British fine art researcher Adam Busiakiewicz has uncovered a long-lost portrait of King Henry VIII through social media.
While browsing on X, he stumbled upon a photograph shared by the Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, Tim Cox, which captured a gathering at Warwick’s Shire Hall.
Amidst the attendees, Busiakiewicz’s attention was drawn to a painting in the background.
The painting, with its distinctive arched top, reminded Busiakiewicz of a series of 22 portraits commissioned by Ralph Sheldon in the 1590s, which featured kings, queens, and notable figures of the era.
These portraits, originally displayed in the Long Gallery at Weston House, Warwickshire, had mostly gone missing over the years.
In a blog post, Busiakiewicz explained that the painting’s arched top and frame matched other known examples from the Sheldon set.
The portrait depicted Henry VIII holding a sword and wearing a feathered hat, similar to an engraving by Henry Shaw from 1839.
The discovery prompted Busiakiewicz to visit Shire Hall with local historian Aaron Manning.
In a subsequent blog update on July 22, Busiakiewicz confirmed that the portrait aligned with the other Sheldon pieces.
In an interview with CNN, Busiakiewicz noted that this wasn’t his first social media discovery.
In 2018, he identified a portrait by 17th-century artist Joan Carlile from a wedding photo on Instagram.
“Social media is a crazy thing,” he remarked, highlighting its unexpected benefits for art researchers.
Following Busiakiewicz’s revelation, the painting was moved to the Museum Collections Centre for further research.
A Warwickshire County Council spokesperson confirmed the authenticity of the painting as a Sheldon commission.
The painter remains unknown, 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 with incomplete records.
“Provenance is always such a really tricky thing,” he told CNN, underscoring the challenges of verifying art history. Nevertheless, he is certain of the painting’s origin: “There’s no doubt that this is Ralph Sheldon’s painting of Henry VIII.”
Busiakiewicz finds immense 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.”
