Philip Mould OBE is a renowned hunter of lost paintings.
Philip’s most exciting discovery was, in fact, his first: a rather unappealing portrait of a monk bought from an unglamorous sale for just £180. The portrait claimed to be of William Wordsworth so Philip took it to the National Portrait Gallery in London to hunt down some clues. He was directed towards the works of Sir Godfrey Kneller, the late 17th century royal portrait painter. It turned out to be a lost picture of Don Jose Carreras Y Coligo, poet and private chaplain to Queen Catherine of Braganza in the 1660’s.
Philip went on to sell the picture for £12,000 – an auspicious start to a career now spanning 25 years.
Philip’s real passion is for portraiture and he is one of the country's foremost authorities on British portrait painting. They appeal to Philip because ‘it’s about people – a conversation in paint’.
If he could uncover a hidden treasure by any artist Philip would choose Hans Holbein. Philip describes Holbein as ‘arguably the greatest painter who has ever visited these shores’.