Fake Or Fortune? - The Lost Gainsborough

In this episode, the team investigate an 18th century landscape: could it be a lost landscape by the great British master of landscape painting Thomas Gainsborough?

The painting has been in the family of owner Mark Cropper for generations, and until the 1970s it was considered to be a Gainsborough. But then a valuation downgraded it to a Barker of Bath - an attribution Philip calls a ‘bin name’. Mark’s father tore off the Gainsborough label in disgust but Mark would love to be able to put the name Gainsborough back on the painting.

Philip is intrigued by this painting as it’s a landscape he recognises. Mark’s picture looks very much like a famous print by Gainsborough, copied from one of his paintings, believed to be lost for many years. Could Mark’s picture be that original lost Gainsborough picture? But there’s a complication: in 1999 Philip helped authenticate a different picture as 'the lost Gainsborough'. At that point, neither he nor the Gainsborough scholars knew about the existence of Mark’s picture, as it’s been hidden away in a private collection for generations. If Mark’s picture turns out to be the lost Gainsborough, could Philip and the experts who authenticated the picture in 1999 have got it wrong?

The investigation starts with tracing the provenance of the painting: the back of the picture is dotted with labels and helpfully the Gainsborough catalogue raisonné details a provenance for the lost picture. Fiona sets out to see if any of the labels on the back of Mark’s picture match with the provenance in the catalogue raisonné.

Meanwhile Philip is keen to get to grips with the front of the picture. The Gainsborough print of the lost picture was very famous, and over the years it has been copied many times. Could Mark’s picture be merely a copy of the print? By studying the various copies and prints and examining how they differ, Philip deduces that Mark’s picture isn’t a copy of the print, which means it’s either a copy of the original or the original itself. It’s a positive start.

Fiona’s working hard to trace the provenance of the picture. Her journey takes her to grand country houses, archives and auction houses up and down the country, as she follows the trail of the labels on the back of the frame. She also meets the son of the former owner of the Gainsborough landscape that was authenticated in 1999 - knowing how crucial provenance is, she’s keen to know what provenance was attached to that picture.

Philip delves deeper into the picture itself, looking for clues in the pigments and technique. At the Courtauld Institute, infra red and x-ray photography reveal a startling discovery beneath the layers of paint that could be a game changer and take the investigation on a whole new path. Fiona heads off to the Witt library in London, where she’s hoping some innovative technology can help provide answers.

The investigation twists and turns, with evidence stacking up both for and against the picture. Finally, the dossier of evidence is handed over to Hugh Belsey, the expert who will determine the fate of the painting. Owner Mark is hoping against hope that he will be able to re-apply a Gainsborough plaque - but have the team done enough?

Pictured: Philip Mould with The Gypsies

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