03:10 > 0:03:11contemporary of Jackson Pollock.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14His paintings sell for hundreds of millions.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17As an early figurative work, this would be an extremely rare thing.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19I mean, there's just a handful of them known.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22We've got our first candidate,
0:03:22 > 0:03:25a portrait of a child attributed to Willem de Kooning.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30As an early work, it could be worth over ?50,000.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34Next up, a portrait that's been hand-delivered for examination.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37I really like this picture. It's by, or purports to be by,
0:03:37 > 0:03:41a great German 19th-century artist called Adolph von Menzel,
0:03:41 > 0:03:43who in the 19th century in Germany was big news.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46He is a fascinating figure, a sort of self-taught genius.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49I've got an e-mail here from the owner.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51It's from a chap called Lance Miller, who worked in advertising,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54and actually, his e-mail reads like a brilliantly concise bit of
0:03:54 > 0:03:56advertising copy.
0:03:56 > 0:04:01"My German grandfather bought what we all have known to be a Menzel just after the war.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03"Documentation was lost in the annals of time.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06"If not a Menzel, then who?"
0:04:06 > 0:04:07You know, I really like this.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09It's swift and certain in the handling.
0:04:09 > 0:04:10I like the characterisation.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12It rather grabs you.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14And if we can actually prove that this is by Menzel,
0:04:14 > 0:04:16it's a picture that's also very valuable.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19We've got our second picture -
0:04:19 > 0:04:23Portrait Of An Old Gentleman attributed to Adolph von Menzel.
0:04:23 > 0:04:28Another ?50,000 for this chap if it's genuine.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30Just one more to find.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Take a look at this one, which caught my eye, this rather charming young lady looking down at us
0:04:34 > 0:04:35through the centuries.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38She belongs to a retired couple, Jenny and Richard Williams,
0:04:38 > 0:04:39who live down on the south coast,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42and they think it could be by an artist called Mercier.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44I've always really liked Philippe Mercier, actually.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47He's one of those French artists who comes to Britain in the 18th century
0:04:47 > 0:04:50and sort of brings a cultural infusion of French work.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52I've handled a number of Merciers in my time.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55He's an artist who is actually worth proving.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59He is represented in a number of art galleries and museums throughout Britain.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02I think this has got a real chance.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08Our final contender - Portrait Of A Lady, attributed to Philippe Mercier.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Worth ?5,000-?10,000 if right.
0:05:11 > 0:05:17The challenge has been set - three mystery paintings: Portrait Of A Lady,
0:05:17 > 0:05:19the Old Gentleman, and Portrait Of A Child,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22believed to be by three important artists.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24Can we get to the truth?
0:05:24 > 0:05:27It's a good three-horse race, then. I want to get going.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34We've contacted the owners of all three paintings to find out more about
0:05:34 > 0:05:38their works, starting with two viewers in Belgium, Jan Starckx,
0:05:38 > 0:05:44the retired head of youth services in the town of Turnhout, and his wife, Chris.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46They want us to examine Portrait Of A Child,
0:05:46 > 0:05:50a painting they bought online at the end of 2015,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53so they've travelled to London to meet me in person.
0:05:53 > 0:05:54Jan, how nice to meet you.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57Nice to meet you. Chris, very good to meet you as well.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59So, you've just brought this over on the train from Brussels?
0:05:59 > 0:06:04Yes. Could they have discovered a lost work by one of the most celebrated
0:06:04 > 0:06:08and valuable modern artists, Willem de Kooning?
0:06:08 > 0:06:10So, this is a portrait of a child.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12Looks like a boy,
0:06:12 > 0:06:17but it's not your normal sentimental type of painting of a young person of that date.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21The way that it's all structured is so interesting.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23It's quite angular.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25It's quite tough.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Look at the sharpness of the fringe of the child.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30I mean, could it...
0:06:30 > 0:06:35Could it just be the beginnings of an artist who turns into one of the
0:06:35 > 0:06:36great abstract painters?
0:06:36 > 0:06:40De Kooning is best known as a leader of the abstract expressionist
0:06:40 > 0:06:43movement that emerged in America after the war,
0:06:43 > 0:06:47renowned for his spontaneous approach and bold use of colour,
0:06:47 > 0:06:52as seen in Interchange, reportedly sold in 2015 for $300 million.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57He achieved his greatest success in America,
0:06:57 > 0:06:58where he spent most of his life,
0:06:58 > 0:07:02yet he was born in Rotterdam in 1904 and raised in Holland.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07And in 1924, just before he emigrated to the USA,
0:07:07 > 0:07:11he spent several months in the Belgian capital, Brussels.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15Could Jan's painting be a lost portrait of a child he encountered during
0:07:15 > 0:07:19this little-known period of his early life?
0:07:19 > 0:07:21One thing I did notice, though, is that it's signed.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23It looks like Wim Kooning.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25Wim Kooning, yes.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27But not Willem de Kooning. No.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30The signature is carved into the wet paint.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34It must have been done by the back of a brush or something with a point to it.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37That's rather key to me,
0:07:37 > 0:07:41because it would appear that the signature has been put on at the same
0:07:41 > 0:07:43date that the picture was created.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45And it looks like an old painting,
0:07:45 > 0:07:51so we could be talking about either a real Willem de Kooning or a really good old fake.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53Yes, a very good fake.
0:07:54 > 0:07:55How did you come by it?
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Each evening, I spend my time scanning the internet,
0:07:58 > 0:08:01looking for small artworks.
0:08:01 > 0:08:07I came across this and I was struck by the portrait in its totality,
0:08:07 > 0:08:09so we decided to go to Brussels.
0:08:09 > 0:08:10We met the vendors.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14They also sold a bike and a sewing machine and some other portraits.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17It could have been a bike, a sewing machine or a de Kooning.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19So, Chris, how much did you have to pay for it?
0:08:19 > 0:08:22450 euros.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26And did you at that point ask where the owner may have got the picture from?
0:08:26 > 0:08:31I asked him, and he told me it was from a friend of his,
0:08:31 > 0:08:36and that it was his friend's father when he was eight.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38And have you managed to confirm that?
0:08:38 > 0:08:44No. If we could prove that this was by Willem de Kooning,
0:08:44 > 0:08:46it would be a real achievement.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49Now, it's not, of course,
0:08:49 > 0:08:54a late work of the type that people spill blood for at auction
0:08:54 > 0:09:00in America, but it is still a significant work.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03So, there's a lot to fight for here.
0:09:03 > 0:09:04Fight for, yes.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10If Jan and Chris' portrait is a genuine work by Willem de Kooning,
0:09:10 > 0:09:15it would be valuable in terms of art history as so little of his early
0:09:15 > 0:09:17work survives.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20The only in-depth study of de Kooning's time in Europe was made by
0:09:20 > 0:09:25historian Dr Judith Wolfe in 1996, and our specialist researcher,
0:09:25 > 0:09:30Dr Bendor Grosvenor, is hoping it might contain vital evidence.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33This dissertation gives us a fascinating insight into the short time that
0:09:33 > 0:09:38de Kooning spent in Belgium, and it describes how, in 1924,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41he went to Brussels with his friend and a fellow artist,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43someone called Wimpy Klop.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46Who am I to make a comment about someone's unusual name?
0:09:46 > 0:09:50But apparently, they work for a decorating firm called van Genechten,
0:09:50 > 0:09:54and what's really good for us is that when he was working for the van Genechtens,
0:09:54 > 0:09:56de Kooning left a number of works.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00Some of these were signed Wim Kooning.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03That's the same signature we find on Jan's picture.
0:10:04 > 0:10:09The dissertation also reveals that de Kooning also painted one portrait
0:10:09 > 0:10:12in oil during his time in Brussels.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16It depicts the young niece of a member of the van Genechten family,
0:10:16 > 0:10:18and it's known as Portrait Of Renee.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22By a stroke of luck, that Portrait Of Renee actually came up for sale at auction recently.
0:10:22 > 0:10:27It was sold at Christie's in New York in 2014 and it made
0:10:27 > 0:10:29$50,000.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33It was actually seeing this picture online that prompted Jan to buy his
0:10:33 > 0:10:37picture, and I've got to say, it does bear a striking resemblance to his painting.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39So, this is a fully accepted,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42published work by de Kooning from the same period as Jan and Chris' picture.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46It's absolutely crucial in terms of helping to authenticate our picture.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50And I think the question is, where is it now?
0:10:52 > 0:10:54While Bendor continues his research,
0:10:54 > 0:10:57I'm heading to Eastbourne on the south coast of England to begin my
0:10:57 > 0:11:02investigation into Portrait Of A Lady, believed to be by Philippe Mercier,
0:11:02 > 0:11:07an 18th-century artist who specialised in painting high society families.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13Born in Berlin in 1689 to French Huguenot parents,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Philippe Mercier made his name in England,
0:11:16 > 0:11:20where he became a court painter to the Prince and Princess of Wales in the 1720s.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25His pictures were dubbed "fancies" for the way
0:11:25 > 0:11:30they heightened scenes of everyday life with imaginative touches.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33Mercier left London after he fell out of favour,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36and settled in York in 1740,
0:11:36 > 0:11:38where he continued painting portraits of the local gentry.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44Could one of his handsome portraits now be hanging in the living room of
0:11:44 > 0:11:47retired salesman Richard Williams and his wife, Jenny?
0:11:48 > 0:11:51This is a beautiful young woman gazing down on us.
0:11:51 > 0:11:52Where did you acquire her?
0:11:52 > 0:11:58I went to an auction in '72, '73.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00And do you mind me asking how much you paid for her?
0:12:00 > 0:12:05?50. When Jen said she spent ?50 on a painting...
0:12:05 > 0:12:07"How much? ?50?"
0:12:07 > 0:12:09But as soon as I saw it, I thought...
0:12:11 > 0:12:12I could see the attraction.
0:12:12 > 0:12:17It just keeps on looking at you all the time, not scarily,
0:12:17 > 0:12:19but she's a person in the room.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23And years later, we adopted a little girl.
0:12:23 > 0:12:28As she grew, she looked remarkably like her.
0:12:28 > 0:12:29Did you find out anything about her?
0:12:29 > 0:12:32What we decided to do is,
0:12:32 > 0:12:34take a picture and send it to the National Portrait Gallery.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36And they came back to us and said,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39we think it's by someone called Philippe Mercier.
0:12:39 > 0:12:44And judging by the style of the dress, it's probably about 1730-40.
0:12:44 > 0:12:52He sent a copy of the picture to John Ingamells, who is an expert in York.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54And he came down and looked at it, did he?
0:12:54 > 0:12:56Yeah, he came, yeah.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58And he had this great big lamp with him...
0:12:59 > 0:13:01We're familiar with those. Philip's got one of those.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05He shone it up the picture.
0:13:05 > 0:13:13What did he find? He found a signature, PH Mercier, fecit, 1742.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16So, Philippe Mercier, fecit - made it, in Latin.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19And he, he said, oh, yes, it says it there.
0:13:19 > 0:13:20But we can't see it.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23We've looked and looked and looked, but we can't see it.
0:13:23 > 0:13:28When was this? This was probably '74, '75.
0:13:28 > 0:13:29We don't know whether he's...
0:13:30 > 0:13:33..put any documents or anything like that.
0:13:33 > 0:13:34We didn't get anything.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37You didn't get anything in writing? No. And you've not heard from him?
0:13:37 > 0:13:40No, not heard from him since.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44Richard and Jenny's anecdotal evidence isn't enough for the art market.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47Can we turn up anything more substantial?
0:13:47 > 0:13:50So what would you like to know? How can we help you? Who is it?
0:13:50 > 0:13:53It's just, it's somebody, not just a painting.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56It's somebody's daughter, and we want to know.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00Love to know. So, you'd like to know, is it definitely by this artist, Philippe Mercier?
0:14:00 > 0:14:02Yes, we would.
0:14:02 > 0:14:03And who is she?
0:14:06 > 0:14:09If we are going to help Richard and Jenny solve the mystery of the
0:14:09 > 0:14:13Portrait Of A Lady, we'll need to find out if John Ingamells,
0:14:13 > 0:14:18the art expert who saw the painting in the 1970s, kept any records.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20Ingamells died in 2013,
0:14:20 > 0:14:24but Bendor has come to the library of the Courtauld Institute in London to look
0:14:24 > 0:14:27through his papers in search of evidence.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32I've got here a copy of Ingamells' catalogue of Mercier pictures,
0:14:32 > 0:14:36so it contains everything that Ingamells thought was definitely by Mercier.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39And there is indeed an entry which sounds very like the Williams' painting.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43It describes a half-length young lady who is facing to the left,
0:14:43 > 0:14:47in a blue dress with a yellow wrap within a painted oval.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51And it says, signed and dated Philippe Mercier, fecit 1742.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56But unfortunately, the catalogue is not illustrated,
0:14:56 > 0:14:58and the ownership information just says private collection,
0:14:58 > 0:15:04so we can't be absolutely sure that Ingamells is referring to our picture here.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09The library also holds several boxes of loose photographs of
0:15:09 > 0:15:13Mercier's paintings and a guide to an exhibition that may help us narrow
0:15:13 > 0:15:15the search for our mystery young lady.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22When you're looking into a portrait like this, you always want to try and identify the sitter,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25because it makes the picture more interesting and also more valuable.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30If the Williams' painting is indeed signed and dated 1742,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33then that means it was painted while Mercier was working in York,
0:15:33 > 0:15:37where he was based from 1739 to 1751.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40And I've got here a list of some of the important families that
0:15:40 > 0:15:42Mercier was working for.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45They include the Irwins of Temple Newsome,
0:15:45 > 0:15:50the Rockinghams of Wentworth Woodhouse, and the Worsleys of Hovingham.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54In fact, I've got a photograph here of one of those Worsley portraits,
0:15:54 > 0:15:56and in the oval surround and the date,
0:15:56 > 0:16:00it matches exactly the Williams' painting.
0:16:00 > 0:16:05So, could it be that the Williams' sitter is actually a member of one of these families?
0:16:06 > 0:16:09Finding a description of a painting that seems to match our Portrait Of A Lady
0:16:09 > 0:16:11is encouraging,
0:16:11 > 0:16:14but it's vital that we prove that the portrait was indeed signed and dated
0:16:14 > 0:16:17by the artist, Philippe Mercier.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20I've arranged for Simon Gillespie, a specialist art conservator,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23to examine the picture in his London studio.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27And owners Richard and Jenny Williams are joining us for a closer look.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32Let's talk about the condition for a moment, because she looks as if she's hung in a smoky pub.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35When we bought it, we hung it on the wall.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37We were looking at it and looking at it, and we thought,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40this deserves to be restored.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45And we told a friend of ours, who said, "Don't bother with restoration, I'll do it for you.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48"There's nothing to this restoration."
0:16:49 > 0:16:50She did, honestly.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54So, she took it away, brought it back, and she was pleased with it,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57but it's obviously not done it any good.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00I say she brought it back - she brought most of it back.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02The rest was in the sink, I think.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07It's got, you know, a lot of cracking on the surface,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10and then there is this rather unfortunate hole here.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12Did this come with the painting?
0:17:12 > 0:17:18No. Somebody borrowed it for an art talk, and it came back like that.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21These days, we can repair this sort of thing quite easily.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24But in terms of the signature, it makes it all the more important,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27I think, since we're not quite there, to prove it.
0:17:27 > 0:17:32Simon, you've had your UV light over this painting.
0:17:32 > 0:17:33I put all sorts of different lights on it.
0:17:33 > 0:17:38At the moment, it's very difficult to see, because it is very dirty,
0:17:38 > 0:17:41and he signs in dark black paint.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44It's not very helpful, is it? Not very helpful at all, no.
0:17:44 > 0:17:49We've got a replica signature here of how he signs.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51So, he signs really quite large.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56Simon's hoping that the portrait might reveal its secrets
0:17:56 > 0:18:01if he applies a light wash of solvent to the area where he thinks the signature should be.
0:18:04 > 0:18:09Will that all-important name, Philippe Mercier, magically reappear?
0:18:16 > 0:18:18So this allows us to see.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23It's a little bit like wetting a pebble on the beach so you can see the colours come alive
0:18:23 > 0:18:26and actually it allows one to see through the dirty varnish.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29Very obvious now.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31Philippe Mercier fecit.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34And then this funny little inscription down here.
0:18:35 > 0:18:36Little black numbers and letters.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39Great. So we're getting closer to the mystery woman...
0:18:39 > 0:18:41Yes. In your sitting room.
0:18:41 > 0:18:42Yes. After all these years.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44And the great thing is, there's clearly a signature there.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47Yes. Which looks like a Philippe Mercier signature so it's looking
0:18:47 > 0:18:49increasingly like a genuine look.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Ah, wonderful. Yeah. Love it.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56Finding the signature is a major breakthrough.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00But Simon is hoping that photographs taken under infrared and ultra-violet
0:19:00 > 0:19:03light might also reveal the date it was painted,
0:19:03 > 0:19:06which could then lead us to the identity of the sitter.
0:19:08 > 0:19:09Back in Philip's gallery,
0:19:09 > 0:19:13we've all gathered together to take stock of the latest developments.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15Let's talk about the Portrait Of A Young Lady to begin with.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18Have we heard anything back from Simon Gillespie?
0:19:18 > 0:19:22They've just sent us this enhanced infrared photograph of the signature
0:19:22 > 0:19:23and I think it's quite encouraging.
0:19:23 > 0:19:24It says, PH Mercier
0:19:24 > 0:19:31and then we can zoom in on the date, which says 1744.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34Hang on, cos that's different to the date that the owners, Rich and Jenny,
0:19:34 > 0:19:36were told by the late John Ingamells.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39He told me it was 1742.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41I don't think we need to get too hung up on that.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44You can see how it might have happened, easy mistake, dirty picture,
0:19:44 > 0:19:47blurry signature, very easy to misread.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50I think it would be quite good just to clean it a bit more.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Just freshen it up so we can see what we're dealing with.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55In view, particularly of that date issue,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58it would be worth getting another expert opinion on it.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02With Portrait Of A Lady heading for a makeover,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05we're shifting our focus to our other two paintings,
0:20:05 > 0:20:10starting with Portrait Of A Child, believed to be by Willem de Kooning.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14I've been having a look at the label that's on the back of the de Kooning, which relates to a company
0:20:14 > 0:20:18called Mommen in Brussels and they were making artist supplies.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Here, in fact, is one of the brochures from 1921.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24So, in terms of the time period when we want de Kooning to have painted
0:20:24 > 0:20:27this in Belgium, we're right in the right zone.
0:20:27 > 0:20:32It says Maison Mommen, fabrique des couleurs, tolies, panneaux et vernis.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34So, makers of paints, canvases,
0:20:34 > 0:20:38panels and varnish so they did the whole kit and caboodle.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40I guess the question is, did they supply Willem de Kooning?
0:20:40 > 0:20:43Do you know, I'm getting really excited about the research prospects
0:20:43 > 0:20:47for this picture because we've come across another image done by de Kooning
0:20:47 > 0:20:52and it is unquestionably very close to Jan and Chris'.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55But if we can actually put the two together, put them side by side,
0:20:55 > 0:20:59it could be transformative in getting an insight into this picture.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02The question is, though, can we get the owners to agree?
0:21:02 > 0:21:05We've got to go via an auction house and I know full well that that can
0:21:05 > 0:21:07be really tricky.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10For now, we'll have to wait for further information,
0:21:10 > 0:21:12which leaves us with our final painting -
0:21:12 > 0:21:16the formidable looking old gentleman - attributed to German artist, Adolph von Menzel.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20We've been comparing the initials in the bottom corner
0:21:20 > 0:21:25with those on other known works and there are encouraging similarities.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28I think we should take a really close look at those initials.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32If we can prove that they were put on at the same date as the picture,
0:21:32 > 0:21:35and the picture has to be 19th century, it just looks it,
0:21:35 > 0:21:39it could be a really significant advance in trying to prove the Menzel attribution.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41I want to talk to the owner as well,
0:21:41 > 0:21:43this Lance Miller who sent us the e-mail.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47I want to find out more about how his grandfather did come to acquire
0:21:47 > 0:21:51a painting by one of Germany's most revered artists in the trauma of the
0:21:51 > 0:21:53years straight after the Second World War.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58I've arranged to meet owner Lance Miller,
0:21:58 > 0:22:00managing director of a marketing firm,
0:22:00 > 0:22:04to find out more about the intriguing painting that belonged to his German
0:22:04 > 0:22:06grandfather, Erik von Rinckwitz.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09So tell us how this painting came into your family?
0:22:09 > 0:22:11It came from my mother.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13She's had it all her life in the family,
0:22:13 > 0:22:20we call it the Old General and her father, Erik von Rinckwitz, who lived in Bad Honnef am Rhein,
0:22:20 > 0:22:22bought it, we think, in about 1947.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25We've got photo albums around us. Have you got a picture of him?
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Yeah, he's in here. I mean, actually, I've got his wedding photograph,
0:22:28 > 0:22:30which is very old and Edwardian.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32There he is with my grandmother.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34My grandmother was English.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37His name, Rinckwitz, came from Leipzig, I believe.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39So he's Prussian.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42So was he a collector of art and would he have had the means
0:22:42 > 0:22:45to buy a painting by someone as important as von Menzel?
0:22:45 > 0:22:48Oh, I think he definitely had the means. They were quite wealthy.
0:22:49 > 0:22:54A picture by Adolph von Menzel would have been quite a trophy for any collector.
0:22:55 > 0:22:56Born in 1815,
0:22:56 > 0:23:01Menzel was a precocious talent who exhibited his first drawing at the age of 12.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06Renowned for his attention to detail
0:23:06 > 0:23:09and ability to evoke Germany's 18th-century past.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14Even his rough sketches are highly prized,
0:23:14 > 0:23:19with a study for suits of armour selling for almost ?3 million in 2015.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23Could the Old General be a sketch like this?
0:23:24 > 0:23:29There is a letter that we found that my grandfather wrote to my mother and my father.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33He said, "I'm just about to buy two very important paintings."
0:23:33 > 0:23:38And when was this written? This is '47, so he died in '48.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41We'll need to scour any records relating to Lance's grandfather -
0:23:41 > 0:23:46a prominent industrialist - for clues about the origins of the painting.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50But it won't be easy. Among the family photos are stark reminders
0:23:50 > 0:23:52of the chaos and upheaval of the Second World War.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57The fact that your grandfather may have acquired this painting around
0:23:57 > 0:23:591947, so after the Second World War,
0:23:59 > 0:24:03does ring some alarm bells because obviously so much art in Germany had
0:24:03 > 0:24:08been stolen from Jewish families, appropriated by the Nazis.
0:24:08 > 0:24:09It's a very dark time.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12I did some homework and I've written to the Art Loss Register,
0:24:12 > 0:24:14I showed them a picture of the painting and they said...
0:24:14 > 0:24:18So the Art Loss Register is where paintings that were stolen from many
0:24:18 > 0:24:21Jewish families have been, sort of, catalogued?
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Yep, and they wrote back to me and said there's no trace,
0:24:24 > 0:24:26this is definitely your painting, it's in your family.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29Has anyone ever examined this painting? Have you asked anyone to give an opinion on it?
0:24:29 > 0:24:34The National Gallery had an exhibition of Menzel and an expert said,
0:24:34 > 0:24:36"This looks good.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41"But you'll have to take it to Germany because that's where all the big Menzel experts are, there."
0:24:41 > 0:24:46And if it does turn out to be a von Menzel, will you continue passing it down the family or will you look at
0:24:46 > 0:24:47it rather differently?
0:24:47 > 0:24:48I think I would like to.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52I think they would turn round to me and say, "Sell it, Dad, and get the money."
0:24:52 > 0:24:56But, hey, I will educate them, I will educate them.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00What, this is your family heritage? Well, yeah, absolutely in a way and, you know,
0:25:00 > 0:25:02I'd just like to know who painted it.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09It's very interesting talking to Lance and hearing about
0:25:09 > 0:25:12his family's links to that painting,
0:25:12 > 0:25:14the Anglo-German connections in his family.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17Clearly to investigate if this is a Menzel,
0:25:17 > 0:25:19we're going to have to dig deep
0:25:19 > 0:25:22into one of the darkest periods in German history.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26That's a time when fakers and criminals were very busy.
0:25:31 > 0:25:36Our best hope of finding answers to Lance's questions lies in Germany.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39So Bendor has travelled to Berlin in search of evidence.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44He's arranged to meet Lance at the city's old National Gallery,
0:25:44 > 0:25:47where many of Menzel's most important works are on display.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52Menzel was fascinated by the life of Frederick the Great,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55who ruled Prussia in the 18th century
0:25:55 > 0:25:59and evoked his military campaigns in epic oil paintings.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03Could Lance's picture be a sketch for one of these historical figures
0:26:03 > 0:26:04in the paintings?
0:26:04 > 0:26:09These are two pictures from Menzel's Frederick II series. Mm-hm.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12In the 1850s, he was slightly obsessed with Frederick II
0:26:12 > 0:26:15and he did a whole series of large pictures looking back
0:26:15 > 0:26:18to events in the mid-18th century. Right.
0:26:18 > 0:26:23This one is Frederick II meeting the Emperor, Joseph II, in 1769.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26And I think with your picture, we've got, have we not,
0:26:26 > 0:26:28a picture that's obviously painted in the 19th century
0:26:28 > 0:26:30but looking back to the 18th century
0:26:30 > 0:26:33in terms of the costume and the hair and everything.
0:26:33 > 0:26:34Well, we call him the Old General,
0:26:34 > 0:26:36so I'm looking at this and I'm thinking,
0:26:36 > 0:26:39well, he could be in there somewhere.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41It's the same sort of uniforms.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43This seems unfinished, this one, this huge painting.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47Yes, this is... I love unfinished paintings, but actually,
0:26:47 > 0:26:50what's interesting about this one is it shows us a scene outdoors
0:26:50 > 0:26:54and they're not in the formal court dress, so with your picture,
0:26:54 > 0:26:56we've got someone who's not in the wig.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59The hair is all blown back so he looks quite casual.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01Yes, I wonder that it's someone
0:27:01 > 0:27:03from a more military outdoors type setting.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07You can imagine him being dropped into one of these scenes, can't you?
0:27:07 > 0:27:08Yeah, absolutely.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11The similarities between the Old General
0:27:11 > 0:27:14and some of Menzel's characters would seem to support
0:27:14 > 0:27:18our working theory that Lance's picture could be a sketch
0:27:18 > 0:27:19for a more elaborate work.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23Unless that's exactly what a forger wants us to believe.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32Can we be sure Lance's portrait was painted in the mid-19th century
0:27:32 > 0:27:34when Menzel was working on precisely this kind of subject?
0:27:37 > 0:27:39I've arranged to meet Aviva Burnstock,
0:27:39 > 0:27:43head conservator at the Courtauld Institute in London.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46She's been examining the painting under the microscope
0:27:46 > 0:27:49and under infrared lights and is ready to share her findings with us.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51We think that von Menzel painted this portrait
0:27:51 > 0:27:52in the mid to late 19th century.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Now, what have you found out about the pigments?
0:27:54 > 0:27:56Do they come from that time?
0:27:56 > 0:27:59There's quite a limited palette, but all the pigments,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02which include zinc and lead white and vermillion,
0:28:02 > 0:28:06are all available from the middle of the 19th century
0:28:06 > 0:28:08through to the 20th century so, yes,
0:28:08 > 0:28:11I would say that the pigments indicate that date period.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14What about the signature? What can you tell us about that?
0:28:14 > 0:28:17Was that done at the same time as the portrait?
0:28:17 > 0:28:19I think the black signature was put on top of the paint
0:28:19 > 0:28:21when it was pretty much dry,
0:28:21 > 0:28:24but there's a little flick of the A which drags into the wet paint,
0:28:24 > 0:28:28and you can see it's blended in so it was applied just as the paint
0:28:28 > 0:28:30was drying. So it couldn't be that someone had done this painting
0:28:30 > 0:28:33and then years later put a fake signature on it?
0:28:33 > 0:28:34It seems very unlikely.
0:28:35 > 0:28:39Aviva is confident that the Old General was signed by the artist who
0:28:39 > 0:28:43painted it and it could have been done during Menzel's lifetime.
0:28:43 > 0:28:47But is there a risk that it's just a good quality copy
0:28:47 > 0:28:49of a lost original work?
0:28:49 > 0:28:51In terms of it being a copy or a genuine work,
0:28:51 > 0:28:54what can you tell us about the way that it's been painted
0:28:54 > 0:28:57that would suggest one way or the other?
0:28:57 > 0:29:00A copy would normally be controlled and meticulously worked out.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02Maybe there would be a detailed drawing underneath
0:29:02 > 0:29:05and there isn't any detailed drawing in this case,
0:29:05 > 0:29:08just a few strokes of something that looks like pencil or graphite.
0:29:08 > 0:29:13And secondly, you would expect the brushstrokes to be quite small and
0:29:13 > 0:29:14careful, whereas... Very controlled.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18Very controlled, but this is actually very freely painted.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21It's clear that it's been done very quickly and with somebody who knows
0:29:21 > 0:29:24how to apply paint directly to get the effects he wants.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27Aviva's appraisal is encouraging,
0:29:27 > 0:29:31but it will fall to experts in Germany to determine whether Lance's
0:29:31 > 0:29:33picture bears the hallmarks of Adolph von Menzel.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39We're preparing a series of high resolution photographs
0:29:39 > 0:29:42for them to examine and to give their first impressions.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50While we wait for news from Germany,
0:29:50 > 0:29:54there's an exciting development with our Portrait Of A Child,
0:29:54 > 0:29:56believed to be by Willem de Kooning.
0:29:56 > 0:30:00We've finally tracked down the early de Kooning portrait that sold in
0:30:00 > 0:30:032014, but it's in Miami, Florida.
0:30:03 > 0:30:07I'm accompanying owners Jan and Chris Starckx on a pilgrimage
0:30:07 > 0:30:10to see the painting that might hold the key
0:30:10 > 0:30:13to proving theirs is the genuine article.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16We've managed to persuade the owner of the painting,
0:30:16 > 0:30:20art historian Mary Frank, to let us examine her picture,
0:30:20 > 0:30:25Portrait Of Renee, painted by de Kooning in Brussels in 1924.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28We've arranged to meet her at a conservation studio
0:30:28 > 0:30:31and we've brought Jan and Chris's portrait with us
0:30:31 > 0:30:35to see how it compares to a genuine early work
0:30:35 > 0:30:36by Willem de Kooning.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38Mary, hello, very nice to see you.
0:30:38 > 0:30:39Very nice to meet you.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42Jan. Hello. And Chris.
0:30:42 > 0:30:43Nice to meet you, Chris.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46And this is the picture we've crossed the Atlantic to see.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48How does it look in the flesh?
0:30:48 > 0:30:51I've seen it already a thousand times on a picture,
0:30:51 > 0:30:52but to see it in real,
0:30:52 > 0:30:53it's very exciting.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55Well, Mary, as you know,
0:30:55 > 0:30:57we've come over here to see your painting
0:30:57 > 0:31:00and we've got to find out, how did it come into your life
0:31:00 > 0:31:03and how do you know that it's actually by de Kooning?
0:31:03 > 0:31:07Well, I spotted it at Christie's in New York in 2014
0:31:07 > 0:31:09and she immediately caught my eye.
0:31:09 > 0:31:13De Kooning was a great draughtsman and looking at the way
0:31:13 > 0:31:16that the hands are drawn and outlined,
0:31:16 > 0:31:19they're outlined in charcoal and then painted in
0:31:19 > 0:31:22and this is something that de Kooning did throughout his career.
0:31:22 > 0:31:24So, stylistically, you're very comfortable,
0:31:24 > 0:31:27but presumably you had provenance because isn't this in the literature?
0:31:27 > 0:31:30Well, it came directly from the van Genechten family,
0:31:30 > 0:31:31painted in Belgium.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34At the same time that yours might have been.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37So this is a solid copper-bottomed de Kooning
0:31:37 > 0:31:41of the sort of date that we think yours might have been painted. Yes.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45This is the moment Jan and Chris have been waiting for.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49How does their picture look when placed side by side
0:31:49 > 0:31:51with a genuine work?
0:31:51 > 0:31:53Staggering.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56I think... I'm more sure now I see the other painting
0:31:56 > 0:31:59than I was before, because looking on a picture
0:31:59 > 0:32:03is different because you don't see the depth of the paint.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05It's lovely to see them together.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08It's what we were waiting for for weeks now.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12At a glance, it's so clear to me that these appear to be
0:32:12 > 0:32:13by the same artist.
0:32:13 > 0:32:18The line of the hair in both cases and the sort of design quality
0:32:18 > 0:32:21of the shapes, they're like mannequins and, actually,
0:32:21 > 0:32:25there's also another aspect of this - it's the expressions.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28Both of them have got slightly unsettling, aloof,
0:32:28 > 0:32:31rather distant feelings about them.
0:32:31 > 0:32:38There's a photograph of Renee as a child and she has the same
0:32:38 > 0:32:41rather obstinate, determined look on her face in the photograph.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43It's very interesting.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47And the big distinction that one can immediately notice is that yours,
0:32:47 > 0:32:50Jan and Chris, is signed and yours isn't.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53My theory on that as an art historian
0:32:53 > 0:32:58is that this painting was made for the van Genechten family as a gift.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00He was staying with them,
0:33:00 > 0:33:04little Renee was in the house so he painted her as a thank you.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07Perhaps someone saw this painting and commissioned him
0:33:07 > 0:33:09to do a painting of their child,
0:33:09 > 0:33:13in which case there's a material value associated with it
0:33:13 > 0:33:17and he would sign it. It's more logic that he would sign it, yes.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20Shall we have a look at the backs to see if there's any further clues?
0:33:20 > 0:33:21Yes. OK.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29Oh, my goodness!
0:33:29 > 0:33:31The same label!
0:33:31 > 0:33:33The same artist's supplier!
0:33:33 > 0:33:35It's Mommen's, from Brussels.
0:33:35 > 0:33:36Same design of label.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39This looks a slightly lighter colour.
0:33:39 > 0:33:44That shows that whoever painted this picture used the same supplier,
0:33:44 > 0:33:48the same materials and we know de Kooning used one lot
0:33:48 > 0:33:50so why not de Kooning the other?
0:33:53 > 0:33:57Even with evidence mounting in favour of Jan and Chris's painting,
0:33:57 > 0:34:02convincing the art world that it's a genuine work by Willem de Kooning
0:34:02 > 0:34:04is fraught with difficulty.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06The American modern art market
0:34:06 > 0:34:08is still reeling from the forgery scandal
0:34:08 > 0:34:15that saw art dealer Glafira Rosales plead guilty in 2013 to her part in
0:34:15 > 0:34:19the sale of fakes, said to be by artists such as Mark Rothko,
0:34:19 > 0:34:21Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24Organisations that might once have authenticated
0:34:24 > 0:34:28newly discovered works of art have shut up shop
0:34:28 > 0:34:30so I've arranged to meet Collette Loll,
0:34:30 > 0:34:35an art detective who specialises in the authentication of modern art,
0:34:35 > 0:34:37to see where Jan and Chris stand.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41So, what we've discovered so far I think is really encouraging.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45Now, normally what we would do is we would package up this information
0:34:45 > 0:34:47and we would present it to a catalogue raisonne writer,
0:34:47 > 0:34:49to a foundation, but, in this instance,
0:34:49 > 0:34:51I think we've got a problem, have we not?
0:34:51 > 0:34:55The de Kooning Foundation no longer render an opinion
0:34:55 > 0:34:58about the authentification of a given work of art.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01Unfortunately, in this litigious environment in the United States,
0:35:01 > 0:35:03what worries people is being sued.
0:35:03 > 0:35:05You can be sued if you say something is right
0:35:05 > 0:35:07and it turns out to be wrong, and you can be sued if you say
0:35:07 > 0:35:09it's wrong and it turns out to be right.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12It's really a no-win situation for many experts
0:35:12 > 0:35:15and many just don't want to take the risk of giving an opinion publicly.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19There must be some other way round this because the evidence
0:35:19 > 0:35:21as it's mounting, I think, is extremely convincing.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24Right. I find it convincing. I'm in the art world.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28So, is there some other way round this if the bodies themselves
0:35:28 > 0:35:30are fearful of being sued?
0:35:30 > 0:35:34I'm afraid stylistically it could be perfect,
0:35:34 > 0:35:38but you don't have a body or...
0:35:38 > 0:35:40That says it is.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43Right. You need an authoritative body to say,
0:35:43 > 0:35:44"This is or is not,"
0:35:44 > 0:35:47and when you don't have the body, like a foundation,
0:35:47 > 0:35:50then you need one expert that's going to step up and say,
0:35:50 > 0:35:53"I will take the risk of rendering an opinion,"
0:35:53 > 0:35:57and if you don't have that, then you really are handcuffed
0:35:57 > 0:36:01and this picture might just be held hostage.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03We call it painting purgatory.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06Sometimes these pictures can sit in purgatory, in limbo,
0:36:06 > 0:36:10for decades before the market finally accepts them as authentic.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20Collette's sobering assessment of how difficult it might be
0:36:20 > 0:36:24for Jan and Chris to have their painting accepted as a genuine work
0:36:24 > 0:36:28has come as a bit of a blow after the excitement of comparing it
0:36:28 > 0:36:30to Portrait Of Renee,
0:36:30 > 0:36:35so I'm eager to discuss their next steps before they return to Europe.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38We really have made some wonderful progress in Miami.
0:36:38 > 0:36:42I mean, we've proved your picture stylistically
0:36:42 > 0:36:46looks pretty well exactly like another known painting by de Kooning
0:36:46 > 0:36:48from that date, but, as you've heard,
0:36:48 > 0:36:51the art world can be a cynical and political place.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53How do you feel about that? In the beginning,
0:36:53 > 0:36:56I had this gut feeling that this was a de Kooning
0:36:56 > 0:37:00and it's still not proved, but it's going in a good direction, I think.
0:37:00 > 0:37:04And what difference would it make to you if we could prove it?
0:37:04 > 0:37:08If it's proved to be a genuine Willem de Kooning,
0:37:08 > 0:37:13I think we have found a very interesting work,
0:37:13 > 0:37:19which could be a part of the puzzle in his very young life
0:37:19 > 0:37:21and his work in Brussels.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24The question is now can we find out more provenance?
0:37:24 > 0:37:28Can we take that picture back to the day it was painted?
0:37:28 > 0:37:34We hope to ask the vendor again to give us some information.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36He is the guy who found it.
0:37:42 > 0:37:46While Jan and Chris return to Belgium to continue their enquiries,
0:37:46 > 0:37:50I want to take advantage of the unique opportunity we have in Miami
0:37:50 > 0:37:54for detailed scientific analysis.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58Scientist Dr Bruce Kaiser and conservator Emily MacDonald-Korth
0:37:58 > 0:38:02are using a portable X-radiograph gun to identify
0:38:02 > 0:38:06the chemical elements within the oil paint.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10First, they analyse Portrait Of Renee to precisely identify
0:38:10 > 0:38:15the unique ingredients in each pigment that Willem de Kooning used.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19The red dress worn by the young girl in Portrait Of Renee
0:38:19 > 0:38:22contains a distinctive blend of vermillion,
0:38:22 > 0:38:25so how does the robe in Jan and Chris's picture compare?
0:38:27 > 0:38:30Next, we're going to do the red of his robe.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32I'm ready when you are.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35Could there possibly be a matching pigment?
0:38:37 > 0:38:38Ready.
0:38:38 > 0:38:40And...away we go.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44So you've analysed the elements of the real de Kooning picture
0:38:44 > 0:38:46and now we're trying to establish
0:38:46 > 0:38:48if it's shared in any way by our picture.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51That's exactly what we're doing.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54So, what we're seeing is the elemental pattern
0:38:54 > 0:38:56and so it's going to show us
0:38:56 > 0:38:59basically the identity of the elements present
0:38:59 > 0:39:00in each of the pigments,
0:39:00 > 0:39:04and it shows them very quickly, within 30 seconds.
0:39:04 > 0:39:05And we'll see it on the graph.
0:39:05 > 0:39:06You'll see it on the graph.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08Vividly. As a matter of fact,
0:39:08 > 0:39:10I've already looked and the two pigments match.
0:39:12 > 0:39:13Two already? It's vermillion?
0:39:13 > 0:39:15Yes. Wow!
0:39:15 > 0:39:17Well, that's a heartening beginning.
0:39:17 > 0:39:19Two of the elements match.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21Yes.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24And the amount of vermillion he's using in the paint
0:39:24 > 0:39:27would have been very expensive, which means that he had access
0:39:27 > 0:39:30to enough vermillion to be able to mute it down
0:39:30 > 0:39:33and not even use it for what it's known for,
0:39:33 > 0:39:35which is its bright red saturation.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39And what's really interesting, this is a little brighter red,
0:39:39 > 0:39:41so the intensity of mercury is higher, and this is
0:39:41 > 0:39:45a little muted and, indeed, this does look a little more orange.
0:39:45 > 0:39:48So, this expensive trait can be found in both pictures.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51It is definitely a correlation between the two.
0:39:51 > 0:39:52A shared profile?
0:39:52 > 0:39:56A shared profile and something that I would not have expected.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59We'll have to wait for Bruce to process the full results,
0:39:59 > 0:40:03but the discovery of an identical pigment in both paintings
0:40:03 > 0:40:05is a thrilling development.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10While Philip has been making good progress in Miami,
0:40:10 > 0:40:12specialist conservator Simon Gillespie
0:40:12 > 0:40:15has been busy working on the 18th-century
0:40:15 > 0:40:19Portrait Of A Young Lady that we believe to be by Philippe Mercier.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23The old layer of discoloured varnish has been removed,
0:40:23 > 0:40:25that unsightly hole patched up
0:40:25 > 0:40:28and the final touch-ups are being applied.
0:40:30 > 0:40:34The picture will now be inspected by Dr Brian Allen,
0:40:34 > 0:40:37a specialist in 18th-century portraiture.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41Will he confirm that the painting is indeed the work of Philippe Mercier?
0:40:43 > 0:40:44With Philip back from Miami,
0:40:44 > 0:40:47we've invited owners Richard and Jenny Williams
0:40:47 > 0:40:48to come to the gallery to hear the verdict.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51Hi, Jenny and Richard, this is Philip.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54How do you do? Very nice to meet you both.
0:40:54 > 0:40:58Nice to meet you. So, here's the painting back from Simon Gillespie -
0:40:58 > 0:41:00patched, repaired and a little cleaned as well.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02I think she looks just perfect.
0:41:02 > 0:41:03Do you remember this bit here?
0:41:03 > 0:41:06Yes, the famous hole!
0:41:06 > 0:41:09The hole? Yes! So, look, you can hardly see that now. No.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11It's not only this bit that's changed.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14The date, if you remember, the signature of the date over here
0:41:14 > 0:41:18that was so hard to see and still is quite hard to see, it's not 1742,
0:41:18 > 0:41:20which is what you understand it to be.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22It actually says 1744,
0:41:22 > 0:41:26so you've got the signature of Philippe Mercier
0:41:26 > 0:41:27and the date 1744.
0:41:29 > 0:41:31So, we decided to engage the services
0:41:31 > 0:41:35of a much-respected scholar in 18th and early 19th-century
0:41:35 > 0:41:37British art, whose name is Brian Allen,
0:41:37 > 0:41:39and I have here the letter of his response.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48"I'm pleased to confirm that, in my opinion,
0:41:48 > 0:41:52"the charming Portrait Of A Lady is indeed by Philippe Mercier."
0:41:52 > 0:41:54Thanks! Great!
0:41:55 > 0:41:59"As it happens, I edited John Ingamells' manuscript catalogue
0:41:59 > 0:42:02"of Mercier's work for publication.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06"I am completely confident that the portrait owned
0:42:06 > 0:42:10"by Mr and Mrs Williams is listed here as number 123."
0:42:10 > 0:42:12So, there you are. It is...
0:42:12 > 0:42:14It is a Philippe Mercier.
0:42:14 > 0:42:15It is indeed.
0:42:15 > 0:42:17God bless him!
0:42:17 > 0:42:19So, what do you think of your lovely young lady now?
0:42:19 > 0:42:21I think she looks great.
0:42:21 > 0:42:22I do, yeah.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26So, we now know it is a Mercier.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28Yes. We've now got the date.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31Yes. So, the only question that remains...
0:42:31 > 0:42:33Who is she? Who is she?
0:42:33 > 0:42:35Well, we know that Philippe Mercier was up in Yorkshire
0:42:35 > 0:42:37painting the landed gentry at the time.
0:42:37 > 0:42:39Your painting was done in the 1740s
0:42:39 > 0:42:42and we know that he painted Sir Thomas Watson-Wentworth
0:42:42 > 0:42:45so we wondered could this be one of Thomas' daughters?
0:42:45 > 0:42:47It couldn't be his oldest daughter, Anne.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49She was too old in 1744. Yes.
0:42:49 > 0:42:53Could it be the next daughter in line, Mary?
0:42:55 > 0:42:58If this is a portrait of Mary Watson-Wentworth,
0:42:58 > 0:43:00how would it have ended up in Eastbourne?
0:43:00 > 0:43:04One possible explanation lies with one of Mary's descendants,
0:43:04 > 0:43:08who left Yorkshire in 1909 and moved to Dale Park,
0:43:08 > 0:43:1050 miles from Eastbourne.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13After the stock market crash of 1929,
0:43:13 > 0:43:15the contents of the estate were sold off.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21Maybe that is when it got dispersed into Eastbourne
0:43:21 > 0:43:24and ended up, all these years later, in a local auction sale.
0:43:24 > 0:43:26It sounds highly likely, actually.
0:43:26 > 0:43:31It's only a theory, but it's our most likely theory at the moment.
0:43:31 > 0:43:34Just remind us what date that auction was.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37It was, I think, about 1973.
0:43:37 > 0:43:38Oh, so quite a long time ago.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41And what did you pay for the painting then? ?50. ?50.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44Yes. A king's ransom!
0:43:44 > 0:43:47Absolutely. Well, that's a happy price to pay.
0:43:47 > 0:43:51Yes. Now, the valuation that I'm going to give you now
0:43:51 > 0:43:53is not a life-changer, I have to say.
0:43:53 > 0:43:57This is not what the market is particularly keen on at the moment,
0:43:57 > 0:44:00so I'm going to put a valuation of ?5,000 on it.
0:44:00 > 0:44:04Right, yes. But hang on - at least we've moved on from ?50.
0:44:04 > 0:44:06Yes! That's true.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09She can hang with pride in your sitting room.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12Yes, she will indeed. She will indeed, that's lovely.
0:44:17 > 0:44:20The first of the three pictures we chose has been accepted as a genuine
0:44:20 > 0:44:25work by Philippe Mercier, but what about Lance Miller's picture,
0:44:25 > 0:44:26known as the Old General,
0:44:26 > 0:44:29and believed to be by German artist Adolph von Menzel?
0:44:31 > 0:44:35I've been trying to find out where Lance's grandfather
0:44:35 > 0:44:38acquired the painting in 1947 and Lance thinks there might have been
0:44:38 > 0:44:42a connection to a museum in Cologne called the Wallraf-Richartz Museum.
0:44:43 > 0:44:46From what I can see, the museum was so badly damaged during the war,
0:44:46 > 0:44:50very few records survive, frustratingly.
0:44:50 > 0:44:51There are several records, though,
0:44:51 > 0:44:54that reveal more about Lance's grandfather -
0:44:54 > 0:44:58that he ran a factory which produced a product to deal with rust.
0:44:58 > 0:45:03He was succeeded by his English wife Irene as CEO in 1946.
0:45:03 > 0:45:07He was able to continue to run his factory during the war.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10He had stayed on the right side of the political system.
0:45:10 > 0:45:12He would have been subject to what was called
0:45:12 > 0:45:14the denazification process after the war.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17He would have had to give a statement of his conduct
0:45:17 > 0:45:19during those war years to the Allies.
0:45:20 > 0:45:24It could be fascinating, if in this case a little unsettling,
0:45:24 > 0:45:27when you start to dig down into the history of a picture
0:45:27 > 0:45:30and sometimes you can find out more about a previous owner
0:45:30 > 0:45:31than the painting itself.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37With our research throwing up more questions than answers,
0:45:37 > 0:45:40back in Berlin, vendor and owner Lance have arranged
0:45:40 > 0:45:42to meet Claude Keisch,
0:45:42 > 0:45:46one of the world's leading experts on the work of Adolph von Menzel.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49He's been studying photographs of the Old General and he's offered
0:45:49 > 0:45:51to share his initial impressions of the painting.
0:45:53 > 0:45:57Have you formed an opinion already or...
0:45:57 > 0:45:58Ja.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14I'm going to ask this with some trepidation, but,
0:46:14 > 0:46:18in all your years of studying Menzel pictures,
0:46:18 > 0:46:19have you come across any fakes?
0:46:42 > 0:46:45That's probably not the answer we were looking for.
0:46:45 > 0:46:47Not really, but we have an answer, perhaps.
0:46:47 > 0:46:49I don't know. Maybe the power of the painting when you see it
0:46:49 > 0:46:52in the flesh, because photographs don't always deliver.
0:46:52 > 0:46:56Naturally. Would you look at the painting in the flesh for us?
0:46:56 > 0:46:57Ja, ja. That would be lovely.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02Claude Keisch is reserving his final judgment
0:47:02 > 0:47:06so our research continues, and we've made another
0:47:06 > 0:47:09fascinating discovery about Lance's grandfather Eric Renkiewicz
0:47:09 > 0:47:11that we felt we should share.
0:47:12 > 0:47:17Our German researcher has located his denazification file
0:47:17 > 0:47:20and it contains a sworn statement he made about his efforts
0:47:20 > 0:47:23to save a Jewish employee, Richard Schrank,
0:47:23 > 0:47:25from the clutches of the Gestapo.
0:47:25 > 0:47:28Mr Schrank is the...
0:47:28 > 0:47:34A Jewish employee. Jewish employee of his factory during the war, OK.
0:47:34 > 0:47:35This rings bells.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37Have you heard this name before?
0:47:37 > 0:47:40Yeah, Herr Schrank was the foreman,
0:47:40 > 0:47:43close family friends of my grandfather.
0:47:43 > 0:47:46And I also have a translation here so you can have a look.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49There's a particularly pertinent line here,
0:47:49 > 0:47:52that he's saying how he had to put his own neck on the line
0:47:52 > 0:47:55just to protect this employee of your family
0:47:55 > 0:47:56who happened to be Jewish.
0:47:56 > 0:48:01Your grandfather, it also says he had to give, as a sort of guarantee,
0:48:01 > 0:48:04his entire fortune for the flawless behaviour
0:48:04 > 0:48:06of the whole Schrank family.
0:48:06 > 0:48:10So your grandfather actually did, by the look of it,
0:48:10 > 0:48:13quite a serious amount on behalf of Mr Schrank and his family
0:48:13 > 0:48:16and saved them from the Gestapo.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19Well, forgive me, I know we're here to chase a painting,
0:48:19 > 0:48:21but this is more meaningful to me.
0:48:21 > 0:48:23Whoa, sorry...
0:48:24 > 0:48:27Well, it does actually put it into perspective, doesn't it?
0:48:27 > 0:48:29Whoa, sorry. That's all right.
0:48:29 > 0:48:31These things...
0:48:31 > 0:48:33Whoa, that just hit me. I don't know where that came from.
0:48:38 > 0:48:39All his worldly goods?
0:48:39 > 0:48:42Yep. To the protection of another man?
0:48:42 > 0:48:44Yep. Isn't that amazing?
0:48:45 > 0:48:48It's quite extraordinary how the trail of a painting,
0:48:48 > 0:48:50a piece of canvas,
0:48:50 > 0:48:53can lead you back into your own family's history like that.
0:48:53 > 0:48:56This is remarkable because it shows about the man.
0:48:56 > 0:48:57This is real life to me.
0:48:57 > 0:49:01Whilst I love the painting and will keep it for a very long time,
0:49:01 > 0:49:04this is a lot more meaningful to me, I have to say.
0:49:04 > 0:49:06Yes. A lot more.
0:49:06 > 0:49:09Although our research has revealed much about Eric Renkiewicz,
0:49:09 > 0:49:12the grandfather Lance never knew,
0:49:12 > 0:49:15we haven't turned up anything about the origins of the painting,
0:49:15 > 0:49:18and, as we feared, there may be a simple explanation.
0:49:20 > 0:49:23After examining the Old General in person,
0:49:23 > 0:49:27Claude Keisch has contacted us to say that his initial suspicions
0:49:27 > 0:49:32have been confirmed and the painting is a very clever forgery,
0:49:32 > 0:49:35possibly created in the 1920s or '30s.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38The signature, he feels, is a particular giveaway.
0:49:38 > 0:49:42The top of the A is just not round enough to be Menzel's hand.
0:49:44 > 0:49:45Back in Philippe's gallery,
0:49:45 > 0:49:48we've all gathered together to take stock of developments.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50I had high hopes for the General,
0:49:50 > 0:49:53but it looks as though he may have been deceiving us.
0:49:53 > 0:49:55I know! So, Menzel expert Claude Keisch
0:49:55 > 0:49:57felt that the characterisation wasn't quite right,
0:49:57 > 0:50:00that the picture was almost a bit too theatrical for Menzel.
0:50:00 > 0:50:02And as far as the provenance goes, we've hit a dead end.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05Everything that could have helped us in terms of archives
0:50:05 > 0:50:07and attributions in catalogues,
0:50:07 > 0:50:09it's all been destroyed during the Second World War.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12With that lack of documentation from that time period,
0:50:12 > 0:50:14it's always going to raise questions, I think,
0:50:14 > 0:50:18in an expert's mind, because it's the perfect smokescreen for a faker
0:50:18 > 0:50:19to pass a work off.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23So far, one painting has been turned down
0:50:23 > 0:50:25and one has been proved genuine,
0:50:25 > 0:50:29which leaves us with one last picture - Portrait Of A Child,
0:50:29 > 0:50:31attributed to Willem de Kooning.
0:50:31 > 0:50:35I have to say, I still have real high hopes for our little boy.
0:50:35 > 0:50:37The scientific testing that we were doing in Miami
0:50:37 > 0:50:39was looking really promising. Well, actually,
0:50:39 > 0:50:42we've just had the full results in and I think you're going to like
0:50:42 > 0:50:43the look of this e-mail.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46It's from Bruce Kaiser, the man who did the testing.
0:50:48 > 0:50:52So Bruce has compared painting A, he says here,
0:50:52 > 0:50:54so painting A is the genuine certified de Kooning,
0:50:54 > 0:50:58to our painting, which he refers to as painting B, and he says,
0:50:58 > 0:51:01"All matching colours from painting A when compared to painting B" -
0:51:01 > 0:51:05our painting - "are literally elementally identical.
0:51:05 > 0:51:08"To be honest, I have done elemental analysis of many,
0:51:08 > 0:51:11"many paintings and I have never seen such a close pairing.
0:51:11 > 0:51:14"I would guess the probability of this occurring randomly
0:51:14 > 0:51:18"approaches the same probability of someone winning the lottery.
0:51:18 > 0:51:20"That is one in umpteen million."
0:51:20 > 0:51:22I mean, this is just brilliant, isn't it?
0:51:22 > 0:51:25You don't get a scientist going that far normally, do you?
0:51:25 > 0:51:29He then goes on, "The exact same paint pigments and type
0:51:29 > 0:51:31"were used to paint both paintings and even the same features
0:51:31 > 0:51:34"in each painting." I mean, what more do we need?
0:51:34 > 0:51:37I suppose you've got to ask what are the chances of someone else
0:51:37 > 0:51:39painting it alongside him, perhaps,
0:51:39 > 0:51:41using the same paint in exactly the same way?
0:51:41 > 0:51:45What he does say at the end, slightly frustratingly, is,
0:51:45 > 0:51:48"Whether it was the same artist is not provable directly
0:51:48 > 0:51:52"by elemental analysis," for the reason that you're saying.
0:51:52 > 0:51:53But the chances of that are so slim,
0:51:53 > 0:51:55it HAS TO be a de Kooning, doesn't it?
0:51:55 > 0:51:58What we really need to do now is get that provenance -
0:51:58 > 0:52:01find out where that painting has been for the last 100 years.
0:52:01 > 0:52:03If we can do that, we could be so much closer
0:52:03 > 0:52:06to being able to produce an even stronger argument.
0:52:09 > 0:52:12With the fate of our last painting finely poised,
0:52:12 > 0:52:15we're travelling to Belgium in search
0:52:15 > 0:52:17of one final piece of evidence.
0:52:17 > 0:52:21We've arranged to meet Jan and Chris Starckx in their hometown
0:52:21 > 0:52:23of Turnhout, not far from Antwerp.
0:52:23 > 0:52:27They have news about the recent history of Portrait Of A Child
0:52:27 > 0:52:29and we're eager to share the results
0:52:29 > 0:52:31of the scientific analysis with them.
0:52:32 > 0:52:34After our time in Miami,
0:52:34 > 0:52:37it's wonderful to be here in your apartment,
0:52:37 > 0:52:41surrounded by your objects and, of course, the picture itself.
0:52:41 > 0:52:46Now, you recall we have not got the sign-off of the authorities,
0:52:46 > 0:52:50the committee on de Kooning, but we have evidence which -
0:52:50 > 0:52:54and I now speak as an art dealer - is so clear.
0:52:54 > 0:52:55In fact, why not say it?
0:52:55 > 0:52:57You have a work by de Kooning.
0:52:57 > 0:53:00It's amazing. You can't get better.
0:53:00 > 0:53:03I'm very proud of my husband.
0:53:03 > 0:53:05Yes! He did it so well.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07So, what's it worth, Philip?
0:53:08 > 0:53:13Well, what we have the advantage of is that we know the other painting
0:53:13 > 0:53:16that we compared it with, of Renee,
0:53:16 > 0:53:19went for about $50,000.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23I believe that your picture in many ways is superior.
0:53:24 > 0:53:29The artistic impact, the characterisation of the child,
0:53:29 > 0:53:33the condition is so good and, above all, you have,
0:53:33 > 0:53:37carved into the wet paint, the signature of the artist,
0:53:37 > 0:53:41this celebrated painter at the beginning of his career.
0:53:41 > 0:53:45I therefore think it's worth in excess of ?50,000,
0:53:45 > 0:53:50and given that you've paid, what, 450 euros for it,
0:53:50 > 0:53:53I could see it making anything up to 100,000 euros.
0:53:57 > 0:53:59However... Yes?
0:53:59 > 0:54:01Where does it come from? Yes.
0:54:01 > 0:54:05Because unless we can say where it comes from,
0:54:05 > 0:54:07you've got a problem still.
0:54:07 > 0:54:11So, what have you managed to find out about your painting
0:54:11 > 0:54:12and its past?
0:54:12 > 0:54:19After we went to Miami, we came back and I was contacted by the vendor.
0:54:19 > 0:54:26He told me that the person depicted on the painting died three years ago
0:54:26 > 0:54:30and left a lot of money and his belongings to his son.
0:54:30 > 0:54:35This man, he managed to lose all the money
0:54:35 > 0:54:38in a very short time and he became homeless.
0:54:38 > 0:54:40At some point,
0:54:40 > 0:54:46he was asked to clear his house because he didn't pay the rent.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48This is the place in Brussels?
0:54:48 > 0:54:49The place in Brussels.
0:54:49 > 0:54:51So, he asked two friends...
0:54:53 > 0:54:58..to get rid of all his belongings and so to sell them.
0:54:58 > 0:55:00This is really important.
0:55:00 > 0:55:02So, the man who owned the painting
0:55:02 > 0:55:07asked his friends to get rid of it for him. Yes.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10To sell all his belongings. That's what they're telling you?
0:55:10 > 0:55:12Yes, that's what they're telling us.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14Do they have any evidence?
0:55:14 > 0:55:16Did he write that down? No.
0:55:16 > 0:55:18Was there a written instruction of any kind?
0:55:18 > 0:55:19No, I don't think so.
0:55:19 > 0:55:24Uncertainty around the provenance raises a much bigger issue.
0:55:24 > 0:55:28You know, the sad fact is you may not own this picture.
0:55:28 > 0:55:32If the people who sold it to you did not have the right to sell it,
0:55:32 > 0:55:38you don't own it. One day or another, we will try to sell it,
0:55:38 > 0:55:41but we will start by exposing it.
0:55:41 > 0:55:43By exposing it, you mean exhibiting it?
0:55:43 > 0:55:47Hoping that this man will come forward.
0:55:47 > 0:55:51Jan and Chris have been touched by the plight of the previous owner,
0:55:51 > 0:55:54but hope he may yet provide proof of his connection to the painting.
0:55:54 > 0:55:56It's a wonderful thought, though,
0:55:56 > 0:56:00because even if there is confusion about the ownership,
0:56:00 > 0:56:04at least the painting that he painted of a child
0:56:04 > 0:56:07will again be out there and seen.
0:56:07 > 0:56:10And that makes us very proud.
0:56:15 > 0:56:20We started out with three mystery paintings - three unknown artists,
0:56:20 > 0:56:22three unknown sitters.
0:56:22 > 0:56:25Now, we've proved Portrait Of A Lady is by Philippe Mercier...
0:56:27 > 0:56:30..and we've found out the truth about the Old General.
0:56:30 > 0:56:33But when it comes to the de Kooning,
0:56:33 > 0:56:36it's going to go on display here in Turnhout and it might flush out
0:56:36 > 0:56:39the original owner, and if it does, if he comes forward,
0:56:39 > 0:56:43he could provide the final missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle.
0:56:43 > 0:56:46That's the poignant thing about portraits.
0:56:46 > 0:56:48It's not just about art.
0:56:48 > 0:56:54It's about people and, like people, their lives can get forgotten.
0:56:54 > 0:56:58What was once vibrant and relevant can become obscured
0:56:58 > 0:57:02by the passage of time, and it falls upon us,
0:57:02 > 0:57:05people like us, to bring them back to life.
0:57:07 > 0:57:11If you think you might have an undiscovered masterpiece
0:57:11 > 0:57:15or other precious object, contact us at...