British fine art researcher Adam Busiakiewicz has rediscovered a long-lost portrait of King Henry VIII via social media.
While browsing on X, he came across a photograph posted by the Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, Tim Cox, depicting a gathering at Warwick’s Shire Hall. In the background of the image, Busiakiewicz noticed a distinctive painting.
The painting’s unique arched top reminded Busiakiewicz of a series of 22 portraits commissioned by Ralph Sheldon in the 1590s, which included depictions of kings, queens, and notable figures of the time. These portraits, initially displayed in the Long Gallery at Weston House, Warwickshire, had largely disappeared over the years.
In a blog post, Busiakiewicz elaborated that the painting’s arched top and frame were consistent with other known examples from the Sheldon series. The portrait of Henry VIII showed the king holding a sword and wearing a feathered hat, resembling an 1839 engraving by Henry Shaw.
Prompted by this discovery, Busiakiewicz, accompanied by local historian Aaron Manning, visited Shire Hall. In a blog update on July 22, Busiakiewicz confirmed the portrait’s alignment with the other Sheldon pieces.
In an interview with CNN, Busiakiewicz mentioned that this was not his first discovery via social media. In 2018, he identified a portrait by 17th-century artist Joan Carlile from a wedding photo on Instagram. He remarked on the surprising benefits of social media for art researchers, stating, “Social media is a crazy thing.”
Following Busiakiewicz’s revelation, the painting was transferred to the Museum Collections Centre for further analysis. A spokesperson from Warwickshire County Council confirmed the painting’s authenticity as a Sheldon commission. The artist remains unidentified and is often referred to as The Sheldon Master.
Busiakiewicz is now focused on tracing the painting’s provenance, noting that it was acquired by the council in 1951, but the records are incomplete. He emphasized the difficulties of verifying art history, telling CNN, “Provenance is always such a really tricky thing.” However, he is confident in the painting’s origin: “There’s no doubt that this is Ralph Sheldon’s painting of Henry VIII.”
Busiakiewicz expressed great satisfaction in rediscovering overlooked art, stating, “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.”
