Anthony Van Dyck original discovered on internet

EXPERTS have identified a 17th-century portrait by the court painter of King Charles I, Sir Anthony Van Dyck, after it was spotted on a website.

Dr Bendor Grosvenor, an art historian and dealer, spotted the oil painting on the BBC Your Paintings website and has confirmed it as an original worth in the region of £1 million.

The portrait, which dates from the 1630s is of Olivia Boteler Porter, who was a lady-in-waiting to Henrietta Maria, the wife of King Charles I.

It has been kept for years in the Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, Co Durham, where it was thought to be a copy “after Sir Anthony Van Dyck”.

Tonight’s BBC 2 Culture Show follows Dr Grosvenor and presenter Alastair Sooke as they restore and re-examine the painting to identify its history.

Your Paintings: A Culture Show Special is on BBC2 at 6.30pm tonight.