Indian portrait confirmed as Katherine Read work, £100k+

A portrait of an Indian woman, carefully stored in a sleeping bag for protection, has been authenticated as a work by the 18th-century Scottish artist Katherine Read and valued at more than 100,000 pounds. The painting, featured on the July 23 episode of the television program "Fake or Fortune?", is now recognized as the earliest recorded portrait of an Indian sitter by a European female artist.

The artwork belongs to retired accountant Mary-Louise Wedderburn, who inherited it from her uncle's will two decades ago. The portrait depicts an unidentified Indian woman in a formal pose, adorned with a string of pearls, a large emerald pendant, and a nose ring. Wedderburn, a distant relative of the artist, long suspected the painting was by Read but sought professional verification from the program's investigative team.

Presenters Fiona Bruce and art dealer Philip Mould led the investigation, comparing the portrait to authenticated works by Katherine Read. Their research involved trawling through family archives, consulting experts, and examining letters and wills to reconstruct the artist's life. They were assisted by experts including Professor Catriona Seth, Ashvin Rajagopalan, and...