'Lost' Constable sells at auction for £3.5million – 1,000 TIMES what it went for just 18 months ago when experts thought it was the work of a copycat

  • Painting thought to be the work of a John Constable fan sells for £3.5m
  • It was purchased in 2013 for £3,500 after being assessed as not an original
  • But after restoration, it was revealed to be one of his preparatory artworks
  • After being catalogued by world authority, it was listed at auction for £2m
  • It has now sold at a Sotheby's auction to an unnamed bidder for £3.5m

By Corey Charlton for MailOnline

Published: | Updated:

A 'lost' painting sold last year for £3,500 as the work of a John Constable copycat has been snapped up for a whopping £3.5million after it was revealed to be painted by the celebrated artist himself.

Renowned auctioneers Christie's of London thought a fan had painted the study of Salisbury Cathedral in homage to Constable's famous 1831 work, and so valued it at just £500.

A collector snapped it up for £3,500 in June 2013 but after taking a closer look they suspected the original artwork had been painted over.

London auctioneers Christie's thought a fan had painted the study of Salisbury Cathedral (pictured) in homage to British artist John Constable's famous 1831 work. Christie's sold it for £3,500, but the painting was found to be an original work after the buyer realised it had been painted over

Restorers were called in to remove the added brushstrokes, and to the new owner's delight the oil painting was confirmed by scholars to be an original work by the Haywain artist himself.

Experts say the previously unknown painting is one of several preparatory sketches Constable did before creating the masterpiece 'Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows', which was bought by the Tate gallery last year for £23.1million.

After being catalogued by one of the world's leading authorities on Constable, the painting was relisted with auctioneers Sotheby's with an estimate of £2million, 4,000 times the original estimate.

But after an intense bidding war the painting was sold to an unnamed bidder who forked out a staggering $5million - around £3.5million - including the auction house's fees.

A spokesman for Sotheby's said: 'It is a wonderful result.'

Prior to its sale in 2013 the 18in by 24in painting had been in a collection amassed in the 19th Century by William Henry Smith, founder of the high street stationary chain.

It hung on the walls of Hambleden Manor in the Chilterns, home to his descendants the Viscounts Hambleden, until the Elizabethan property was sold in 2007.

Lady Hambleden, 83, sold off the contents of the house - including the Constable painting - in the Christie's auction which raised £1.17m.

The 'lost' artwork of Salisbury Cathedral was found to be an original sketching by British artist John Constable (depicted in this painting right). The painting was owned by Lady Hambleden (left) until she decided to sell it via Christie's of London because she 'longer had room for it'

Experts said the painting is one of several preparatory sketches Constable did before creating the masterpiece 'Salisbury Cathedral From The Meadows' (above), which was bought for £23.1million last year

Experts said the painting is one of several preparatory sketches Constable did before creating the masterpiece 'Salisbury Cathedral From The Meadows' (above), which was bought for £23.1million last year

But specialists apparently failed to spot that the painting of Salisbury Cathedral was an original, instead listing it as being painted by 'a follower of Constable'.

It was valued at £500 to £800 and sold for £3,500 to the lucky, anonymous buyer who then realised the painting had been heavily retouched in what experts say was a 'misguided attempt' to 'finish' it.

Industry specialists say Lady Hambledon will have a case to sue Christie's if it can be proven the auctioneers did not carry out due diligence when checking the work.

Prior to the auction Anne Lyles, a leading authority on the artist and former curator at the Tate, said Constable paintings could be tricky to attribute to the artist but she stood by her view that it was an original.

She said: 'The buyer in 2013 will have taken an well-informed punt on this painting, which had a very low estimate, and then got it cleaned.

'Not everyone who takes a punt is going to get it right but on this occasion they did.' 

The depiction of Salisbury Cathedral (pictured) was sold by Christie's on behalf of Lady Hambleden, 83, who sold off the contents of her manor house for a total of £1.17million. Lady Hambleden was married to the great-grandson of William Henry Smith, the founder of W H Smith

The depiction of Salisbury Cathedral (pictured) was sold by Christie's on behalf of Lady Hambleden

LADY HAMBLEDEN AND W H SMITH

The famous newsagents firm was founded in 1792 when the first news vendors was opened in Little Grosvenor Street, London.

It was handed down through the family until 1948 when the third Viscount Hambleden died.

As Viscount Hambleden owned all the ordinary shares and the death duties were so heavy, a public holding company was formed to buy up all the share capital of WHSmith & Son Limited.

The shares of the holding company were subscribed by the family, staff and public and on September 1, 1949, WHSmith & Son (Holdings) Limited was formed.

Its governing director, and later its first chairman, was the Hon. David Smith - brother of the third Viscount Hambleden.

However, the Smith family's control later slipped away, and the last family member left the board in 1996.

Although no family member now sits on the board of the high street stationers, the Smiths collectively own £23million of company stock.

Lady Hambleden, born Countess Maria Carmela Attolico di Adelfia, moved into Hambleden Manor when she married William Herbert Smith - the fourth Viscount Hambleden - in 1955.

Lord Hambleden, who liked to be known as Harry, was the great-grandson of William Henry Smith, the founder of W H Smith.

Lord and Lady Hambleden divorced in 1988 but she remained in the manor - in the heart of the Chilterns - while her ex-husband moved to America, where he died last August, aged 82.

In 2013, she decided to sell off a number of artworks at the Elizabethan property because she now lives in a cottage in the village and 'no longer has room for them'.

Ivan Macquisten, the editor of the Antiques Trade Gazette, added: 'I would be surprised if the previous vendor was not considering taking the matter further.'

Before the auction a spokesman for Christie's said: 'We are aware that Sotheby's are offering this work as by Constable.

'We took the view at the time of our sale in 2013 that it was by a "follower of". We understand that there is no clear consensus of expertise on the new attribution.' 

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