The evening times., 1899-08-12
HIDDEN PICTURES UNCOVERED.
An Interesting Discovery i'm the Fa-
nous Hampton Court.
(From the London News }

it rom Inc LOHuOH -NcWot
An interesting discovery has rewarded
the researches of Lord Esher and other
officials at Hampton Court Palace.
There had always lurked suspicion that
the walls Of the famous Queen Anne's
drawing-rcom, which is in the centre or
the east wing of Wren's famous building,
which room forms the apex on which the
three great avenues of trees known to the
whole world converge, contained more
than the second-rate portraits OF the
Georges. Never, however, was 1t sup
posed that an important work by that once
famous decorative artist Verrio had been
concealed from the public eyes since 1735,
owing to a stupendous act OF Vandalism,
which, it is presumed. was carried out by
Queen Caroline in 1885, probably to pre-
vent the apotheosis Of Queen Anne from
meeting her eyes in her drawing room
when she became Queen. And again IN
1893 the beautiful paintings now diseov-
cred were covered up. The date Is known
by the extraordinary act Of the paper
hanger of that time, who, in covering up
Verrio' work, scratched on his name and
the date Of the paper hanging.
In taking down some of the portraits or
the Georges, which were intended for Ken
sington Palace, it was noticed by an of1-
eial that the top right hand corner close
| to the ceiling seemed abruptly cut Off from
the general scheme of the beautiful ceiling,
which everyone has seen and admired, and
which represents Queen Anne. in the char
| lot of Justice dressed in purple, lined with
ermine Over her head is a crown, held
| by Neptune and Britannia, while surround
l ing and floating in the clouds are various
anegorieal figures representing Peace and
Plenty, etc.
| The discovery now made shows that the
whole of the walls were originally painted
| by Verrio in the same manner. the subject
being Queen Anne's apotheosis as Queen
| of the Sea in the four great quarters OF the
globe
The importance of the Find" was not
really known until Haines & Sons, the
| Queens picture restorers, began to clean
away the century and a half's dirt and dust
which had accumulated under the wall pa
per, when 1t was seen that the very dirt
that obscured the pictures had really pre-
served their beautiful colors and designs,
| and it is now, only when the walls have
been nearly restored, that true appre-
| citation of the discovery can be made.
| On carefully stripping the red coloree
paper OF the walls It was found that the
| vandaIs who first obseured the pictures
had done immense damage by cutting away
much of Verrio's uraf painting to inser,
| the battens on which they stretched the
tough canvas to hold green silk dam
ask covering, By carefully nursing every
bit of the design, the restorers have been
able to reproduce those fragments of the
picture which were tofn away by the
| workman's plaster hammer.
The green dauask silk covering wa:
Queen Caroffusss (seorg6 IT'S wife} desigI
| for the cDg41iHg OF Queen Anne's pictures
and over thu she huhg the pictures Of hel
Town people, which sha brongE. from Ken.
Esingt6u HalafG Mnt shredr Of this sill
fcoyArffig 8eH found attached To the bsttens
I'm 1885 ttis Elk beeame tattefzd ana faded
and Mas taken down to give place to or
dfnAfy heavy wall paper stretched on rud'