Image: Curator Katherine Carter with the portrait of the Duke of Marlborough 3 © National Trust / Laurence Perry
Conservation work uncovers that portrait gifted to wartime dates to early 18th century rather than Victorian era as previously thought
A portrait gifted to Sir Winston Churchill in 1942 has been discovered to be a century older than previously catalogued following technical analysis and restoration.
The National Trust announced this week that the painting of the first Duke of Marlborough, long believed to be a 19th-century copy of an earlier work, actually dates back to the late 17th or early 18th century.
The portrait, which has never before been on public display due to its poor condition including severe flaking paint, will be exhibited at Chartwell from 1 March following a £25,000 donation for its restoration.
The painting has been confirmed as a version of a 1705 portrait in the Uffizi Collection in Florence, which was given to Cosimo III de Medici.
The artwork was originally gifted to Churchill by Lord Saltoun during the Second World War. Churchill wrote in response: “I shall always value the picture not only in itself but also for the feelings so gracefully expressed in your letter to my Private Secretary, which prompted the gift.”
The display coincides with the 375th anniversary of the Duke of Marlborough’s birth.
