One Dozen Crabs

 

I wander around on the Internet (no one could reasonably call what I do surfing) and occasionally find a gem worth sharing: a story about some woman who recovered her long-lost wedding ring in her carrot bed, or a pet returned to its loving family after years on the street. But I’ll probably never find anything as amazing as what Adam Busiakiewicz stumbled upon last month. Adam is an art historian and consultant for the auction house Sotheby’s. Adam was browsing photos on X (formerly known as Twitter) and noticed a painting with an unusual arched top in the background of a photo of a reception at Shire Hall. It was a portrait of King Henry VIII; one of a series of 22 portraits commissioned in the 1590s. Only a handful of the original 22 have survived, and until Adam’s discovery, it was considered by the art world to be among those lost.