6. The Original Portrait of Anthony van Dyck
Place: London
Year Found: 1970s
Estimated Value: Unknown
Before Chris Wright happened into a nearby London antique shop and discovered a seemingly good copy of the original Anthony van Dyck painting of Infanta Isabella C. Eugenia, the powerful 17th-century ruler of Brussels, the world thought that just 20 copies of the painting existed. Understanding the art history of the 17th century, he chose to purchase it for $88, without giving it any further thought.
Original Portrait by Anthony van Dyck ©Maidun Collection/Almy
About fifty years later, specialists from the London-based Courtauld Institute of Art “tentatively proposed” that the purported “copy” might, in fact, be an original, possibly from van Dyck’s own studio.