A sharp-eyed historian uncovered a long-lost portrait of King Henry VII in the background of a photo posted on social media.
Art historian Adam Busiakiewicz was scrolling X and randomly spotted a photo posted by the Warwickshire Lieutenancy on July 4 (see below).
Delighted to host a reception for Lieutenancy ambassadors to thank them and my Deputy Lieutenants for all they do across #Warwickshire pic.twitter.com/gJOssu2Zj5
— Warwickshire Lieutenancy (@Warkslieutenant) July 4, 2024
The X photo showed a group of people at a reception held in a room at Shire Hall in Warwickshire, U.K. with a collection of paintings hanging behind them on the wall.
Among these artworks, the missing portrait of Henry VIII, possibly the most recognizable English king in history, was just about visible.
According to a report by the BBC, Busiakiewicz, who consults for Sotheby’s, says that the barely-visible portrait of the Henry VIII “just stood out to me”.
Tudor portrait rediscovered on @X to be redisplayed in museum. I’m helping the Warwickshire Museum Service raise funds to conserve and redisplay Ralph Sheldon’s Lost Portrait of King Henry VIII. Click on the link to find out more. https://t.co/PAgW2cfu57 pic.twitter.com/hXmRVHZsvK
— Adam Busiakiewicz (@Adam_FineArt) March 6, 2025
The painting in question was once part of a famous set of 22 portraits commissioned in the 1590s by tapestry maker Ralph Sheldon. It depicts Henry VIII in his signature plumed hat and gold chains with a sword in his hand.
The portrait originally hung in Sheldon’s home in Warwickshire, the U.K., but was later lost to time.
Once Busiakiewicz alerted the local authorities to his suspicions, the Warwickshire County Council invited him to take a look. After inspecting it personally, the historian was able to confirm the artwork as the missing painting.
The Warwick Henry VIII painting has the same arched top and is framed in a corresponding frame as other surviving examples. Furthermore, an engraving of the Weston House frieze shows the very same composition for Henry as found in the Warwick painting. pic.twitter.com/WBImFYaVfV
— Adam Busiakiewicz (@Adam_FineArt) July 7, 2024
In a blog post, Busiakiewicz explained that the portrait’s distinctive arched top is specific to the other paintings in the Sheldon set, and is identical to the frames of other surviving paintings from the set are in.
Busiakiewicz says is unable to estimate the price of this particular portrait of Henry VIII, but adds that Sheldon pieces have sold for around $266,000.
“The fact I was lucky to piece together [what it was] in an hour is very exciting,” Busiakiewicz tells the BBC. “I spend a lot of time thinking about paintings and looking at people’s walls,” he explained.
Image credits: Header photo via X/@Adam_FineArt.
