The battle to display one of UK's most important paintings - and the mystery behind it

It's the only faithful, same-size copy of a famous lost painting of Sir Thomas More, the Lord Chancellor, executed by Henry VIII for refusing to recognise his first divorce. The spectacular 2.5-metre by 3.4-metre portrait, based on one by Holbein Jnr and depicting More and three generations of his family, serves as a vital record of the lost masterpiece. Its huge size and difficulty to hang kept it confined to its packing case for most of the 18th century. Now its custodians at the National Trust are turning detective in the hope of solving some of the centuries-old mysteries surrounding Thomas More and his Family (1592–1620). They hope cutting-edge imaging techniques demonstrated in front of the public – a first for the UK, as heritage science is normally undertaken behind closed doors – will finally provide some answers.

Simon McCormack, curator of Nostell Priory near Wakefield in Yorkshire, the home of the painting for almost 300 years, explains: “We have long wanted to fully investigate this painting, which has had limited scientific analysis. This painting, one of the most famous images of early Tudor family life, has always been considered one of the glories of the house. What is particularly exciting for us is that for the first time in the UK the science heritage techniques we will be using can be witnessed by the public in real time.” Visitors to Nostell Priory, a Palladian house and gardens that dates from 1733, will be able to see the scientific investigations on the painting for two weeks from today. It will be moved into a temporary studio in the Top Hall at Nostell where visitors can watch experts from the University of Cambridge’s Hamilton Kerr Institute scan and record the portrait’s surface in minute detail. “By examining aspects of the painting like the paint pigment and what lies beneath the surface we may discover it was painted at a different time, and maybe even by a different artist if we discover another signature underneath,” says Simon.

Sir Thomas More and his Family (1592–1620) is a famous 1592 oil-on-canvas copy by Rowland Lockey of a lost 1527 group portrait by Hans Holbein the Younger. The inscription by Lockey, a relatively little known artist active from 1593 to 1616, was possibly added later. “Its rich detail, jewel-like appearance and near 1:1 scale gives the impression that you are standing in front of a real family gathering,” Simon enthuses.

“What makes it even more significant is that it is a rare copy based on a long-lost original by Hans Holbein the Younger, the most important artist working in England in the 16th century.” Simon reveals that the original, made around 1527 and lost in a fire in 1752, was regarded as one of the most innovative of Holbein’s English period and was arguably the first group portrait of a British family at home.

Nostell’s painting is understood to be the most faithful to Holbein’s original, based on a sketch and notes held in a museum in Switzerland. It is the only same-size version that survives to this day. Simon continues: “It was also important to us to share this exciting work with our visitors, which will be the first time that MA-XRF (macro X-ray fluorescence scanning) has been done in public in the UK.”

The process involves X-raying the picture to learn more about the paints used and their possible date of origin. It will be combined with infrared reflectography to see what drawings may lie underneath.

Holbein Jnr was a famous German-Swiss painter and printmaker of the Northern Renaissance, best known as the official court painter to King Henry VIII. He travelled to London with a recommendation from Erasmus to stay with Sir Thomas More. Returning to London permanently in 1532, he became the king’s court painter by 1536.

His famous portraits included iconic life-like images of Henry VIII, his wives (such as Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves), and The Ambassadors (a double portrait featuring a famous anamorphic skull, which only appears from a certain angle).

“This picture was painted just before a seismic change in Britain on the eve of the reformation,” says Simon of its historical significance. “Thomas More would lose his head for his beliefs and Britain would see the dissolution of the monasteries. Thomas More was such a pivotal figure in British history.”

More, a scholar who was venerated in the Catholic Church as a saint, was executed after refusing to support the annulment of the King’s first marriage to Catherine of Aragon so he could marry Anne Boleyn. He was beheaded on Tower Hill in London on July 6, 1535,

He was portrayed on screen by Paul Scofield in the 1966 film A Man for All Seasons and more recently by Anton Lesser in Wolf Hall. Meanwhile Simon hopes that bringing the conservation work out into the open will be an exciting new chapter of the visitor experience.

“We hope that by letting the public see this we are offering them a rare insight into a work of art and a different experience they won’t have had before at a National Trust property,” he adds. The painting depicts Sir Thomas with his family, books, musical instruments and pets at their home in Chelsea. It is thought to have been commissioned to mark More’s 50th birthday and his daughters’ double wedding.

“There are lots of myths and legends around our painting which heritage science may be able to help answer,” adds Simon. “How close is it to the lost original? When was it painted? How much has it been altered over time, and by who?”

Professor Erma Hermens, Deputy Director of Conservation and Heritage Science at the Fitzwilliam Museum and Director of the Hamilton Kerr Institute, University of Cambridge, says her team are excited to be using their high tech equipment in situ for the first time.

“We will collect a lot of data during our stay and explain to the visitors at Nostell what we are doing and which stories about the painting’s making we hope to reveal,” she says.

MA-XRF imaging will take place day and night over the course of eight days, starting today [SEPT 3], followed by Infrared Reflectography imaging. Simon continues: “We don’t know for certain who painted the Nostell portrait. A version of the original at The National Portrait Gallery has a documented link to Lockey, but our painting is likely to be by a different hand.”

For now, the painting is described as “After Hans Holbein, previously attributed to Rowland Lockey”. When analysis is complete next year, visitors will be able to explore the processes used and how effective they have been.

Simon adds: “We hope that by doing this work in front of visitors, we can share an insight into the conservation science that helps us to understand and care for our Heritage – and help people take a deeper dive into one of our most prized, fascinating artworks.”

• Imaging of Sir Thomas More and his Family will take place until September 18 at Nostell. For further information visit nationaltrust.org.uk/nostell