Dealer uncovers Countess of Carnarvon in Portugal

Found covered in grime in a Portuguese auction house, a three quarter-length portrait of a dark-haired lady by Dutch artist Willem Wissing (1655-1709) has been restored to its former glory by a Belgian dealership and the identity of its sitter revealed as a British aristocrat.

The portrait, 4ft x 3ft 4in (1.23 x 1m), depicts the sitter dressed in a green cloak, seated again…

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