Fake or Fortune guest left stunned over old painting

by · Mail Online

A mystery painting that was bought for £2,000 has been revealed to be a long-lost 'masterpiece' worth an estimated £300,000.

The significance of the work began to emerge after the British buyer spotted a hidden signature on the picture, after purchasing it at a regional auction house.

It has now been confirmed that the painting is the work of acclaimed Canadian impressionist painter Helen McNicoll. It is said to have been 'missing' for 110 years.

The discovery was revealed on last night's episode of Fake or Fortune on BBC1.

David Taylor, from Lincoln, who is a retired art dealer and artist, bought the painting with no idea who created the work. He is said to have only found the signature after he took the painting out of its frame.

He said: 'I bought it at auction. I didn't actually have a catalogue on the day, and I was just viewing, wandering around... (It) was in a corner in a plastic 1960s frame.

Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould in front of what appears to be a painting by Helen McNicoll
The painting by Helen McNicoll that was bought at auction for just over £2,000 but is worth an estimated £300,000

'As a painter, I looked at it, and I was just bowled over by it. (It was) painted by someone who really knows what they're doing.'

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He enlisted the help of experts on the BBC1 show, presented by Fiona Bruce, to help prove that the painting was McNicoll's early 20th century lost work, The Bean Harvest. It is thought to be worth an estimated £300,000.

McNicoll, born in 1879, is regarded as one of Canada's most important impressionist artists, known in part for her rural landscapes

The artist, who was born into a wealthy family in Toronto, suffered loss of hearing as a result of scarlet fever at the age of two.

She left Canada and went to study at Slade School of Fine Art in London in 1902. McNicoll was often based in London during the rest of her life.

She died in Dorset, from complications from diabetes at the age of 35 in 1915. Her painting The Chintz Sofa sold for half a million pounds in December last year.

Mr Taylor is now planning to sell his painting at an auction, with the picture currently being stored in a gallery.

Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould preparing to tell the owner, David, if his painting is a genuine Helen McNicoll

The BBC revealed that Pierre Lassonde, a Canadian businessman and philanthropist, who is a collector of McNicoll's work has already flown over to London to view the picture.

He said: 'It's beautiful, it really is magnificent… For a painting that has been missing for 110 years I think it's fantastic… I wouldn't mind adding one more piece to my collection.'

Fake or Fortune presenter Bruce said: 'I'd not heard of Helen McNicoll before we started investigating this painting, but what a pioneer she was – a woman at that time, the early 20th century travelling abroad with her easel while profoundly deaf.

'I'm so glad we've been able to bring her name to wider attention. I loved the painting the moment I saw it, but was it hers?'

The painting's owner, Mr Taylor, said: 'It's been an absolute adventure, the Fake or Fortune team and the BBC have made the journey memorable and exciting.

'I believed in the painting from day one, and I'm hopeful that it could achieve a record price.'