Try “cataloguing” what you see in this painting – front and back – by trying to answer some of the questions above. (Use your browser back and forward arrows to move back and forth between the two views.)

Did you see any text or numbers on the front or back of the painting?

You probably noticed the number “311” painted on the copper back of the portrait. That was probably an inventory number applied to the painting’s copper support by either Talbot Hughes or Philip Rosenbach, the two 20th-century owners of the portrait.

Did you notice something else, though?

If you looked very closely indeed, just below the number, you caught sight of something much harder to see – some faint lettering painted on to the copper below the number. Keeping in mind that Talbot Hughes dated this portrait to the 17th century, see if you can figure out the letters that appear below the number “311.” (You may need some help from one or two other people also looking at the back of the portrait, and in fact, it is always helpful to get a second or third opinion about such things, even when you’re in the early stages of exploring.)

Write down the letters or groups of letters that you are able to see. What do you see to the left of center, for instance?

F – E – S ...

or perhaps

F- E – R...

And to the right of center?

A - N- D ...

or perhaps

N – A- N – D...?

What if this lettering dated back to the 17th century? Could this, perhaps, be the name of the original artist, painted on the back of the portrait by the artist or by someone contemporary to the artist?

Note: Often, later hands will add such information so that the inscriptions and painted marks can often post-date a work by a century or more. It is useful to consult someone knowledgeable in dating the form and style of lettering; dating the chemical composition of the paint used to apply the lettering, or comparing it with the composition of the paints used on the face of the portrait might also be another way to verify whether or not it is contemporary to the portrait.)

Next: Where do we go from here?