Eight years ago this anonymous portrait of the Dutch scholar Erasmus was sold at auction for EUR2,000, and was attibuted to one of the many imitators of the great German court painter, Hans Holbein the Younger.It now appears that the private collector who bought it got himself a bit of a bargain. Experts now believe it is by the great man himself, and is therefore worth millions.
Lightening rarely strikes twice in the same place, but this picture, more easily associated with Holbein is by a "FOLLOWER OF HANS HOLBEIN Portrait of King Henry VIII (1491-1547), half-length, in a gold-embroidered doublet, fur coat and an embellished hat, with a feather inscribed 'Æt 53' (upper left) and dated '1545' (upper right), oil on fine-weave canvas, laid on panel 25 x 19 in. (63.5 x 48.2 cm.)" and is for sale at Christie's at an estimate of GBP3,000-5,000.
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