Long-Lost Portrait Of Henry VIII Discovered In The Background Of A Photo Shared On X

Commissioned by local politician Ralph Sheldon in the 1590s, the portrait was just one of a series of 22 paintings that have largely vanished from the historical record.

Adam BusiakiewiczThe lost portrait of King Henry VIII.

Earlier this month, art historian Adam Busiakiewicz was scrolling through the social media platform X when he noticed something fascinating in the background of a post. There, in the upper-left portion of the photograph, was a large portrait of King Henry VIII, set in a frame with a rounded arch.

Busiakiewicz sensed that this was no ordinary portrait, and after traveling to see the painting in person, he learned that his hunch was correct. This was, in fact, a long-lost portrait of the Tudor king, commissioned by the local politician and tapestry maker Ralph Sheldon to be hung in Sheldon’s Warwickshire home in the 16th century.

How A Social Media Post Led Adam Busiakiewicz To A Missing Portrait

Busiakiewicz first wrote about the portrait in a July 4 blog post, saying, “Strange discoveries can happen at any moment, it appears. This is especially the case when your eyes are particularly honed in on gilt frames that feature in the corners of photographs of peoples’ homes on social media.”

As he explained, when he first saw a photo posted by Tim Cox, the Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, of a group of people in Warwick Shire Hall, he spotted the “round topped portrait” right away. He also noted that it shared many characteristics with a lost set of portraits commissioned by Ralph Sheldon in the 1590s.

The series consisted of 22 paintings, mostly of kings, queens, and “significant contemporary international figures.” The majority of those paintings have since been lost to time, but the few that remain are scattered across various collections. Until now, Busiakiewicz explained, the portrait of Henry VIII had never been identified with any surviving painting.

Looking at the photo on X, Busiakiewicz wondered: “Could the Warwick Shire Hall Henry VIII be this missing work?”

Tim Cox/Warwickshire City Council on XThe photo posted on X. The Henry VIII portrait can be seen in the upper-left corner.

Busiakiewicz headed to Warwick Shire Hall to see the painting in person. Afterward, he followed up with another blog post on July 22.

“The portrait is large, and completely in-line with the other Sheldon portraits (measuring approximately 84 cm tall),” he wrote, “which are much more imposing than other bust-length Elizabethan corridor portraits of the period.”

Likewise, the art historian noted that the frame around the portrait “corresponds to the Earl of Essex and Richard III frames from the Sheldon set.” Notably, the painting also appears to match an engraving of the portraits published by 19th-century antiquary Henry Shaw.

Public DomainAn engraving of the Sheldon portraits, including Henry VIII (third from right).

Local historian Aaron Manning went with Busiakiewicz to see the painting; both agreed that this portrait was almost certainly from the Sheldon series.

The Portrait Was Moved Into A Museum Collection For Further Research

With the painting now identified, further research is underway to learn more about its history. A spokesperson for the Warwickshire City Council told CNN via email, “Since this discovery, the painting has been moved into our Museum Collections Centre to allow further research to take place.”

Adam BusiakiewiczHistorians Aaron Manning and Adam Busiakiewicz.

Busiakiewicz told CNN that the painter’s identity remains unknown, though the creator is “sometimes referred to as The Sheldon Master.” Now, Busiakiewicz is working with the Museum Collections Centre to piece together the painting’s provenance. Although it was acquired by the council in 1951, there are still gaps in its history.

“Provenance is always such a really tricky thing — it’s very hard sometimes to find, particularly when pictures are sold privately. But there’s no doubt that this is Ralph Sheldon’s painting of Henry VIII,” Busiakiewicz said.

Busiakiewicz marveled at how remarkable it was to find this historic portrait through social media, of all things.

“Social media is a crazy thing,” Busiakiewicz said, “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.”

After reading about how this lost portrait of King Henry VIII was discovered, learn all about the king’s many wives. Then, learn about King Henry VIII’s children.