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In a bizarre turn of events, a painting of “national significance” believed to be nearly 400 years old has been found in a flat in Micklegate, York, in northern England.
according to bbc (article off the paywall), University of Leeds medical researcher Luke Budworth moved into the apartment in October 2020 with his partner Hazel Mooney and their dog. When he was remodeling his kitchen last year, he discovered that the paintings were about 9 feet by 4 feet below the ceiling. Budworth said he was “very excited” to have found the paintings and urged them to be preserved for future generations.
He added: “I got out my tools and started gouging the boards. Once I took the panel off it was there, beautiful colour, and some layers of Victorian wallpaper.”
Initial investigations by Budworth revealed that the scenes in the paintings came from a book called Emblems, written in 1635 by the poet Francis Quarles. These artworks, painted directly on plaster, are thought to date from the 17th century.according to a CNN reports (article outside of the paywall), the newly unearthed frieze depicts a biblical scene in which a caged man is dragged away by angels. There is also a person riding a white chariot, “as if riding to heaven.”
After the discovery, Budworth contacted Historic England, the public body responsible for the country’s historic environment, and the team further helped him unearth more details and significance of the paintings.
The report added that representatives of Historic England surveyed the artwork and took some professional photographs, and that Badworth was given a high-quality, life-size replica of the frieze and was advised to cover it up to protect it .
Simon Taylor, senior building investigator for the northern region at Historic England, said it was an “exciting rediscovery”. “We think they have national significance and are particularly interesting in the context of York where local murals are so rare,” he added.
The paintings were originally discovered in 1998 and photographed before being covered up again and largely forgotten, the report added.
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