For Immediate Release
Monday 19 August, 2024
Window Cleaner Discovers £200 Million Shakespeare Portrait
A window cleaner from Aylesbury, Steven Wadlow, has made a groundbreaking discovery in the art world. After 12 years of investigation, Wadlow has confirmed that a portrait hanging in his living room is a genuine portrait of William Shakespeare. This discovery is being hailed as one of the most remarkable art findings of all time.
At the young age of 31, with hair and no beard, this is the only portrait of Shakespeare painted during his lifetime. The portrait has been authenticated by experts and could potentially be worth anywhere between £100 to £200 million.
Initially, Wadlow regarded the painting as a family heirloom and was not particularly fond of it. He shared, “I didn’t particularly like it because it used to scare me, wherever you are in the house, it’s looking at you. It always used to remind me of those portraits on Scooby Doo.”
Wadlow’s journey into the art world began unexpectedly when his father noticed a familiar face on an episode of Time Team. His father then reached out to him, stating, “I think the painting in the corner might be Shakespeare.” A few days later, a visiting English and Art lecturer confirmed their suspicions, leading to a 12-year investigation into the painting’s origins.
Throughout this period, the portrait underwent extensive scientific analysis at some of the world’s leading art institutions, including the Hamilton Kerr Institute and UCL. The use of cutting-edge technology revealed underdrawings and overpainting, added to disguise the true identity of the sitter. Despite Wadlow’s fears of the painting being exposed as a fake, it passed every test with flying colors.
The painting’s provenance further supports its authenticity. Wadlow’s father purchased the painting for £900 from an art restoration project on the Great Tew estate in the 1960s. Today, the estate near Banbury is known for its celebrity residents, including the Beckhams, Simon Cowell, Claudia Winkleman, Prince Harry, and Megan Markle.
Experts in the art world believe that this vanished portrait of Shakespeare was used as the model for the earliest engraving of him, which appeared on the first folio of his plays printed in 1623. Wadlow’s portrait bears many similarities to this missing portrait, as it is also an oil on panel and was painted in 1595 – the same year Shakespeare turned 31.
However, there was one major obstacle in Wadlow’s research: the establishment’s refusal to accept a portrait of Shakespeare with hair and no beard. He expressed his frustration, stating, “You feel like you’re banging your head against a wall or trying to get through closed doors because you’re not part of the establishment.”
Wadlow explained that the engraving on the first folio was done seven years after Shakespeare’s death by an engraver who never met him. Therefore, experts believe that it must have been based on a portrait of him. He also found that his portrait was closer to the engraving than any other, more famous portraits claiming to be of Shakespeare.
Despite the challenges he faced, Wadlow persevered and continued his research with patience. This led him to a call from Lumiere Technology of Paris, who have handled thousands of the world’s greatest artworks, including the Mona Lisa. After a trip to Paris and further testing, it was confirmed that Wadlow’s portrait depicts Shakespeare as an actor, playing a role in one of his own plays, and was indeed the model for the engraving.
Jean Penicaut of Lumiere Technology stated, “For me, it really is a portrait of Shakespeare.” This pronouncement rendered Wadlow almost speechless, but he did manage to say, “That was an amazing day. After all these years and all the, is it Shakespeare? Isn’t it Shakespeare? And then today we have Jean, who discovered the under drawings on the Mona Lisa, saying that our painting is Shakespeare. You just can’t get better than that.”
With news of this remarkable discovery set to spread, Wadlow’s life is about to change, and someone might even come forward with a cheque for £200 million. Barkingmad TV has been following Wadlow’s journey for eight years and is currently looking for a broadcaster to share his remarkable story. If you would like to interview Steven Wadlow, please contact Madoc Roberts at madoc@barkingmad.tv or call 07715947801.
