23
April 2003: The
art world has apparently been in a bit of a kerfuffle over the last week.
An
oil portrait of what is claimed by her descendants to be a portrait of Jane Austen
went up for auction in New York. However, experts in the National Portrait Gallery
in London said that the painting is not her at all and that their sketch of her
is the only actual picture of her that there is...
In
order to help in the debate we have pictures of her face for you to compare:
 |  |
Disputed
Jane Austen Oil Portrait | Undisputed
Jane Austen sketch |
Is
it just us or do they look like the same person to you at different ages and from
a different angle?
The
one on the left is of Austen as a 13 or 14 year old, before she became a writer.
The sketch on the right is her in her prime...
