An art historian has identified a missing portrait of King Henry VIII after spotting it on social media.
Adam Busiakiewicz, an art historian and consultant for the auction house Sotheby’s, made the discovery while browsing X on July 4. In a picture shared by the Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire Tim Cox, Busiakiewicz noticed a painting in the background that caught his attention.The art historian’s expertise led him to identify the artwork as he noticed the portrait in a photograph which showed a gathering at Warwick’s Shire Hall. The painting is believed to be one of a series of 22 portraits commissioned in the 1590s by local politician and tapestry-maker Ralph Sheldon.
Busiakiewicz was immediately reminded of Sheldon’s series of portraits, which depicted kings, queens, and other notable figures of the time. These portraits were originally displayed in the Long Gallery of Sheldon’s home, Weston House, in Warwickshire. The distinct arched tops of the paintings were a signature feature, designed to fit into an architectural frieze at the gallery.
In a blog post earlier this month, Busiakiewicz wrote that he had been “scrolling at speed” when he noticed the painting on the wall. He noted the distinctive arched top and similarities to other surviving examples of Sheldon’s commissioned portraits. In an engraving made by antiquarian Henry Shaw in 1839, King Henry VIII is shown holding a sword and wearing a feathered hat, matching the discovered portrait.
“These were once incorporated into an architectural frieze of the Long Gallery at Weston,” Busiakiewicz explained. “The arched top was a special feature of the Sheldon set.”
The series of portraits was dispersed at auction, and most have remained untraced. Intrigued by the painting, Busiakiewicz visited Warwick’s Shire Hall with local historian Aaron Manning to examine it more closely. He remarked on his blog on July 22, “The portrait is large, and completely in-line with the other Sheldon portraits.”
A spokesperson for Warwickshire County Council confirmed the historians’ visit. “Adam and Aaron viewed the painting at Shire Hall, and have confirmed they think it is definitely one of the Ralph Sheldon commissions,” the spokesperson wrote. “Since this discovery, the painting has been moved into our Museum Collections Centre to allow further research to take place.”
The artist responsible for the portraits remains unidentified, said Busiakiewiczalthough the individual is occasionally called “The Sheldon Master.” Currently, Busiakiewicz is focusing his efforts on determining the painting’s origins and history. The council obtained the artwork in 1951, but there are missing details in the documentation
“Provenance is always such a really tricky thing – it’s very hard sometimes to find, particularly when pictures are sold privately,” Busiakiewicz told CNN. “But there’s no doubt that this is Ralph Sheldon’s painting of Henry VIII.”
Busiakiewicz also told CNN that this wasn’t his first significant discovery through social media. In 2018, he identified a work by 17th-century female artist Joan Carlile from a picture a friend posted on Instagram. He added, “Social media is a crazy thing because some people use it to watch cat videos and follow what’s going on in the world, and then people like me just look at what people have hanging on their walls.”
Reflecting on his work, Busiakiewicz said, “Looking at paintings and pictures of paintings is my life and it’s great fun, particularly when you can in some way right a historic wrong, let’s say. Pictures that are overlooked, pictures that aren’t appreciated as much as they might be.”
