An incredibly rare painting, believed to be the only surviving image of Owain Glyndŵr, has been discovered in an attic in Llansilin, near his ancestral home at Sycharth.
The local man who found it among copies of Rumours, Tubular Bells and a Hornby train set wished to remain anonymous.
“I nearly took it to the tip,” said Gareth Hughes, 64. “But the wife said the frame might be worth something.”
Owain Glyndŵr, apparently pictured between uprisings.
The portrait depicts the Welsh leader sporting a blond bob, pink waistcoat and lilac tights, prompting an urgent reassessment of his appearance.
“We’ll have to redo the tea towels.”
“We knew he challenged the English Crown,” said medieval historian Dr Geraint Pugh. “We hadn’t appreciated how comprehensively he also challenged the dress code.”
Dr Pugh described the fur-trimmed boots as “a significant departure from the accepted scholarship”.
Experts intend to establish the painting’s provenance by analysing the pigments, dating the frame and tracing its previous owners.
A small inscription reading “Mattel” is currently being investigated as a possible medieval patron.
“The frame will undergo carbon dating,” Dr Pugh confirmed. “If the results suggest 1983, we’ll seek a second opinion.”
Gareth has offered to include the train set.
“They reckon it might be the original transport link between Sycharth and Eternia.”
