A charming 18th century painting of Holy Isle is being sold on auction website ebay, but the owner has no idea who painted it.
Gordon Williams of Bristol bought the framed oil painting in Manchester 18 years ago. It is not signed and the place is not named.
But nothing daunted Gordon, a picture restorer, simply put the word ‘island’ into a search box and browsed the results. Up came a picture of Holy Isle.
Gordon, aged 65, said: ‘It doesn’t appear to have changed much. When I bought it had a very yellow varnish on it which seemed to me to be the original varnish which would have been applied soon after it was painted.
‘I am a picture restorer but don’t do much now but I wondered where it was of. The wonders of the internet came in handy.
‘I suppose it would be nice if a person who has connections to the scene bought it … but in any case people might be just pleased to see a, presumably, accurate painting of Lamlash from the late 18th century.’
Bidding ends tomorrow (Sunday) and anyone interested in viewing or bidding for the picture can do so on ebay and go to ‘Antique Pre-1900. Paintings, Art’.
