This portrait of Henry Stuart, Cardinal York, was bought by Philip Mould Ltd at a small auction house earlier this year. The picture was catalogued as simply ‘Portrait of a Cardinal’, but research proved it to be a lost portrait of Henry, younger brother of Charles Stuart, Bonnie Prince Charlie. Our further research led to the discovery that a portrait in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery by Maurice Quentin de La Tour, which was long thought to show Charles, may in fact be a portrait of Henry. A full analysis of the research was published in the June 2008 edition of the British Art journal.

Link to the article published in the British Art Journal, June 2008

News Item Posted: July 1 2008

This important portrait of three girls was recently acquired at auction by Philip Mould Ltd on behalf of a client. Our research led us to the identity of the sitters, who were three sisters; Elizabeth, Vere and Mary Egerton. The portrait was painted in c.1601.

Link to the article in the Antiques Trade Gazette

News Item Posted: June 18 2008

A loan exhibition of British portrait miniatures was held at the London gallery in May and June 2008. The exhibition, entitled ‘‘Secret Faces – Unseen Portrait Miniatures from Public and Private Collections’’, focused on portraits of major historical figures not normally on public display. Works were loaned from private collections as well as from the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Ashmolean Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.

The exhibition revealed a number of forgotten but captivating treasures by the masters of the genre including Nicholas Hilliard, Peter Oliver, Samuel Cooper and John Smart and presented for the first time an unrecorded portrait of Elizabeth I.

The catalogue is available for £20 plus p+p; please contact emma@philipmould.com

News Item Posted: May 28 2008